Heavy/Getty Maksim Chmerkovskiy opens up about his SYTYCD gig.
Former “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy is one of the judges for the new season of “So You Think You Can Dance.” In anticipation of the March 4 premiere of season 18, Chmerkovskiy opened up about his reputation as a DWTS pro.
Chmerkovskiy insists his “bad boy reputation,” is inaccurate and shared his strategy for judging SYTYCD.
Here’s what you need to know:
Maks Chmerkovskiy Says He’s Been Misunderstood
In an interview released on February 28, Chmerkovskiy chatted with Variety about his new role. This is his first season as a judge on SYTYCD, and he is sitting at the judges’ table alongside Allison Holker and JoJo Siwa.
Chmerkovskiy competed on 17 seasons of “Dancing with the Stars.” As ABC News notes, he won the Mirrorball trophy once, with Meryl Davis in season 18. He left the show in 2017, but his reputation as the “bad boy of ballroom” stuck with him.
“You all misinterpret me. Everybody misunderstands me,” Chmerkovskiy told Variety. He continued, “I lead with rainbows and unicorns and butterflies. And somehow I’m the ‘bad boy of ballroom.'”
The former “Dancing with the Stars” pro admitted, “I didn’t even know what that meant most of the time.” Rather, Chmerkovskiy said, he was just trying to be himself. It led to the label of being “An a**hole.”
Chmerkovskiy added that he has no plans to be a tough judge. “I think I’m a soft-a** bunny sweetheart, white and fluffy.”
He wants contestants to challenge him. “One thing I’m not is a hypocrite.” The dance star explained, “I learned early in life that if you want to dish it out, you’ve got to be able to take it.”
However, he cautioned, “This has to be a professional exchange.” Chmerkovskiy said, “Come at me with facts and knowledge and I’ll come back at you with how it really is in the real world, from my personal experience.”
Chmerkovskiy Says He’s on SYTYCD to Mentor
Chmerkovskiy explained that as a judge on SYTYCD, he wants “To be the mentor to the young adult who is at the beginning of the 20 years that I’m at the end of.”
The professional dancer admits he made plenty of mistakes early in his career. He described himself as a”stubborn Capricorn who did not listen” in those days.
He plans to use that personal experience to help guide today’s young dancers. “I’ve done all the negatives,” he notes, of failing auditions and making other mistakes.
“Look, I’m here to mentor. I’m here to educate. I’m not here to demand attention. It’s not about me,” Chmerkovskiy said of his role on SYTYCD.
Chmerkovskiy is excited about the changes coming with season 18 of SYTYCD. Several people he knows from the “Dancing with the Stars” behind-the-scenes world have joined SYTYCD and he said, “It’s like a big family reunion, 20 years later.”
He noted he felt as if season 17 of SYTYCD got away from its core focus, the dancers. Chmerkovskiy felt that the show became more about the choreographers than the contestants. Heading into season 18, the focus shifts back to the dancers, he says.