Dancing with the Stars Competitor Jen Affleck rushed to the defense of her professional dance partner Ian Ravnica after the latter came under fire from alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who said Taylor Swift's former stunt double “didn't care” about being on the show.
Chmerkovskiy, who was on the show for 17 seasons before leaving in 2018, voiced his harsh opinions during a recent podcast appearance on Penthouse with Petawhich is hosted by his wife, a professional dancer and two-time DVTS Champion Peta Murgatroyd.
Since Murgatroyd offered some criticism of Affleck and Ravnica's foxtrot, highlighting positives and areas of improvement, during WickedAt an evening dedicated to the topic, Chmerkovskiy joked that he wanted to leave to avoid the topic.
“He's learning. He's learning slowly. This is his first season,” Murgatroyd said of Ravnica. “You have to give him credit for not understanding the foxtrot technique. It's very hard to watch.”
“No, we don’t,” replied Chmerkovskiy, who won the show in 2014. “No, we don't have to show him mercy. Are you kidding? Are you kidding?” He continued by praising Murgatroyd for her insightful comment, saying it was “a skill I don't have at all.”
“I’m very sorry, Ian has absolutely no right to be a professional in Dancing with the Stars. There is zero foundation, technology, quality, understanding of partnership,” Chmerkovskiy continued. – Bro, I'm starting to worry. This is absurd. And it’s unrealistic how blind you have to be and, God forbid, say what’s clearly there – he had no idea what [a] what a foxtrot should look like. How are you going to expect him to teach this and deliver this message in a format that is completely different from even ballroom dancing?”
Chmerkovskiy added that he had similar criticism “weeks ago” and he hopes someone will step in and help guide Ravnica's work. He claimed that there was one performance “that set some direction… and then it just [went] from the cliff.”
While the alum said he has nothing against Ravnica “one way or the other,” he called his casting a “missed opportunity,” saying Affleck “doesn't have a partner” to direct her. Murgatroyd added that she felt “not feeling well.” The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives the star is “not being taught the basics” and the pair concluded she was at a “severe disadvantage”.
Affleck apparently posted a message in response. TikTok this morning depicting her defending Ravnica online, furiously depicting her typing in social media comments. “Me when someone talks nonsense about Jan,” the clip’s lyrics say. Sound from video borrowed Meme “Take it off” from motivational speaker Dr. Umar Johnson as Ravnic lip-synced: “Take it off. Take it off. Take it off. We need it gone. Take it off. It doesn't reflect me or what we need to do.”
