Ex-DWTS pro Gleb Savchenko says his criticism of Alan Bersten’s dancing has not changed their friendship, but he stands by his opinion.
The 43-year-old spoke to Us Weekly at Press Pass LA’s 15-year anniversary event in West Hollywood on Tuesday (November 10).
His comments follow criticism of Alan stepping in for Val Chmerkovskiy on Dancing With the Stars’ Dedication Night. Alan partnered Jenna Dewan for a Viennese waltz during Val’s one-week absence.
Gleb Savchenko questions Val Chmerkovskiy’s suspension
Gleb’s concern also extended to how Dancing With the Stars had handled Val’s suspension. He told the magazine he felt hurt for his friend and disagreed with the decision to penalise him. He suggested producers might have been making an example of Val, stressing that this was his opinion.
The suspension followed Val’s comment about judge Carrie Ann Inaba, after she flagged an illegal lift. That lift featured in his wife Jenna Johnson’s Super Bowl Night routine with Harry Shum Jr.
Val uploaded a selfie with the caption: “You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night. Keep my wife’s name out your mouth.”
This was interpreted as a reference to the infamous Oscars moment that saw Will Smith slap Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife, Jada. BBC Studios described Val’s social media post as inappropriate.
Val apologised and returned alongside Jenna Dewan for Horror Movie Night.
For Gleb, the punishment was excessive for a television programme. He maintained that supporting Val did not mean he had a personal problem with Alan.
What Gleb Savchenko said about Alan Bersten
Gleb’s original criticism came in October, when he questioned the choice of Alan as Val’s stand-in. During a TikTok livestream, he challenged Alan’s technique and drew a distinction between television performance and creating art.
“Alan, I think he’s Alan. I mean, he’s just not up to the level of dancing, like, period,” he said on the live. “[The] quality, the technique. He’s a good dancer, I guess, for TV, but if we talk about art? Like, creating art? … Who else is there?”
In a later livestream, he denied attacking Alan. “Alan’s a good dancer for his niche. He’s great for his thing. But he can’t be compared to Val. … I’m not talking trash, I’m just saying how it is,” he said.
Gleb did not participate in season 35 himself.
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Gleb defends his comments
In the new interview, Gleb acknowledged that Alan had strengths as a dancer. He also objected to opinions from people he felt lacked ballroom knowledge.
“I mean, look, I love Alan. I think he’s a great guy, and there’s nothing personal at all,” he said. “People are just very sensitive nowadays and … there’s a lot of opinions from people who have no idea about ballroom dance.”
He then said: “I stand by my opinion, and I don’t really care what other people say. And I love the guy. There’s nothing against him. I was kind of hurt for Val at some point because he’s a friend of mine. He was put in a situation which I think — in my opinion — he should have not been put [in], and the producers may have set an example in some ways.”
Where to watch Dancing With the Stars
Meanwhile, Val and Jenna were eliminated on Grammy Night, one week before the semi-finals.
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8pm ET.
Read more: DWTS’ Jenna Dewan hits out at ‘online noise’ following show exit as fans turn on Val Chmerkovskiy
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