Gleb Savchenko Clarifies Remarks on Alan Bersten's "DWTS" Role
The former "Dancing with the Stars" pro insists his comments about Alan Bersten were professional observations, not personal attacks.
Gleb Savchenko has clarified his recent remarks about fellow "Dancing with the Stars" professional Alan Bersten, stating that his comments were not intended as an attack. Savchenko's initial remarks, made during a TikTok live session, suggested that Bersten, who temporarily replaced Val Chmerkovskiy, was not on the same "level of dancing" as Chmerkovskiy.
"Alan's a good dancer for his niche," Savchenko said. "He's great for his thing. But he can't be compared to Val."
Savchenko, who is not a professional dancer on the current season of "DWTS," told fans he was "not talking trash" about Bersten but rather "just saying how it is." He elaborated that while Bersten is "great for his own thing," different dancers possess "different styles, different technique." He also added that it "takes time to get better and better," a statement that could be interpreted as a subtle jab.
Bersten stepped in for Chmerkovskiy during the show's "Dedication Night" after Chmerkovskiy received a one-week suspension. The suspension followed a controversial social media post by Chmerkovskiy that referenced Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, in response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba's criticism of Chmerkovskiy's wife, Jenna Johnson's dance.
Savchenko had previously commented on TikTok that Bersten was "not up to the level of dancing, like, period," and suggested a dancer from the show's troupe might have been a better fit to partner with Jenna Dewan. He questioned, "I don't have anything against the guy, just, like, why Alan?"
Later, Savchenko told Page Six that his comments stemmed from a professional dancer's perspective and were "nothing personal against Alan at all." He expressed love and respect for Bersten, emphasizing that he was simply sharing his opinion on how the partnership would differ with Bersten filling in for Chmerkovskiy. During "Dedication Night," Bersten and Dewan performed a Viennese waltz that earned a 37 out of 40, with Inaba calling it Dewan's "ultimate breakthrough" performance.
Chmerkovskiy's suspension was reportedly due to his comparison of Inaba's critique to the Oscars incident. While he apologized to Inaba, he was suspended by BBC Studios and watched the episode from home. His suspension has since been lifted, and he has returned to rehearsals with Dewan.