It’s almost impossible to think of Dancing With the Stars without thinking of Val Chmerkovskiy. Being a part of the show since 2006, he might as well be the face of the competition we know and love!
For those who are unfamiliar, Chmerkovskiy joined DWTS in season 2, making occasional appearances as he supported his brother: former DWTS pro, Maksim “Maks” Chmerkovskiy. He was eventually promoted to a DWTS pro in season 13, competing in every season since — with the exception of season 26 — and taking home the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy on three separate occasions: with Rumer Willis in season 20, Laurie Hernandez in season 23, and Xochitl Gomez in season 32.
As if DWTS was not a big enough piece of his life, he is married to a fellow DWTS pro, Jenna Johnson, as well — how sweet is that?
Being a part of the beloved competition series for almosr 20 years, Chmerkovskiy has seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to the celebrity contestants on DWTS. Finally, the 38-year-old is name-dropping, spilling all the tea to podcaster Joe Vulpis.
Vulpis asked Chmerkovskiy, “Who’s been the best celeb that has been on the show, in your opinion?” during a recent episode of the Lightweights podcast, and the longtime DWTS pro sang like a bird. Keep scrolling for the nitty gritty details…
Admitting that “there’s a few,” Chmerkovskiy pinpointed season 18’s Meryl Davis, season 10’s Nicole Scherzinger, and season 25’s Jordan Fisher as some of the best celebs to compete on DWTS to date.
“I think Meryl Davis was one of the best, as far as what my brother and her produced dance-wise was some of the best,” he gushed, reminiscing on the time the Olympic ice skater was partnered with his brother (back in 2014).
He continued, “I think Nicole Scherzinger — with Derek [Hough] — was also one of the best that we’ve ever had,” adding that Jordan Fisher and Lindsay [Arnold] were a pretty perfect pairing as well.
These comments were interesting coming from Chmerkovskiy — as neither Davis, Scherzinger, nor Fisher were his partner — but unsurprising. After all, all three of these celebs managed to take home the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy!
He then added that while Davis, Scherzinger, and Fisher all had raw talent when it came to dancing, their partnerships are what made them a strong enough team to emerge victorious. Admitting that “not all pros are the same, for better and for worse” — and that they tend to have “different approaches” when it comes to choreography — he confirmed that their partners, were big contributors to their success.
Will season 34 add another celebrity contestant to the list of DWTS GOATs? While it is quite a while away, we will be keeping up with the hit competition show on social media for any further updates regarding next season’s cast.
In the meantime, you can stream the entirety of season 33 via Hulu or Disney Plus.
Additionally, to see your favorite DWTS pros — as well as celebrity contestants like Chandler Kinney, Ilona Maher, Joey Graziadei and more — in action, snag some tickets to the 2025 Dancing With the Stars live tour ASAP. See below for the full list of tour dates.
- January 7 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
- January 9 – Baltimore, MD – Lyric Baltimore
- January 10 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
- January 11 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
- January 12 – Morristown, NJ – Mayo Performing Arts Center (2 shows)
- January 14 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
- January 15 – Manchester, NH – SNHU Arena
- January 16 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
- January 18 – Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
- January 19 – Lancaster, PA – American Music Theatre (2 shows)
- January 21 – Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
- January 22 – Schenectady, NY – Proctors
- January 23 – University Park, PA – Bryce Jordan Center
- January 24 – National Harbor, MD – The Theater at MGM National Harbor
- January 25 – Bethlehem, PA – The Wind Creek Event Center (2 shows)
- January 26 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
- January 28 – New Brunswick, NJ – State Theatre New Jersey
- January 29 – Brookville, NY – Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
- January 30 – White Plains, NY – The Westchester County Center
- January 31 – Kitchener, ON – Centre in the Square
- February 1 – Rama, ON – Casino Rama Resort – Entertainment Centre
- February 2 – Verona, NY – Turning Stone Resort & Casino
- February 4 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center for the Performing Arts
- February 5 – Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre
- February 6 – Detroit, MI – FOX Theatre
- February 7 – Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium
- February 8 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre
- February 11 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
- February 12 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre
- February 13 – Ames, IA – Stephens Auditorium
- February 14 – Minneapolis, MN – Northrop
- February 15 – Madison, WI – The Orpheum Theater
- February 16 – Grand Rapids, MI– DeVos Performance Hall
- February 18 – St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theatre
- February 19 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center
- February 20 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry House
- February 21 – Atlanta, GA – The Fox Theatre
- February 22 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium
- February 23 – Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
- February 25 – Greensboro, NC – Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts
- February 26 – Spartanburg, SC – Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
- February 27 – Jacksonville, FL – Moran Theater
- February 28 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
- March 1 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
- March 2 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
- March 4 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center
- March 5 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center – Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
- March 6 – Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre
- March 7 – Biloxi, MS – Beau Rivage Theatre
- March 8 – Biloxi, MS – Beau Rivage Theatre
- March 9 – Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
- March 11 – Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre
- March 12 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
- March 13 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
- March 14 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Casino & Resort
- March 15 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena
- March 16 – Denver, CO – Buell Theatre
- March 18 – Boise, ID – Morrison Center For The Performing Arts
- March 19 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
- March 20 – Spokane, WA – First Interstate Center for the Arts
- March 21 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
- March 22 – Redding, CA – Redding Civic Auditorium
- March 23 – Santa Rosa, CA – Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
- March 25 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
- March 27 – Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theater
- March 29 – Las Vegas, NV – The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
- March 30 – Temecula, CA – Pechanga Resort Casino (2 shows)
- April 2 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
- April 3 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre
- April 4 – Indio, CA – Fantasy Springs Resort Casino
- April 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre
Published: Dec 11, 2024 03:06 pm