'Dancing with the Stars' stumbles into likeability crisis after Val suspension

Sports admin October 20, 2026 0 Comments

‘Dancing with the Stars’ stumbles into likeability crisis after Val suspension

Where have you gone, Guillermo Rodriguez? “Dancing with the Stars” nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

A week after the Oct. 13 elimination of fan-favorite Guillermo – the joyously clumsy embodiment of everything “DWTS” is supposed to celebrate – the nasty underside of America’s favorite ballroom competition is suddenly showing through the spray tans. It ain’t pretty.

The ABC ballroom competition erupted into a surprisingly shady sideshow when two-time Mirrorball Trophy champion Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended for one week after posting a social media message seemingly invoking Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap – this time against longtime judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

So this weekend we all get the breaking news blast that a pro ballroom dancer was suspended from “Dancing with the Stars”? The surreal, unprecedented announcement seemed more like a disciplinary decree from law-and-order NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell than anything involving a cha-cha.

The dispute began during the Oct. 13 “Super Bowl Night” episode, when Inaba criticized Chmerkovskiy’s wife, fellow “DWTS” pro Jenna Johnson, for an alleged illegal lift in her samba with actor Harry Shum Jr.

Chmerkovskiy, 40, responded with a since-deleted TikTok post: “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” a reference to Will Smith’s infamous comments to comedian Chris Rock about his wife, and the subsequent slap heard round the world at the 2022 Academy Awards.

Inaba later responded with a comment of her own − “So this is what we are doing now?” she wrote on her Instagram, referencing the pro dancer’s post − before the show’s production company BBC Studios stepped in to announce Chmerkovskiy’s suspension.

The suspension meant Chmerkovskiy’s celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan, will be paired with eliminated pro Alan Bersten during Tuesday’s Oct. 20 “Dedication Night” as Chmerkovskiy apologized online, to Inaba and so on.

Yet the sad drama continued. Former “DWTS” pro Gleb Savchenko crashed into the fray with the grace of a drunk uncle on the wedding dance floor. In a TikTok livestream, Savchenko criticized Inaba’s judging, proclaimed himself “Team Val” and ridiculously attacked Mirrorball champ Bersten’s credentials to fill in.

“He’s a good dancer, I guess, for TV,” Savchenko, 43, said about the dance competition that takes place on TV. “But if we talk about art? Like, creating art? He’s like, eh.”

So painful. This is supposed to be a fun TV dance competition. But this mess is so ugly that Inaba’s Instagram feed is being pummeled with rule trolls commenting about the judge’s penchant for erratically calling illegal lifts, which Inaba has been doing for literally decades.

All of this ridiculousness comes after Guillermo and pregnant pro partner Witney Carson were eliminated, a pairing which Jimmy Kimmel rightfully called “the most adorable part” of “DWTS” during his monologue the next night.

“It was like if ‘The Mandalorian’ killed off Baby Yoda,” Kimmel said.

Viewers need a new tango-ready Baby Yoda, and it’s not Dewan, a victim of her hotheaded partner’s big mouth in this mess. It’s already hard to root for the practically pro dancer Dewan, who started her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and starred in the 2006 dance movie “Step Up” opposite now-ex-husband Channing Tatum, despite every attempt to build sympathy.

In the likely event Dewan survives Tuesday night, Chmerkovskiy will return Oct. 27 tanned, rested and hopefully contrite. Inaba’s first judge comments with the pair will be must-watch TV for all the wrong reasons. But the talented couple will get the opportunity to make a deep run on their considerable dance skills alone.

And fans can get back to finding an inspiring “DWTS” story, sans Guillermo. An uplifting story with spray tans, fabulous sequined outfits and smiles.

Big, big smiles.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Dancing with the Stars’ stumbles into likeability crisis after Val suspension

Reporting by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published October 20, 2026 at 3:32 PM.