Former DWTS Pro Makes Bold Prediction About Future Contestants Ahead of Season 33

Heavy/ABC "Dancing With the Stars" cast members.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy thinks fans could see a royal family member on “Dancing With the Stars” someday.

In a July 2024 interview with Hello magazine, the Ukrainian American pro dancer said he believes the perception of the TV dancing show has changed over the years. He even predicted that DWTS will “become a little more attractive to the point where we might see” someone from the royal family in the ballroom at some point.

“It might not be, you know, [Prince] William and his brother [Prince Harry] duking it out,” Chmerkovskiy clarified. But he added, “I believe a lot of family drama would be solved a lot better with some kind of like a dance off.”

DWTS judge Bruno Tonioli previously told Extra that his “dream” contestant would be Meghan Markle. “She’d be great!” he said in 2020. “It’d make her look accessible and funny, and it’d be brilliant. Meghan, if you’re watching this, please! We’d love you to do it.”

While DWTS in the U.S. has yet to score a royal, several royal family members are fans of the U.K. version of the show, “Strictly Come Dancing.” In December 2023, The Sun reported that Kate Middleton, The Princess of Wales, visited the set of “Strictly Come Dancing” with her children Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

In April 2024, pro dancer Nadiya Bychkova told The Sun that Princess Anne, the only sister of King Charles III, wants to be a contestant on the BBC dancing show. “I met her at a ballet event,” the dancer said of the 73-year-old daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. “She is a ‘Strictly’ fan and she wants to go on the show — she told me. I think she would be good — there’s a lot of personality there, isn’t there?”

Maks Chmerkovskiy Thinks DWTS Has Gone Back to Its Roots

GettyMaks Chmerkovskiy and Cheryl Burke

Chmerkovskiy made his quip about the royals while talking to Hello about the ups and downs of “Dancing With the Stars.” “I feel like ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is now, as of last season, has made a comeback,” he told the outlet.

“[DWTS] used to be laughed at and talked about where celebrities go to die,” he said before adding that the show is now considered a way to boost a celebrity and get people to “fall back in love with them.”

“I do believe that ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is getting back to where it used to be where people were like, ‘No, I really do want to go there,’” Chmerkovskiy added. “It’s great for PR. It’s great for the body. It’s great for the mind, and you come out knowing how to cha cha.”

According to Parade, for season 33 there are rumors that some controversial celebs such as “The Golden Bachelor” star Gerry Turner and “Vanderpump Rules”  villain Tom Sandoval could join the cast to repair their reputations.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy Once Called DWTS His Show

ABC/Craig Sjodin

Chmerkovskiy, 44, competed in 17 seasons of “Dancing With the Stars” before stepping away from the show in 2017. He scored one mirrorball trophy, with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis.

Chmerkovskiy caused controversy in 2011 when he clapped back at the judges over his score with partner Hope Solo. He called the negative critiques “disrespectful.” “With all due respect, this is my show,” he said to co-host Brooke Burke. “I helped make it what it is.”

He later clarified to The Hollywood Reporter that he didn’t mean to imply that he solely made the show a success. “I feel like it’s my show, and together, with other pros, I dedicated six years of my life to this show,” he told the outlet at the time. “I’ve helped make it what it is, but I’ve never taken it away from anybody else who participated.”

During a  2018 appearance on “The Real,” Chmerkovskiy explained why he left the show that he loved for so long. “There’s … something to be said for what the show is itself,” he said, before explaining he no longer wanted to deal with the competitive nature of the show.

“You find yourself politicking for your votes,” he said. “You find you have to be a certain way because you don’t want your antics to cost your partner their votes.”