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Val Chmerkovskiy Confesses to ‘DWTS’ Show Romances, Says It’s ‘Incredibly Unprofessional’
Dancing With the Stars’ Val Chmerkovskiy admitted that he has been involved in show romances in the past, though he now believes that it’s unprofessional for pros to date their celebrity partners.
“Long time ago, my first couple of seasons, I’ve been given partners that I did have romantic exchanges with — incredibly unprofessional to do so in my mind,” Val, 38, revealed while appearing on the Tuesday, December 3, episode of the “Lightweights Podcast.”
He explained that he thinks it’s unprofessional to be romantically involved because he is on the show “as their teacher and as their partner.” He continued, “I’m probably, in some way or another, in a position of authority to them. Like, don’t s–t where you eat kind of thing comes into play.”
“I’m very serious about my job and my craft. And so to have allowed myself to get involved during—now after this season, that’s different,” Val – who married fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson in 2019 – continued. “We’re both adults, we’re not at work. But during the season, I feel like that was a bit irresponsible at times.”
While he said that sometimes having dance partners be involved in a romantic relationship can make “a really dope show,” Val shared that being involved with his partners have had negative impacts on his past seasons.
“Behind closed doors, I undermined my own season by doing that,” he said.
Season 33 included a rumored romance with partners Gleb Savchenko and Brooks Nader, while Sasha Farber and Jenn Tran have also sparked relationship speculation after they were voted off the show.
Val weighed in on the romances, saying that “if it’s genuine, it’s awesome.” The professional dancer added, “When it’s authentic and it’s two consenting adults enjoying their time together, I love that.”
However, Val made it clear that he doesn’t approve of partners playing up their relationship in order to get votes. “But when it’s two adults putting on a show,” he said. “Because they know they can manipulate the algorithm to give them more likes and more views and more this—I just don’t like anything that’s inauthentic.”
“So if it’s authentic, I love that,” he concluded.
Not only did Val reflect on how romantic relationships can change the show, but he also discussed how social media has changed the competition series since he joined the cast in 2006.
“When I was doing the show, social media wasn’t as vibrant as it is right now,” he explained of the early days. “It was only tabloids and stuff like that. But social media has now, like, really elevated the game.”
Jenn, 27, and Sasha, 40, have been dropping several hints about their speculated romantic relationship in social media posts, and she penned a touching note to him on Wednesday, December 4, about their time on the show.
“To my dance partner: I can’t believe that three months ago we didn’t know each other and that we almost didn’t even meet. I’ve always believed in fate but meeting you at the airport in one of my darkest hours and rushing to GMA to start what would become the most unforgettable and surreal dance journey together was truly meant to be,” the Bachelorette alum wrote via Instagram alongside photos and videos from their time on the show.
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