Maks Chmerkovskiy Says Taylor Swift Dancer Jan Ravnik Has 'No Business' Being a Pro on “DWTS:” 'Absurd'
- - Maks Chmerkovskiy Says Taylor Swift Dancer Jan Ravnik Has 'No Business' Being a Pro on “DWTS:” 'Absurd'
Julia MooreOctober 28, 2025 at 1:48 AM
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The Penthouse with Peta/Youtube; Disney/Frank Micelotta
Maks Chmerkovskiy (left); Jan Ravnik -
Maks Chmerkovskiy slammed Jan Ravnik's casting as a pro on Dancing with the Stars this season as "absurd"
Chmerkovskiy joined his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, on her podcast, where he said Ravnik "had no idea what [a] foxtrot is supposed to look like"
Ravnik was a backup dancer on Taylor Swift's Eras tour where he broke out as a star
Maks Chmerkovskiy is not rooting for Jan Ravnik on this season of Dancing with the Stars.
The former DWTS pro joined his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, on the Friday, Oct. 24 episode of her podcast, The Penthouse with Peta, where he dissected the show's previous episode, Wicked night. When it came time to review the performance by new pro Ravnik, who is best known for being one of Taylor Swift's backup dancers from the Eras Tour, Chmerkovskiy gave his candid opinion.
"He's learning. He's learning slowly. It's his first season," Murgatroyd said of Ravnik, 30. "We have to give him grace for not understanding foxtrot technique. It's very hard to watch."
"No, we do not have to give him grace. Are you kidding me?" Chmerkovskiy, 45, said.
He applauded his wife for giving Ravnik grace in her explanation of his performance, which he said is "a skill I do not possess at all," before sharing his unfiltered thoughts.
"I'm sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars. There's zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership," Chmerkovskiy said. "Bro, I'm getting emotional. It is absurd."
Amy Sussman/Getty
Maks Chmerkovskiy in July 2025
The former pro, who competed for 17 seasons, continued, "This is unreal, how blind we have to be, and, God forbid, say what's obviously there — he had no idea what [a] foxtrot is supposed to look like."
Chmerkovskiy said that he wondered if "anybody [was] going to explain" to Ravnik what he was missing as a choreographer and teacher for his partner, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck, and that there was "one dance that delivered some sort of direction, like, okay … he is going the right direction as long as he has that help and foundation. And then it just [went] off the cliff."
He said that he has "zero against [Ravnik] whatsoever" despite his critiques, but called his casting "a missed opportunity."
Murgatroyd, 39, agreed that Affleck, 26, is at a "major disadvantage" with Ravnik as her partner. "I feel bad because she's not getting taught the basics that she needs to. She's not getting taught the base of the dance."
While Chmerkovskiy insisted that it's "not" Ravnik's "fault," his wife said, "They hired him, babe. They did it. They hired him. He's a Taylor Swift dancer. It's the obvious reason why he is hired."
"Apart from that, he's a lovely guy. He looks great. He obviously is a great dancer," she said, but noted, "Hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous."
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Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
