Savchenko Criticizes Bersten’s DWTS Replacement Role

Former Dancing with the Stars professional Gleb Savchenko criticized Alan Bersten’s dancing after Bersten was chosen to temporarily partner Jenna Dewan while Val Chmerkovskiy serves a one-week suspension. Savchenko made the comments during a TikTok livestream, questioning the decision to select Bersten for the October 20 Dedication Night episode. Savchenko said Bersten was not at the level of dancing he considered artistically strong, while describing him as a good dancer for television and adding that he had nothing against him. He also questioned why Bersten was selected and suggested that a troupe dancer could have been considered instead. In one account of his remarks, Savchenko named Carter Williams and cited the height difference between Dewan and potential partners. Bersten is set to dance with Dewan because Chmerkovskiy will miss the episode during his suspension. The suspension followed Chmerkovskiy’s deleted social-media post referencing the 2022 Oscars slap, which he had invoked while responding to criticism of his wife, fellow professional Jenna Johnson. The show described the post as inappropriate and inconsistent with its standards. Chmerkovskiy later apologized,...