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Dancing With The Stars: Maksim Chmerkovskiy Mad About Melissa Rycroft As Replacement

March 17, 2009 04:00:03 by Paulene Hinds

The Bachelor star, Melissa Rycroft who was jilted by her fiance Jason Mesnick, is thrilled to be a part of Dancing With the Stars this season, filling in for injured Nancy O’Dell, but one of the pro dancers is calling foul! Maksim Chmerkovskiy is not happy with Tony Dovolani’s new partner on the show because he feels that Melissa Rycrofthas a leg up on the competition because of her formal ballet training. Maksim Chmerkovskiyis dancing with actress Denise Richards on the show this season.

In an interview with TV Guide Maksim Chmerkovskiysaid, “Its very hard for me because Tony [Dovolani] is my best friend, but if we’re gonna call it what it is, it’s very unfair because Melissa’s a dancer - she was a cheerleader and did ballet.”

Regardless of Melissa Rycroft’s formal training, the girl must be given kudos for learning her routine in just 48 hours and the judges thought so too as theygaveher and her partnera score of 23 out of 30 for their waltz last week.

Speaking with the injured Nancy O’Dell from Access Hollywood, after their first performance, both Melissa Rycroftand TonyDovolani disagreed that they have an unfair advantage over the other competitors.

“I’m not the first one that’s ever had a dance background on here before,” she said. “I’ve danced before, but it’s totally [different], When I’m explaining it to people, I say, ‘You can take the best baseball pitcher in the world and it doesn’t mean he can throw a football accurately.’ That’s how I feel, So while I’ve danced, I’ve never danced like this. I’m learning along with everybody else.”

Tony Dovolaniagreed with Melissa Rycroft,commenting on paststars who have come on the show with some sort of formal training.

“Every season we’ve had that,” Tony Dovolanitold Nancy O’Dell of Access Hollywood. “[Shawn Johnson's] gymnastics background, we’ve had Joey [Fatone], we had Lance [Bass] last season. We had Mel B. They all had a dance background, and so does Melissa, but she has a ballet background - ballroom is a whole new animal.”

Maksim Chmerkovskiyisn’t thrilled about another competitor this season besides Melissa Rycroftand he targeted Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who is coupled with his fiance Karina Smirnoff.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy told Nancy O’Dell,”Steve’s an amazing guy and incredibly friendly. He’s very entertaining, he’s trying his best and I’ve never seen anyone work harder than Steve,” Maksim Chmerkovskiyadded. “Having said that, he probably won’t be in the semifinal or final. I think Karina deserves to be partnered with someone she has a chance with.”

Dancing With the Stars airs tonight at 9 PM ETon ABC.

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Photo Credit: ABC

Related posts:

1. Dancing With the Stars: Nancy O’Dell Favored To Win
2. Dancing’s Maks is Sitting Out Season Six
3. Dancing With The Stars: The Couples Are Revealed
4. Dancing With The Stars: The Bachelor’s Melissa Rycroft To Join The Show?
5. Dancing With The Stars: Misty May-Treanor To Return To The Ballroom Floor?

Topics: ABC Reality TV Shows, Dancing with the Stars |

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