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Dancing with the Stars 5

Maksim says unlike Marie, Dancing cast did not “burden people with our personal issues”

by Andy Dehnart 26 Nov. 2007 | 5:27 pm

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, the dancer who’s partnered with Melanie Brown on Dancing with the Stars 5, says that Marie Osmond is using her personal problems to get sympathy and votes.

“I know first hand that there are a lot of other celebrities on the show who went through somewhat similar situations this season and they decided not to make it public … we decided not to burden people with our personal issues. I think that is why our fan base carries us through because they vote for our dancing not whatever happens in our life,” Maks told Extra. He also said, “I think she represents a lot of women out there with all their problems.”

He says that she doesn’t deserve to be in the finale. “I think Jennie was better than Marie. Frankly, I think there are a lot of other people better than Marie,” he said. But he expects that “either a cute man or somebody with a huge fan base [will win] and I think Marie has both Helio and Mel’s fan base combined times five.”

However, Maks is not above exploiting his own partner’s assets. Mel, he says, is “gonna be showing a lot of skin. The most skin the show has ever seen!”

Maksim Chmerkovskiy: ‘There Are a Lot of People Better Than Marie’ [Extra]

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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