Dancing with the Stars pros, including Derek Hough and the Chmerkovskiy brothers, have shared their reactions to the shocking Ryan Lochte protest on Monday night's show.

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Hough, a six-time mirrorball trophy champion, helped throw out a handful of protesters after two men ambushed the Olympic gold medalist and repeatedly called him a "liar." Hough is apparently completely supportive of Lochte -- who was visibly shaken last night -- when reflecting back on the incident.
  
"I feel like this is my home, and you don't bring that into my home. You don't bring that into our home," Hough, 31, told Us Weekly after the show.

The two men who ran up onstage and tried to ruin Lochte's time in the spotlight, Sam Sododeh and Barzeen Soroudi, were tackled and escorted out of the studio by security. They were arrested and booked for trespassing, and are currently being held at Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA with bail set at $1,000 each.

"This is a positive place, it's a loving place, it's a place of learning, of triumph... and I got upset because I'm so sick of this world judging each other and condemning each other. There's so much negativity," Hough continued.

Sododeh and Soroudi told authorities they were protesting Lochte because of the scandal in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Summer Olympics in which the athlete fabricated a story about being robbed and held on gunpoint when, in actuality, he had vandalized a gas station's bathroom with the help of three swimming teammates, according to ABC News.

The protesters reportedly believe Lochte's lie endangered Americans.

"I just watched [Ryan and Cheryl] dance and I was super proud of them, and I was like, 'This guy is out here doing what he can and trying to be himself and he put himself in a vulnerable position...' I hope it puts emphasis on people just letting it go. Because [the protesters] looked so stupid. They looked so foolish and cowardly," Hough told Us.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 36 -- who returned to the DWTS ballroom after a four-season break Monday night with partner Amber Rose -- was disturbed by the protesters, mainly because his pregnant fiancee Peta Murgatroyd was present.

"I felt uneasy that Peta was in the front row, so I ran out, and when I saw that they weren't near her, I was good," Maksim told the magazine. "I don't encourage anybody running up to you and telling you what they think about what you did -- because that's none of [their] business. You don't do it!"

Maksim's little brother and fellow pro Val Chmerkovskiy, 30, gave a bit of a telling opinion, as he only paid a compliment to Burke, who also returned to the ballroom last night after many seasons off.

"It was just unusual and unnecessary and it was a distraction, but [Cheryl] handled herself like a champ and she kept it together. I'm very proud of her. She didn't let it bother her," said Val, who is paired with Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez. 

Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and his pro partner Allison Holker danced right before Lochte and Burke performed the foxtrot, so they were backstage when judge Carrie Ann Inaba was critiquing Locte's delivery and the commotion began.

"I [didn't] know what was going on, but in this ballroom as a pro, as a celebrity, we all come together as one, and we are supposed to be unified and support each other," Holker told Us. "I'm sending so much love to Ryan -- he's here, and we should all be forgiving in our lives, and he's doing something for himself right now."

Lochte is currently serving a 10-month suspension from USA Swimming following the Rio scandal. He joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars not only to try something new, but to also rehab his image and hopefully receive a second chance from America. 
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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