The season finale of Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesday, November 26 on ABC and Disney+. One lucky celebrity contestant will rise above the competition and win the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy. Season 33 featured some truly remarkable performances, but it was also shrouded in controversy, from Anna Delvey’s controversial casting to dance pro-Artem Chigvintsev’s shocking arrest ahead of the premiere.
The current season is not the first time the series made headlines for scandalous reasons. In honor of the upcoming finale, let’s take a look back at some of the show’s biggest scandals.
Protestors interrupt Ryan Lochte’s dance on Season 23 of Dancing with the Stars
Swimmer Ryan Lochte joined the cast of DWTS for Season 23, hoping to repair his image after his controversial Rio robbery story landed him in hot water. The Olympian was forced to confront his past when two protestors rushed the stage after his performance. The camera focused on judge Carrie Ann Inaba during the incident, but viewers could hear the suspects yelling “Liar” at Ryan in the background.
“You know, at that moment, I was really heartbroken,” he told CNN following the event. “My heart just sunk. It felt like somebody just ripped it apart.”
Gleb Savchenko faced Chrishell Stause romance rumors on Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars
Romance rumors followed Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause and DWTS pro-Gleb Savchenko after they competed together on Season 29. The speculation began after Gleb announced he was separating from his wife, Elena Samodanova, in December 2020. The timing of the split compiled with Elena telling People that a “recent inappropriate relationship” caused the breakup made fans question Chrishell. However, Gleb and Chrishell have maintained that there was no truth to the rumors and that their relationship was strictly platonic.
Chrishell let fans know she and DWTS Pro are “just friends” in an interview with E!’s Daily Pop.
“I feel like it really is annoying because it’s one of those things where, you know, unfortunately, the timing of what he’s going through personally, people want to make it into something it’s not,” she said.
Sean Spicer’s controversial casting on Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars has featured quite a few controversial contestants in its 33-season run, including infamous Anna Delvey and (previously mentioned) Olympian Ryan Lochte. However, the show’s decision to cast former White House press secretary Sean Spicer takes the cake.
The show received backlash for casting Spicer and even the judges seemed annoyed by his presence in the ballroom.
Dance pro-Artem Chigvintsev arrested ahead of Season 33 premiere
One of the most recent DWTS controversies happened a couple of months ago when dance pro-Artem Chigvintsev was arrested in the morning of Thursday, August 29 on “suspicion of domestic violence,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was released hours later “after posting a $25,000 bail,” the outlet reported.
Artem and his wife, WWE star Nikki Garcia (formerly Nikki Bella), settled their divorce in November and are moving forward.
“Nikki and Artem have settled their divorce and will not be going to court,” a representative for Nikki said in a statement. “Both parties decided to drop the domestic violence restraining orders against each other in an effort to move on with their lives and effectively co-parent their son.”
Hope Solo slams DWTS pro-Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Hope Solo and her dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy did not get along on Season 13 of DWTS. Maks has a reputation for being a tough pro and Hope did not appreciate his teaching methods.
She spoke about her difficult relationship with Maks in her 2012 memoir, titled, “Solo: A Memoir of Hope.” She accused the DWTS pro of being aggressive with her in rehearsals.
“He manhandled me in rehearsals from the start, pushing me, whacking my stomach, bending my arms roughly,” she claimed. “One day, Maks was trying to put me in a certain position and hit my stomach so hard with his open palm.” Maks denied the claims in an interview on The Real but social media is full of his interesting practice performances that look pretty rough.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH OUR LIST? WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL MOMENT ON DWTS?
