Topic: Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Dancing with the Stars: Chelsea, Hines, and Kirstie’s Final Freestyles

Dancing with the Stars: Chelsea, Hines, and Kirstie's Final Freestyles

It’s the finale! Although I hate how long and drawn-out the final two episodes are, I love how they force contestants to up their game. The freestyle dance in particular is a favorite, because after a whole season of Latin dancers struggling through waltzes and classic dancers forcing themselves through sambas, this is a chance for everyone to cut loose. Finalists Chelsea Kane, Hines Ward, and Kirstie Alley all brought energy to the floor for their freestyles last night. But who will win? More »

Fat Is Not a Character Trait: Kirstie Alley Is to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ as Hurley Was to ‘Lost’

Fat Is Not a Character Trait: Kirstie Alley Is to 'Dancing with the Stars' as Hurley Was to 'Lost'

There are a couple of “types” who always get cast on a season of Dancing with the Stars – the former child star, the retired athlete, and the mom who mentions her kids every week. And then there’s another, more insidious ‘type’ – the contestant who is on the show hoping to lose weight. Tia Carrere said on season 2 that one incentive for doing the show was to lose her baby weight, and even Jerry Springer said that he needed to slim down (and learn to dance for his daughter’s wedding, which elicited plenty of awws).

This season, the contestant in that category is Kirstie Alley, the former Cheers star who has made a veritable cottage industry out of her struggles with her weight. It’s almost impossible to go a day without reading something about Kirstie’s tenure on Dancing without also reading something about her weight. Almost every article, blog post, or discussion thread about her as a competitor on the show talks about her weight. More »

‘Dancing with the Stars’: Kirstie Alley Takes a Tumble and Chelsea Kane Does the Cha Cha

'Dancing with the Stars': Kirstie Alley Takes a Tumble and Chelsea Kane Does the Cha Cha

Although I had picked her as a potential frontrunner last week, this week Kirstie Alley didn’t have great luck on Dancing with the Stars. During her rumba with partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy (which was supposed to be sexy, but…), Kirstie made a misstep and fell. To their credit, Kirstie and Maks recovered nicely and kept going, and this should set them up for a nice redemption arc next week. More »

How to Fix ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’

How to Fix 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette'

If the most recent lackluster season of The Bachelor: Electric Brad Womack Boogaloo indicated anything, it’s that the show is overdue for a reboot. They’ve been able to generate some actual watercooler buzz (the Jason/Melissa/Molly triangle made for good tabloid fodder, as did the eventual Jason/Molly wedding), but the return of Brad Womack and his vanilla personality, plus the choice of also-ran Ashley as the new Bachelorette served as reminders of why the show needs to change it up. More »

Will Scientology Help Kirstie Alley Win ‘Dancing with the Stars’? No, But Mormonism Might.

Will Scientology Help Kirstie Alley Win 'Dancing with the Stars'? No, But Mormonism Might.

Does Scientology translate into ballroom skills? Probably not.

According to Popeater, Kirstie Alley thinks that Scientology will give her an advantage on Dancing with the Stars, and she’s reportedly trying to convert her dance partner, the smoking hot Maksim Chmerkovskiy, to the religion.

It’s hard to know if Scientology will help a contestant on DWTS, since not many Scientologists have competed on the show. The only other one I can think of is Priscilla Presley, who finished in eighth place in season 6 with partner Louis Van Amstel – it’s certainly not a bad showing, but not a win either. More »

Gallery: 8 Reasons Maksim Chmerkovskiy Will Make A Great Ukranian ‘Bachelor’

Gallery: 8 Reasons Maksim Chmerkovskiy Will Make A Great Ukranian 'Bachelor'
He will be able to be "real"
Karina who?
He's just too hirsute for America to handle
He doesn't have to choose...between shows
His old-world ideas of gender equality will play a lot better over in Ukraine

Have you guys heard the very important reality show news? Dancing With the Stars‘ Maksim Chmerkovskiy (or just “Maks” to his friends), will be the next Bachelor! But there’s a twist: He’s not going on the American program, but will be starring in the first Ukrainian version of the popular American show. There’s been a lot of speculation about why the handsome European has chosen to find love in another country, and we’ve come up with several more of our own. (And yes, one of them is to be away from his ex, Karina Smirnoff!) More »