Maksim Chmerkovskiy is currently competing on Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars this fall on ABC.
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Maksim is a 37-year-old professional ballroom dancer and choreographer, who has also served as a guest judge on Dancing with the Stars.
Maksim is paired with TV personality Vanessa Lachey on this season. Ironically, his wife Peta Murgatroyd is partnered with Vanessa's husband Nick Lachey, and the pairs have been battling it out on DWTS from the start.
However, Nick and Peta can't seem to score higher than Maksim and Vanessa, so there isn't much competition there -- only love.
Reports swirled of tension between Maksim and Vanessa earlier this season, especially after Maksim skipped out on a performance show for an undisclosed "personal issue."
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However, the couple is back in full swing and getting along better than ever. Right now, they have winning attitudes, and that's what it takes to make it to the end.
Below is a list of 6 facts Reality TV World has compiled about Maksim Chmerkovskiy:
- Maksim joined Dancing with the Stars in Season 2 and competed as a pro partner all the way up to Season 18 with the exceptions of Season 6, 16 and 17.
He announced his DWTS retirement after winning Season 18 with Meryl Davis but returned for Season 23.
- He was born on January 17, 1980 in Odessa, Ukraine. His family immigrated to Brooklyn, NY in 1994, and with his father, Maksim opened up Rising Stars Dance Academy in New Jersey.
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- Maksim broke his right leg in a skiing accident at age 13 and had a titanium rod put in to stabilize his leg. Doctors predicted he'd have long-term difficulties, but he recovered and started dancing again six months later.
- He previously choreographed a commercial for Propel water and provided choreography for Zendaya's music video "Neverland" from Broadway's Finding Neverland.
Maksim also landed minor acting roles in the TV Land series The Exes and three episodes of General Hospital in 2013 playing the role of Anton Ivanov.
- In 2011, Maksim starred on the Ukrainian version of The Bachelor and got to date many beautiful women. One year later, he hosted the Ukrainian version of the game show The Cube.
- Maksim and Peta, who wed in July 2017, welcomed their first child together, son Shai Aleksander, on January 4, 2017. Before he began dating Peta in 2012, Maksim was engaged to DWTS pro Karina Smirnoff for nine months.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski