Maksim Chmerkovskiy admits he left Dancing with the Stars feeling bitter and unfulfilled after Season 15, however, he's coming back to the show with a new positive outlook and drama-free attitude.
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"When I left, I said, 'I'm out. See you later. Have fun.' I got jaded. I feel like there were certain elements of the show that I wasn't appreciating and it blinded me from all the good things. But I really missed the heart of it all -- the dancing," the 34-year-old pro dancer told People.
Chmerkovskiy was absent from Dancing with the Stars' sixteenth and seventeenth seasons but served as a guest judge in one episode last season when mainstay judge Len Goodman needed a fill-in. The reputed hot-headed "bad boy of the ballroom," who is known for picking fights with the judges, is set to return as a pro for the show's eighteenth season.
"Listen, I'm a sweet guy. I'm just intense at work. I have nothing but the end result in mind. My entire career has been like that," Chmerkovskiy explained.
"I have come to realize very late in my DWTS career that that doesn't exactly translate in television format. People are tuning in to see the progress and what happens during the rehearsals and don't want to see drama... I think I've given the viewers enough drama in the last nine years. Now I want to give them a season that's drama-free."
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And what exactly is a drama-free season according to Chmerkovskiy?
"Nothing but smiles and laughter and a great time. Let somebody else be dramatic," he noted.
Chmerkovskiy recently told NBC's Today show he turned down the opportunity to become a regular judge on the panel for Season 18 in order to return as a pro again.
He told People he wanted to take another stab at it for his fans "who supported me throughout some tough moments in my life" and his grandmother who "loves to see me dance."
"I haven't given her much to look at on the dance floor lately," Chmerkovskiy elaborated, adding that there's one other topic the women in his life aren't pleased with.
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"My grandma and my mom are not happy about the fact that I am still a bachelor. It's not on my mind that I have to find the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. It will happen the way it's going to happen."
Chmerkovskiy, who split from model Kate Upton in December, will be paired with Sochi Olympics ice dancing gold medalist Meryl Davis for Dancing with the Stars' upcoming season, which premieres Monday night at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
Chmerkovskiy has made it to Dancing with the Stars' Final 3 four times yet never won a title. He first appeared as a pro on the show's second season and has competed in 14 seasons total. Chmerkovskiy went on a two-season hiatus to pursue other career goals such as acting.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski