Dancing With The Stars professional Val Chmerkovskiy has spoken out since he and Jenna Dewan were voted out of the competition.
The pro filmed a piece to camera with his dance partner where they joked about how they were going to continue dancing as they are still good friends in real life.
“We don’t need your vote, we can still dance,” he said. “But I just want to say thank you to all the people that love what we created, love what we put out.
“And all the support and love that you guys reciprocated so thank you so much, for making the effort, making the texts, making the calls. Writing those sweet comments.”
Jenna agreed, saying: “Thank you, thank you, thank you, all my love.” The cheeky dancing duo blew kisses to the camera.
Val captioned the video: “You Jenna Dewan, you’ve been exactly what I imagined. The absolute best! Thank you for the opportunity to be by your side through this entire process. I’ll never forget it.”
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Shock elimination
Dancing With The Stars fans were surprised that Jenna and Val were sent home.
The couple were frontrunners in the competition and they received the second-highest score of the night. They got 28 out of 30 for their Grammy Night Jazz performance of Janet Jackson’s All for You.
Jenna and Val won their dance off against Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik but they still were the ones heading home this week, sparking a debate online.
Instagram was packed with comments from fans sharing their shock at the elimination. Among the comments, one person wrote: “Jenna & Val were amazing! Stunned by elimination.”
DWTS elimination stuns fans
Someone else said: “Not sure I will watch anymore. No way Jenna should have left and Maura still there. So sad as I’ve loved this show.”
Another person added: “I can’t believe I am seeing hate comments about Jenna and Val. They were the best dancers. The show won’t be the same without them.”
One person simply said: “I’m shocked.”
A viewer added: “Jenna and Val SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED. PERIOD. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DANCE SHOW NOT A PUBLICITY SHOW.”
Someone suggested: “Ppl just hate to see other ppl being successful. sucks to see Jenna go.”
Another added: “That elimination so wrong!!! How come the best scored of the season gets out of the competition?”
Read more: Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa reveal matching Dancing With The Stars tattoos following their exit
Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy’s elimination divided viewers
Not everyone agreed as some people said they were not “shocked” by the elimination.
One person commented: “Anyone shocked by this elimination has not watched enough DWTS. The stars who are also professional dancers that come on the show rarely make it all the way because it’s not a good story and they’re so hard to connect with. Especially this partnership and alllll the drama that came with it. Reminds me of Whitney last season
Idk how people haven’t clocked this yet but the stars who have dance experience make it far but rarely ever win. No surprise that Jenna went home.”
Someone else said: “I’m failing to understand how Jenna and Val being sent home is shocking. They didn’t connect well with one another, they competed against one another too much. His “slap” comment affected their couple negatively. Jenna made it her mission to remind us of her professional dance background, especially tonight with the Janet Jackson backup dancer lore. Viewers ultimately vote for their favorites. Likability is a huge factor. People love a journey. Underdog stories are popular. It’s not “rigged” it’s just common sense.”
Jenna says goodbye
DWTS host Julianne Hough declared the elimination was “shocking to say the least”. Only six couples remain in the competition.
Saying goodbye, Jenna said: “Honestly dancing again, getting to share my joy with my family, over here every single night, thank you my baby, thank you.”
She added: “I had a great time and I loved getting to share that with the world. Honestly, all love.”
Val Chmerkovskiy’s controversy
Jenna and Val’s time on Dancing with The Stars wasn’t without controversy. Val was suspended from DWTS for one week after he shared a controversial social media post about Carrie Ann Inaba.
The professional dancer took aim at the judge after she criticised his fellow professional dancer and wife Jenna Johnson for including a lift in the choreography of a dance.
On social media, Val posted: “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.” It appeared to reference the famous moment where Will Smith slapped comic Chris Rock over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith at the Oscars.
Later, he shared a public apology to the judge and to the fans of the show. Val said: “I am truly sorry to Carrie Ann, and everyone who I hurt with my careless post. I will do better moving forward.”
He was the first professional dancer to receive a suspension in the history of the show.
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