Dancing With the Stars sees one or two showmances season after season. However, Season 33 might have been the most talked about when it comes to romances between a professional dancer and their celebrity partner. Viewers watched and got confused about the on-again, off-again relationship between pro Gleb Savchenko and model Brooks Nader, and the possible romantic pairing that was Sasha Farber and Jenn Tran, that still remains a mystery as of this writing.
There’s no doubt that chemistry is a must when it comes to getting far on DWTS. And, that intense chemistry has sometimes resulted in some couples becoming more than just dance partners. However, for pro Val Chmerkovskiy, seeing a pro and their celeb partner develop something more is “incredibly unprofessional” in his eyes, especially if it isn’t “authentic.”
Val has had his fair share of showmances during his lengthy career with DWTS, so he’s not really one to talk.
Val Chmerkovskiy Sounds Off On Dancing With The Stars Romances
Val Chmerkovskiy is a veteran on Dancing With the Stars, having started his career as a professional dancer in Season 13. Val has seen his fair share of romances between a pro and their celebrity partners, and he’s even been in a couple himself. However, it looks like Val, who has been married to DWTS pro Jenna Johnson since 2019, has a very different viewpoint on show romances aka showmances in the workplace.
During an interview with Joe Vulpis on his Lightweights podcast, Val sounded off on seeing romances play out between a pro and his partner, but not without calling himself out for “being guilty” of doing the same.
“Long time ago, my first couple of seasons, I’ve been given partners that I did have romantic exchanges with—incredibly unprofessional to do so in my mind.”
He continued, “Because I’m here as their teacher and as their partner, and I’m probably, in some way or another, in a position of authority to them. Like, don’t s*** where you eat kind of thing comes into play.” Val added that he took his job at DWTS “very serious,” and that while he was okay with relationships after the show, he now sees romances “during the season” as a “bit irresponsible.”
The three-time mirrorball trophy winner went on to share that being involved with his partners actually “cost him” his seasons, although he knew fans loved seeing the showmances. “Behind closed doors, I undermined my own season by doing that.”
Val Is Happy When The Romances Are “Authentic”
Val doesn’t think all romances that blossom on Dancing With the Stars are “unprofessional.” In his podcast interview, he did note that he’s happy when he sees “genuine” relationships form. “If it’s genuine, it’s awesome. When it’s authentic, and it’s two consenting adults enjoying their time together, I love that.”
Going into further detail, the pro dancer admitted that he’s certainly not a fan of couples “putting on a show” just so they can take advantage of fans who may want to vote for them. However, that certainly didn’t seem to happen with the tumultuous relationship fans watched between Season 33’s Gleb and Brooks, who went home in Week 4. Still, Val can see fans voting for showmances rather than a couple’s actual performance.
“…they know they can manipulate the algorithm to give them more likes and more views and more this—I just don’t like anything that’s inauthentic,” Val said.
Val also talked about the importance of chemistry, most importantly, chemistry that’s the result of working together professionally. He saw that with his wife, Jenna, and her partner, The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei. Their chemistry was so intense, fans believed they had more going on. Of course, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Sadly, even Joey’s fiancée, Kelsey Anderson, had to defend her relationship.
Ultimately, Jenna and Joey’s professional chemistry saw them winning the Len Goodman mirrorball trophy this past season.
“I think Jenna and Joey had great chemistry because he was emotionally available and gave himself into the project,” he explained. “And she took that and also revealed herself in the process,” Val said.
Val Has Been In Relationships With His Former Partners
Val admitted to having his fair share of romances during his lengthy career with Dancing With the Stars. Some of his romances have been confirmed while others remain questionable, including his rumored romance with his Season 19 partner Janel Parrish. When they were photographed holding hands in New York City in November 2014, fans went into a frenzy. In a blog for People, the Pretty Little Liars actress admitted that they had great chemistry.
“Val’s been amazing. He’s been keeping it really calm, which is the only reason why I’m calm because I look to him. He’s my leader, so when he’s strong — and he is — I feel strong. It’s been really good, and we’re having fun amid the crazy.”
Val also found himself in a very public romance with model Amber Rose. Amber competed in Season 23 and was partnered with Val’s older brother, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. In December 2016, Val made their relationship Instagram official when he posted a photo with Amber and captioned it with a single red rose. However, their relationship was short-lived and fizzled out by February of the following year.
“(Val) and I broke up due to our own personal reasons but we still care about each other tremendously and we love each other’s families even more,” Amber wrote on Instagram (via People).
The pro dancer has even had to navigate rumors of a relationship with his DWTS All-Stars partner Kelly Monaco. The two had amazing chemistry on the dancefloor and came in 3rd place. The two defended their platonic relationship in a joint interview.
“We have a great time when we’re together. We have great conversations. We make fun of the same people. We compliment the same people. We like similar things and that’s that,” Val said, with Kelly replying, “It’s called friendship.”