Dancing With The Stars Season 34 Contestants Andy Richter and Emma Slater Performing On Wicked NightImage via ABC
By
Jeff Dodge
Published 5 minutes ago
Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.
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A celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars lashed out at the reality competition show, calling the behind-the-scenes environment "toxic." The series has been on the air for 20 years, with Dancing with the Stars season 34 just one day away from crowning a new champion.
Robert Irwin, Elaine Hendrix, Dylan Efron, Alix Earle and Jordan Chiles have made it to the finals, but only one can walk away with the Mirror Ball Trophy.
Despite that excitement, Dancing with the Stars is currently facing accusations of a toxic behind-the-scenes environment from former child actor Corey Feldman, who was one of the first two contestants to be voted off the current season with pro dancer Jenna Johnson.
While being interviewed on Gurvey's Law Radio Show (via the Daily Mail), Feldman opened up about his negative experience on Dancing with the Stars, with the actor criticizing pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy's shady comments that Johnson deserves respect, which he didn't feel Feldman showed to her.
Feldman called out the "stupidity" of the behind-the-scenes "mudslinging" and unnecessary drama that certain people dished out, seemingly referring to Chmerkovskiy. He claimed he had never seen anything like this before and proceeded to label the show "toxic" and "the worst," even though the events in front of the camera were great.
The actor also claimed that he was called an "egomaniac" who "destroyed" the show. At first, he thought everything was just fine on the set of Dancing with the Stars since everyone was getting along and seemingly happy. His eyes started to open, though, when he read news reports about what people involved with the show allegedly thought of him.
After confronting Johnson about the reports, the pro dancer admitted that Chmerkovskiy was the one spreading all the negativity to the press. She told Feldman not to worry about it and claimed he was just doing it to get attention.
Aside from crowning a winner, the finale also works as a reunion of the eliminated contestants and their pro dance partners. Feldman admitted that he wasn't excited at all to be returning to the set.
There was a lot of stupidity in the mudslinging that went on behind the scenes. Actually there, everything was great. But the behind-the-scenes drama and BS that people throw around that show, I've never seen anything like it. It's the worst, like, most toxic.
On the set everybody gets along. Everybody's great. Everybody's happy. You're working hard. You don't even have time to look up. You're just working. But then it's like you start reading these things in the paper, like, "This person's mad at this person. These people aren't talking to each other." Or "Are people working hard enough?" "Corey Feldman destroyed the show. He destroyed the whole show because he was such an egomaniac it's so difficult to work with."
And then you're like, where is this coming from? And I asked Jen, I'm like, where is this coming from? She's like, "Oh, it's just Max." She rolls her eyes. She's like, "Oh it's just Max. Don't pay attention to him. He just wants attention." I was like oh my God.
Interestingly, Feldman seemed to change his tune after revealing his initial toxicity accusations. He later told People that his Dancing with the Stars experience was actually "positive" and he was treated with "kindness, support and respect" by everyone on the show, including the pro dancers.
After his initial comments made it seem like he took great issue with the show itself, Feldman tried to clarify that his anger was directed at people no longer working on Dancing with the Stars who "still feel entitled" to give their input and create drama. Chmerkovskiy left after DWTS season 25 in 2017.
In another turn, after he said he wasn't looking forward to returning for the Dancing with the Stars finale, the actor also told People that he "can't wait" to perform with Johnson again.
I want to make it absolutely clear that my experience on Dancing with the Stars has been positive. Everyone associated with the show — from my fellow cast members to the pros, crew and production team — has treated me with nothing but kindness, support and respect.
The issues I was referring to have nothing to do with the show itself. They relate to the outside commentary, rumors and individuals who are no longer directly involved with DWTS but still feel entitled to weigh in and create unnecessary drama.
I’m looking forward to getting back to rehearsals this week and can’t wait to dance with Jenna again. The DWTS family has been wonderful, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of it.
Feldman's experience was somewhat tainted by Chmerkovskiy's alleged negativity toward him, though his clarification made it known that he has no issue with the show itself. While it's unclear why he initially said he wasn't looking forward to returning for the finale, it's possible he just needed to vent after hearing negative comments made about him in the press.
During his short run on Dancing with the Stars, Feldman performed a Tango and Cha-cha-cha, receiving a score of 9 and 15, respectively, from the judges. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep him in the competition.
Hopefully, Feldman's upcoming performance goes well and that the finale overall is a huge success. He might have been one of the first eliminated contestants, but he'll be there to root for the eventual Dancing with the Stars winner, whether it ends up being Irwin, Hendrix, Efron, Earle or Chiles.
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and streams live on Disney+.
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