DWTS Pro’s Comments on Former Partners Sparks Backlash From Fans

Heavy/ABC/Getty A "Dancing with the Stars" pro dished on his former partners.

Season 32 of “Dancing with the Stars” is set to debut soon, and fans are eager to find out which celebrities will hit the dance floor. In anticipation of the cast and partnership announcement from ABC, a couple of professional dancers reflected on their previous celebrity partners.

Gleb Savchenko and Artem Chigvintsev recently chatted with Nikki Garcia and Brie Garcia during a live podcast. Both guys were asked to dish on some of their prior DWTS partnerships, and Savchenko’s answer to one question was rather unexpected.

Here’s what you need to know:

Gleb Savchenko Came Under Fire for Dissing His Former Partners

During the September 6 episode of “The Nikki & Brie Show,” Savchenko admitted he was generally surprised by celebrity partners. “Most of them, by the way, I didn’t know who they were,” Savchenko admitted.

The “Dancing with the Stars” veteran explained there had only been one former partner, Mel C. from the Spice Girls, he already was familiar with prior to being paired for the show. In fact, he said, she was the “only one I was actually a fan of” going into the partnership.

When Savchenko was asked who his favorite former partner was, he avoided providing a straight answer. “I don’t think I have a favorite person, cause I like all of them.”

The “Dancing with the Stars” pro was also asked which former celebrity partner had been the easiest for him to work with, in terms of their ease of catching on in rehearsals and so forth. Savchenko initially replied, “I don’t think I had [an easy one] yet.”

Savchenko took his response a bit further, adding, “Everyone kinda sucked, like, bad.”

“Dancing with the Stars” fans were not exactly impressed by his response. On Reddit, Savchenko got thoroughly raked over the coals.

“This man has had Jana, Lauren, Mel C (screwed her over) and Shangela as of recently to name a few and is saying this omg,” noted one show fan on the “Dancing with the Stars” subreddit.

“This man has had partners with HUGE potential constantly and it makes me mad that he’s not even acknowledging how lucky he has been,” added another Redditor.

“If all your partnerships sucked then it’s time to look at the common denominator,” suggested someone else.

“He doesn’t respect his partners when he says that and I can’t take it as a joke,” an additional commenter shared.

“Def better ways to say that maybe his celebs didn’t pick up choreo quickly or some better than others,” read another response.

Savchenko Has Yet to Win a DWTS Season

Savchenko first joined “Dancing with the Stars” in season 16, his IMDb page noted. He was paired with “Vanderpump Rules” star Lisa Vanderpump for the 2013 season, and the couple did not remain in the competition for long.

Savchenko was not brought back as a pro for the following season, but he was paired with a celebrity for season 23 in 2016. He has appeared on every season since then. However, Savchenko has yet to win a mirror-ball trophy.

Over the years, the “Dancing with the Stars” pro has been paired with Jana Kramer, Erika Jayne, Sasha Pieterse, Arike Ogunbowale, and Nikki Glaser, as well as Lauren Alaina, Chrishell Stause, Mel C., and Shangela. Savchenko’s best finishes have been with Kramer, Alaina, and Shangela, where he and his partners were eliminated in fourth place.

Savchenko did have some Redditors defending what he said about how all his partners “kinda sucked.” Those who spoke in favor of him primarily suggested he had perhaps misunderstood the question, or believed that his words were taken out of context. Several “Dancing with the Stars” fans suggested he could have worded things differently, in a much less abrasive manner.