Getty Martin Kove is photographed in 2019.
“Cobra Kai” star Martin Kove is competing on this season of “Dancing with the Stars.” On September 20, the actor had his premiere performance on the ABC series. He and his partner, Britt Stewart, hit the dance floor, doing the Paso Doble. The show’s judges, Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough, did not seem to be impressed with the performance, as they gave the actor a total score of 13 points. As fans of “Dancing with the Stars” are aware, a perfect score on the show is 40.
Martin Kove & Britt Stewart Performed the Cha Cha
On September 27, Kove and Stewart gave their second performance. This time the dance partners did the Cha Cha, accompanied by the song “Twist & Shout” by The Isley Brothers. Fans can watch the performance below:
Following the performance, Kove received criticism from the judges. For instance, Tonioli noted that comparative to last week, the actor had “more content and more steps,” but “not in the right order or the right time.” Inaba then shared that she was “just happy for [him]” because “this week it looked like [he] had fun and [he] let loose.” Goodman also spoke highly of Stewart.
“Let me first of all congratulate you Britt because I think you did a stunning job working with Martin,” said Goodman.
He noted, however, that he felt the performance “wasn’t that great.” Hough then shared that he believed the dance “was a lot of fun.”
The actor’s total score for his second performance was 15.
Martin Kove Is Known for His Villainous ‘Karate Kid’ Role
For the past three seasons of “Cobra Kai,” Martin Kove’s character, John Kreese, has caused major issues for both Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William “Billy” Zabka). His character is expected to continue to be the show’s antagonist during its fourth season, which will be released on December 31, 2021.
During a 2018 interview on “Louder with Crowder,” Kove discussed portraying a villainous character. The actor shared that he did not seek out to play antagonists. He explained that “it just happened organically really” and noted that he began playing tough characters at the start of his career.
“You know, you just sort of create a staple of those roles and I think for young actors bringing up anger and toughness is probably the easiest emotion to call upon because when you are young, you’re kind of, you know, touching the vulnerability and doing what Mel Gibson does in all of his movies,” explained the 75-year-old.
Kove also shared why he believed the “Karate Kid” franchise has such a dedicated fanbase. He explained that many fans found the original 1984 film to be relatable.
“‘Karate Kid’ one was a religious experience for so many people. You know, you were either bullied at that period of time and you identify with that, you have a love affair that didn’t work out as a high school student or you were a fish out of water, you know, and most of the people we’ve experienced have had one of those things going on in their lives when they saw ‘Karate Kid,'” explained Kove.
He went on to say that “Cobra Kai” shares the same “fantastic values of the movie.” He noted that the show’s younger characters go through similar events that Daniel “experienced back in the day” in “The Karate Kid.”
“I think it’s highly identifiable, they’ve chosen the right, you know, the right experiences to recreate on a weekly basis and that’s what’s really selling,” asserted Kove.
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