“Dancing With the Stars”delivered a night of whiplash this week. Jenna Dewan’s regular pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, was suspended for one episode after a since-deleted TikTok criticizing judge Carrie Ann Inaba over her critique of his wife, Jenna Johnson. The post referenced Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, and BBC Studios called it inappropriate and kept him off the show.
With Alan Bersten stepping in as a last-minute partner, Dewan dedicated their Viennese waltz to her mother, Nancy Lee Bursch, who joined the routine on the floor. The judges responded with a 37 out of 40, and Derek Hough praised the performance as a breakthrough, noting how open, free, and light Dewan looked. It was easily her strongest moment of the season, and it came on the same night her original partner was sitting at home.
Chmerkovskiy has apologized and is expected back for next week’s live show, which raises the big question: can Dewan and Bersten keep the momentum going, or does the magic disappear when Val returns? Fans are split on whether the suspension was fair, but one thing is certain, this episode gave us both family tears and reality TV chaos in one night. Do you think Val should have been suspended, or was the punishment too harsh? Sound off below.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.