Val Chmerkovskiy is back in the“Dancing With the Stars”ballroom after a one-week suspension, and he made his return count. The DWTS pro sat out“Dedication Night”over an inappropriate social media post referencing Will Smith’s Oscars slap, which was aimed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba after she critiqued his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, for an“illegal”lift. Alan Bersten stepped in as his replacement for the week.
On Tuesday’s“Horror Movie Night,”Chmerkovskiy reunited with partner Jenna Dewan, and the show addressed the elephant in the ballroom right away. In their intro package, he apologized to Dewan for the“chaos,”telling her she didn’t sign up for it. Her reply:“I forgive you. I missed you.”The pair then performed an Argentine tango that earned 37 out of 40, bringing their combined two-week total to 74 out of 80.
Inaba also addressed the controversy during the episode, saying she and Johnson had“hugged it out.”With the apology delivered, the suspension served, and the scores stacked high, the DWTS drama has its resolution — and a strong comeback storyline to go with it.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.