Maksim Chmerkovskiy to serve as guest judge on 'Dancing with the Stars' semifinals show

Maksim Chmerkovskiy will be gracing Dancing with the Stars with his presence this season.


Chmerkovskiy will be serving as a guest judge on Monday night's upcoming semifinals show, sitting on the panel with regular judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli, People reported.

The 33-year-old pro dancer was absent from the reality dancing competition's sixteenth season and currently-airing seventeenth edition.

"Maks is part of the family," ABC president Paul Lee told reporters during a Television Critics Association press in August, according to People. "He may well be back. We love having him be part of the show."

Chmerkovskiy announced his departure from Dancing with the Stars in February, explaining in a media statement that after seven years of being a part of the show, he was eager to "explore other opportunities" such as producing and acting.


Chmerkovskiy -- who has competed in 13 of Dancing with the Stars' prior seasons but never won the title -- had initially revealed he planned to leave the show when his contract expired after Season 17, which will conclude in December.

Fellow former Dancing with the Stars pro Julianne Hough also came back to the show to serve as a guest judge this season in addition to music icon Cher.

Chmerkovskiy's younger brother Val Chmerkovskiy, who is also a show pro, was just eliminated from the show earlier this week with celebrity partner Elizabeth Berkley.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski