Maks And Val Chmerkovskiy Discuss Dancing With The Stars And Their New Dances
Val and Maks were interviewed by Access Hollywood at the Billion Bot Bash. They discuss how the competition is coming along so far in Dancing With The Stars Season 14. Maks says they are all trying to step it up and it’s anyone’s game. They also discuss their dances for week three. Maks says he and Melissa have the Jive. Val and Sherri have a Rumba. Lots more below including their thoughts on reality shows….
ADDING: And below is a new interview with Access Hollywood with Maks and Melissa….
ADDING#2: Maks has posted a new blog up at TV Guide as well. Below is a take of what he hopes to accomplish for week 3 with their Jive. Lots more at the link about their dance last week, the judges scores, and Martina & Tony. He also writes for why he cried during The Lion King. Very touching.
…I’m really interested in showing what she can do. She’s improving every week and she’s getting the hang of the whole process. Just overall, she’s clicking with everything right now. Honestly, I think my mistake is that sometimes I keep doing the same thing to get a different result. I don’t know if that completely applies to only me, but I don’t think I can approach Melissa the same way I have my past partners. Also, it’s different with Melissa; I’m not foreseeing or predicting anything. In the past, I usually go, “We have to be in the final” or “We must make it to this week.”
With Melissa, I have no idea how we will do nor am I thinking about it. I’m just enjoying my time with her. She’s very cool. It’s been great how she gets certain things and how she understands certain things. I think she’s very smart. She lets me feel like I’m in control and I’m not. I’m not trying to figure it out. Last week was awesome. We did our thing. And now we’re rehearsing for the next dance. We’re going to do our best. Maybe it won’t be our best dance, maybe it will. Who knows? It’s all about proving to her and ourselves that we can do it and also showing our fans what she can do.
Our dance is the jive. It’s storytelling week and Melissa has a great story. It’s an emotional story, but not a sad one. I can relate to it. It’s kind of special for both of us. I went through the same thing she went through, and I hope we’ll be able to inspire others with the dance. Maybe it’ll give them that extra oomph and not worry about things. When I told Melissa my concept for the dance, she started crying again! What you saw in the package is totally true — she cries at everything! She never bawls, but her eyes just well up and I’m like, “What the hell just happened? What did I do?”
considering they must get sick of all the same repetitive questions i thought the chmerkovskiy brothers handled that very well, considering all the noise too…intresting to see a jive for the personal story week, really hope melissa can enjoy it and just have fun and smile that lovely smile! and intrested to see how sherri handles dancing up and close with val 🙂 he does some spectacular rumbas so looking forward to this 🙂
i’ve just realized i’ve spelt interesting and interested wrong in my original post lol so corrected 🙂
@Jo –
Well that does it! You cost us the Spelling Bee Competition! Off to the Principal’s office you go! 😉
lol well i hate misspelling and most of the time its my typing !! 🙂
I love Maks and Melissa together. They seem to have a good relationship. So far, her fun personality hasn’t come out in her dances. Maybe it will for the jive. I hope they are able to stay on the show a while longer.
I agree Cheryl. I think Maks and Melissa really need to make their mark this week and have a strong showing or things could be looking grim for them.
I don’t see her doing well with the Jive but I sure hope she will prove me wrong on Monday night! If she doesn’t, then I think they might be in trouble but we’ll see.
Also I’m thinking her personal story could be about getting back on her feet after the breakup with her husband, so the Jive would be like a happy everythings-gonna-be-okay dance…? ( I’m thinking about this because Maks said he went through the same thing and they hope to inspire people who went through this too I assume.) Just a thought, but I’m often wrong too so dont mind me lol *love speculating*
Boy, they sure picked a hard dance to make their mark with…although, strategically, it’s probably a pretty good plan. Get the hard dance out of way while there are still a lot of people around.
I like Melissa and I so want to see the personality we see off the dance floor translate to on the dance floor. You almost want to say to her “just breathe – just breathe”. Jive IS tough and hoping, really hoping for her that the dance and the story “jive” so to speak.
I do agree with Heidi that if this were a strategic choice it has the potential to be a game changer for her IMO.
Hey the way the judges overscored the jives last Monday.. They should be fine.
Honestly, though this could mean trouble for Melissa, she always seems to have the “deer in the headlights” look. But as Heidi stated, with more couples it just may save her. But I really don’t see Maks and Melissa making it to the finals.
I was speculating her back and his leg!
