'Dancing With the Stars' Season 25 Cast News: Maks Chmerkovskiy Leaving Over Vanessa Lachey Feud?
Is Maks Chmerkovskiy leaving "Dancing With the Stars" (DWTS)? Rumors suggest that the dancing coach is feuding with his partner Vanessa Lachey and the rift is pushing him to quit the show.
As a result, Chmerkovskiy sat out Monday night's perfomance and Alan Bersten took over as Lachey's dancing partner. Sources said that Chmerkovskiy and Lachey have not been on good terms since the beginning of season 25.
"They've been bickering since week one and he finally just had enough of it," a source said. However, DWTS insiders explained that Chmerkovskiy's absence last Monday was personal and that the two get along just fine.
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Chmerkovskiy posted an apology on why he skipped the show via his Twitter.
"I had to leave the show last week to take care of some personal issues," the pro dancer said. "I take full responsibility for my actions and want to apologize to my partner Vanessa. We are both looking forward to dancing for our fans next week!"
Lachey, on the other hand, also belied rumors that there's a rift between them. The host and model stated that she makes it a point to listen to Chmerkovskiy and she hardly speaks up to him because she acknowledges that her coach knows more about dancing than she does. Lachey remarked that her experience on the show has been amazing so far.
DWTS insiders also explained that tension is unavoidable behind the scenes because every contestant is different, thus disagreements with each other are common. This isn't the first feud Chmerkovskiy had on the show. In 2015, Chmerkovskiy confessed that he did not get along with Hope Solo, whom he coached in DWTS season 13.
Meanwhile, "Dancing With the Stars" season 25 week four's theme will be Most Memorable Year Night. Contestants are expected to share some of the most personal facets about their life and Lachey will be dancing with Chmerkovskiy again.
