Is the DWTS ballroom cursed or just chaotic? Because Val Chmerkovskiy just got benched faster than a bad tango partner, and the tea is piping hot.
Val thought he was being cute referencing Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscar slap during rehearsals. Producers? Not amused. The two-time mirrorball champ was suspended from the upcoming episode faster than you can say “keep my wife’s name out your mouth.” Enter Alan Bersten, stage left, ready to cha-cha his way into the spotlight as emergency replacement. And honey, he did not come to play nice.
“I got the call, I said yes, and I’m here to dance,” Bersten told reporters with that signature smirk. “Val’s my brother, but this is the show. The show must go on.” Translation: “I’m about to eat up this screen time and you’re welcome.” Sources say Bersten had approximately four hours to learn the routine, which is basically a commercial break in DWTS time. The man’s a pro, though — he’s got a mirrorball of his own from Season 28 with Hannah Brown. He knows the drill. Sparkles, spray tan, survive the package video, slay the live show.
Fans are losing their collective minds. Team Val is crying foul, claiming the joke was harmless banter. Team Alan is popping champagne because their king finally gets a main character moment. And the Will Smith stans? They’re just exhausted that a three-year-old slap is still ruining livelihoods. “Val made a dumb joke, producers made a power move, Alan gets a paycheck,” one Twitter user summarized perfectly. “Everyone wins except Val’s ego.”
Chmerkovskiy hasn’t posted a statement yet, but his Instagram stories are suspiciously full of gym selfies and cryptic quotes about “resilience.” We see you, Val. We also see the producers loving every second of this ratings gold.
What do you think? A) Val deserved the suspension — rules are rules B) Producers overreacted — it was just a joke