@Elsee oh yeah I hadn’t thought of that! could be that too
Didn’t Hope do the jive for her most memorable year—they were supposed to use a song, but then it they had to change it?
sorry….forgot this part: they were supposed to use a song that her team played before their games, but something happened and they had to pick a different song…
Not only is it good strategy for Melissa to get Jive out of the way while there are folks to hide behind, it’ll probably be one of the few fun, upbeat dances in a dreary night of sob stories. In season 12 it was so refreshing to see Hines and Kym do a positive, upbeat Cha-cha to honor his Mom after all those rumbas for the dead. 🙄
Very grateful that Melissa seems to have unlocked the gentler, more relaxed Maks. It always makes for a more enjoyable season for him and everyone else. Maks responds better to older women; I like that 🙂
I really hope this will be a stand-out performance for Melissa. I like that it will be fun and upbeat, and I suspect her choreography will be challenging. My only concern is her tendency to show that she is thinking while dancing as it makes her look more tense and serious. I really hope she lets loose and has a blast. She’s got a great personality and I hope it shines.
I hope it works out for Melissa…but a Jive?? Oh dear. And there is something about her in her packages that I’m just not sure about – like she’s too serious or something. Even when Nicole was being too serious she had a goofy ass side that we got to see as well. I’m thinking the same thing about Jaleel – he seems overly intense as well, which is why I’m not so sure he’s a shoe-in to win.
Heidi, I was thinking the same thing about Jaleel. On paper he looks good, but once he opens his mouth…. Not so much. We shall see, I am sensing there is a dark horse this season.
If there’s a dark horse in this competition, it has to be Donald, IMO.
From an unbiased point of view, I think Roshon, Jaleel and Katherine have made the best showings so far (In my BIASED pov Maria is top 3 🙂 ). But the dark horses who could go further than we expect are Donald and Maria. But then there’s the likability factor where Gladys and possibly Sherri come in. THEN there are the Producers, who are just glorifying William and God help us if we have another WTA Dance Off again. I still don’t know what to make of Melissa. She seems to be fading into the woodwork and I don’t want her to. Then, we have Gavin, who you know I’m a fan of, but so far isn’t cutting it. I don’t know where to put Jack to be honest.
I just don’t know who’s going to make it to the end, Nathan. It won’t be Gavin, and it won’t likely be Melissa. But after that? No idea. Jaleel is so intense that I just feel he might not make it. The faux hype over William might put him out. Katherine and Roshon are relatively unknown, but good dancers. Maria has Derek – but a very full life besides DWTS. Jack? No clue, I’m thinking earlyish exit although I would like him to stay. Sherri? Will probably fall short of the finale.
I’m left thinking that Donald will go to the end. And that’s the only thing I feel relatively confident about.
If things play out to where Donald wins (unless against my favorite), I’d be flippin’ happy. He made a very good impression with his Cha Cha. I know it wasn’t 100% cha cha, but you can tell he’s here to play. That and I still CAN NOT get over Peta. Wowza, that woman is FINE!!! From the way she was into the music, and her rhythm was just on fire AND her hair was all over the place, I was in Heaven :-). But I do agree that no one can predict the finale at this point. There may be good showings like I mentioned before, but a winner? Not there yet. But, other than the producers trying to screw things over, I will say I have not enjoyed DWTS this much since Season 10. Please don’t ruin it ABC!!!
I’d love to see Donald make it to the end. He’s delightful and I’m enjoying getting to know Peta. I think he’ll prove to be a good all-arounder, kind of like Jaleel but without that intense edge. Agree Jaleel needs to relax or he’s going to burn out.
Maria is another one I’d love to see in the finals, but with her ribs (and now her foot ??) can her body hold up? I know she’s a “tough Greek”, but still, I’m worried for her.
Katherine and Roshon certainly have the dance skills, and I’d be happy with them in the finals.
The Three Stooges don’t seem to have much love for Jack. Even if he has a break-out dance, I see him getting the Kurt Warner/Ralph Macchio treatment. So I’m afraid he’s going to be gone no later than mid-season.
I can’t picture Gavin, Melissa, Gladys or Sherri in the finals.
Heaven only knows about William. TPTB have been stirring that pot so hard there’s no telling.
@Nathan – That is who I was referring to… Donald. 🙂 And from all the Donald love on this board, I think its a real possibility… No let me change that to a *real probability* that he makes the finals.
First impression is everything on this show and he blew it out of the park on that one. He’s got my votes. Heck, he might even win…