‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro Jan Ravnik has hit back at Maks Chmerkovskiy by questioning his ballroom dancing abilities.
When asked how it felt to be praised by judge Derek Hough for an “amazing” first season, Ravnik, 30, made sure to shed some light.
“I’m a person who doesn’t appreciate hate and people who spread hate to maintain their relationship with society,” Ravnik told E! News on Tuesday after he and partner Jen Affleck were eliminated from “Halloween Night.”
His sharp comments came just days after Chmerkovskiy told Ravnik that he “doesn’t have to be a professional” on the hit dance competition series.
“There’s zero understanding of fundamental technology, quality and partnership. Bro, I’m getting emotional,” the former mirrorball champion claimed on wife Peta Murgatroyd’s podcast, The Penthouse with Peta, last Friday.
“It’s absurd and unrealistic how blind we have to be. And God forbid we say what’s clearly there.”
Chmerkovskiy, 45, particularly slammed the choreography that followed Ravnik’s “Wicked Night” routine, claiming that the current pro “had no idea what a foxtrot was.”
“How do you expect him to teach dance in a completely different format than ballroom dancing and get that message across? There was this criticism a few weeks ago as well, and I’m like, ‘Brother, can someone please explain that to him?'” he added.
The Latin ballroom dancing champion said he has no personal vendetta against Ravnik, but strongly believes he should never have been hired for the role.
Murgatroyd, 39, agreed with her husband and even claimed that the only reason she was hired was because of her connection to Taylor Swift. He served as one of the pop star’s backup dancers on her record-breaking Elas tour and also appeared in her “Ophelia” music video.
“They hired him. He’s a Taylor Swift dancer. That’s the obvious reason he was hired,” she claimed.
“Other than that, he’s a nice guy, he looks great, and he’s clearly a great dancer. Hiring someone who’s not a ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to celebrities is outrageous.”
The Slovenian announced his appearance on the ABC show in August after becoming a fan favorite with his sensual moves during his Elas tour.
“Mirror Ball will never go out of style, and we’re ready to win it,” the enthusiast exclaimed on “Good Morning America” at the time.
It’s still unclear whether he will return for the second season of “DWTS.”
