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Some fans of “Dancing With the Stars” are disappointed with professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy after the season 31 finale.
During the finale, Chmerkovskiy and his partner, “Bachelorette” Gabby Windey, danced their freestyle to the song “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago,” which is a song that has been used in a freestyle previously in the show’s numerous seasons.
Last time the song was used was by Chmerkovskiy was when he was partnered with Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez in season 23 of the show. The song was used for the couple’s week 9 Argentine Tango. They eventually went on to win their season.
While the choreography and dances were different in terms of style and the dance itself, some fans still thought Chmerkovskiy should have chosen a different song. The concepts of the dances were similar down to the look of the ballroom was the same, moveable jail cells, and background dancers dressed in sexy clothing.
Fans Think Chmerkovskiy ‘Recycled’ Parts of His Dance
There are multiple threads on Reddit about Chmerkovskiy and Windey’s freestyle.
In one thread about the freestyle, fans applauded Windey for accomplishing what she did, though they wished the freestyle had been different and were disappointed.
“part of me wishes val went a different route in this freestyle,” the post reads. “It seems as though he wanted to showcase her sexiness to get votes… but they didn’t really showcase her fun and bubbly personality that majority of people have been loving this season.”
“Yeah I was disappointed by her freestyle. they had her out in lingerie, I wished she’d have a more delicate beautiful outfit,” one person commented.
Another person said that Chmerkovskiy “played stupid games and won stupid prizes,” adding that the professional dancer is “one of the best to get you to the finale but he simply doesn’t get freestyles.”
In a separate thread, some fans alleged Chmerkovskiy copied some choreography from the “Higher” number earlier in the season. Others pointed out that there are only “so many moves.”
Some fans also pointed out that during the episode, Chmerkovskiy said his wife, Jenna Johnson, choreographed the freestyle.
Chmerkovskiy Called Windey ‘Pure Joy’ to Spend Time With
In a touching Instagram post after the finale, Chmerkovskiy paid tribute to his partner, calling her “pure joy.”
“Time flys when you’re having fun, and I’m soooooo sad it’s over soooo quickly. It’s wild how fast this season flew by. Thank you for being so hard working and kind, just absolutely a gem,” he wrote on Instagram. “I literally can’t thank you enough and can’t name enough moments I will miss spending with you. Every single day I came to work this season I had a big ahh smile on my face.”
The professional dancer went on to thank the “Dancing With the Stars” team for pairing him with Windey.
“Lastly, and most importantly, to all of you that voted for us. It felt nice to be seen and to be supported and to be loved like that. Thank you!,” he added. “Life’s been really kind to me these last few months. Gabby you’re a big part of that. Love you bud.”
“Dancing With the Stars” is set to return for season 32 in the fall of 2023 on Disney+.
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