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What Maks said about Jan Ravnik
On the Oct. 24, 2025 episode of The Penthouse With Peta, Chmerkovskiy criticized Ravnik’s work with celebrity partner Jen Affleck during season 34 of Dancing With the Stars. Us Weekly reported his remarks on Oct. 27. Chmerkovskiy said: “I’m sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing With the Stars. There’s zero foundation technique, quality, understanding of the partnership. Bro, I’m getting emotional. It is absurd, and this is unreal how blind we have to be and God forbid say what’s obviously there.” Us Weekly’s report attributes that judgment to Chmerkovskiy; it is his assessment, not an independently established technical finding.
Why the Wicked Night foxtrot prompted the criticism
Chmerkovskiy pointed to Ravnik and Affleck’s foxtrot during Wicked Night, which the judges scored 32 out of 40, according to Us Weekly. He questioned Ravnik’s grasp of the style and whether he was ready to teach it. The disagreement centers on the demands of the pro role: a strong performance background is not necessarily the same as ballroom-specific training or the ability to coach a celebrity through a ballroom routine.
Murgatroyd, a former DWTS pro and the podcast’s host, also disliked aspects of the foxtrot. She said its elements missed the technique, but praised the pair’s partnership and partner work. Her response was more qualified than Chmerkovskiy’s: Ravnik was learning in his first season, she said, and deserved grace.
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What Murgatroyd said about Ravnik’s background and role
Murgatroyd described Ravnik as a lovely person and a great dancer, while arguing that teaching ballroom to a celebrity is a distinct job. “Hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous,” she said, as quoted by Us Weekly. She also said Ravnik’s connection to Taylor Swift was an obvious reason he had been cast.
Chmerkovskiy said his criticism was not personal. He called the casting a missed opportunity and a disadvantage for Affleck, while adding, “It’s not his fault.” Murgatroyd speculated that joining the troupe might have been a better starting point for Ravnik. She described extra ballroom classes and practice as one way she might approach such a challenge; she did not claim to know what Ravnik had done privately.
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Was Jan Ravnik a ballroom dancer before DWTS?
The available reporting establishes that Ravnik performed as a backup dancer on Swift’s Eras Tour and had won multiple competitive-dance titles, but it does not name those titles or provide a complete account of his training. Those credentials show dance experience, not by themselves a particular level of ballroom preparation. The sources do not settle how much ballroom experience Ravnik had before the show.
That distinction matters to the dispute. Chmerkovskiy focused on ballroom technique and readiness to teach a celebrity partner. Ravnik’s Eras Tour work and competition record point to broader performance and dance experience, but the reporting does not show that those experiences were equivalent to ballroom-pro teaching credentials.
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How DWTS casting director Deena Katz framed the choice
In a Marie Claire interview, casting director and co-executive producer Deena Katz said Swift’s father had suggested Ravnik to ABC executive Rob Mills more than a year before season 34. Katz said she went to Swift’s final Vancouver concert, met Ravnik for coffee, and found him charming. She described him as someone who could dance, teach, and choreograph, and said learning to promote himself on social media was the biggest adjustment for him on the show.
Katz also said DWTS has never held dance auditions. She characterized it as a celebrity learning journey, not a conventional dance competition: “As crazy as it sounds, we’re not a real dance competition. This is a journey about people. Mostly, the best dancer doesn’t usually win. It’s that whole package.” Her account helps explain a different casting lens—one that can weigh teaching, personality, performance, and audience connection alongside dance credentials. It does not establish a formal hiring rule or show that ballroom technique is irrelevant to the pro role.
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The disagreement is about what a DWTS pro must bring
Chmerkovskiy’s criticism reflects a discipline-specific standard: a professional should have the technique and partnership knowledge to teach ballroom styles. Katz’s description reflects the program’s broader entertainment and learning format, where a pro must also help a celebrity progress and connect with viewers. Murgatroyd’s response sits between those positions: she faulted elements of the foxtrot while recognizing the pair’s rapport and Ravnik’s inexperience on the show.
The available reports document those competing views, not a definitive technical ruling on Ravnik or the show’s official qualifications for hiring pros. They also do not establish a later response from Ravnik or a subsequent clarification from the other speakers.
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