- - Val Chmerkovskiy Breaks Silence on Alleged ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Tension with Alix Earle (Exclusive)

Paulette CohnNovember 11, 2025 at 2:57 AM

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Valentin Chmerkovskiy is a three-time Dancing with the Stars Mirrorball Trophy winner, and he’s a frontrunner again this season with his partner, social media influencer Alix Earle. In fact, their Paso Doble last week earned almost a perfect score, getting 39 out of 40 points, missing out when guest judge Flavor Flav awarded them a nine, but then later apologized and said it was a mistake. It should have been a 10.

“I never feel robbed,” Val told Parade in an exclusive. “Nobody owes me anything. I just want to do a great job. I felt so excited for Alex. When we finished that dance, I knew we did something special. And that, to me, is more rewarding than any perfect score. But was I sad for Alex? Yes, I was. I was sad for Alex because she did work really hard.”

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Over the years, Val has had many perfect scores, so it’s easy for him to take it in stride. But Alix is only on the dance competition this one season, and she’s never going to get that moment of a perfect Paso Doble again.

“Do perfect scores in particular motivate us and drive this whole thing?” Val continued. “No. But are they an important part of the mix, especially when it comes to the experience of my celebrity partner? Absolutely. I want her to feel it all.”

That same night, Val had complimented Alix on air as being the perfect partner, which was an important moment considering all the rumors that the two weren’t getting along.

“I wouldn’t give that much weight that there was some big controversy,” Val explained. “There’s so many eyeballs on the show right now, and therefore there’s so much more conversation around it, which I love, right? It’s like that double-edged sword. We want to be celebrated and watched and enjoyed by many, many people. That’s why we’re entertaining. But having said that, I’d be very naïve to think that every single thing I’m going to hear is going to be positive or accurate, even.”

Val Chmerkovskiy, Alix EarleDisney/Christopher Willard

The other issue to take into consideration when people are posting that the two aren’t getting along is that some of that can be misconstrued from Val’s teaching method. He believes in tough love, as he demonstrated in an episode this season.

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“I think that my approach — one of the reasons why I’m still on the show 20 seasons later — besides my expertise or mastery in the craft, I think part of it is the way I show up, and I show up authentically myself. I am not somebody that’s going to become best friends with somebody inauthentically,” he said.

“It took time to build trust. It took time for us to be comfortable around each other. There’s also a level of respect that I have for Alex, and she has for me, and we have for this process. And I think that’s what people misconstrued in the beginning, is that respect that we have for each other in this process, that we still maintain throughout. But obviously, there’s more warmth and comfort, and I think that’s what people have seen as of late.”

This week for the DWTS “20th Birthday Party” episode, celebrating 20 years of the series being on ABC, Alix and Val will be doing a foxtrot to “Singin’ in the Rain” by Matthew Morrison. And Val sees his job as showcasing yet a different side of her.

Val Chmerkovskiy, Alix EarleDisney/Eric McCandless

“We’ve showcased the strength and the sass and the charisma,” he said. “And this week, I want to showcase her star power. I really think that she’s got a bright future in performing arts, whether it be on Broadway or in Vegas or on screen. But either way, I think she really possesses some incredible star power, and I can’t wait to showcase that on the backdrop of the heyday of the old Hollywood magic when dance was special with Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers.”

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Val is so exemplary as a dancer/choreographer that it’s hard to imagine that at one time, he almost took a different path. He at one time considered opening a Subway franchise.

“My first year of college, I went to business school, so I had a real entrepreneurial spirit back then, because believe it or not, it was before Dancing with the Stars, and it didn’t look promising for me. Ballroom dancing wasn’t always a sure thing, like it is now. My best friend used to work at Subway, and we used to hang out at the Subway all the time, and we were like, ‘Hey, maybe this is a good business for us to get into.’ There were some entrepreneurial dreams of opening up a Subway when I was younger.”

Luckily, Dancing with the Stars happened, but that doesn’t mean that Val has severed his connection with Subway. Rather, now, he’s in a position to partner with the chain, especially since he continues to chow down on their sandwiches. Chicken Teriyaki is his favorite, but with the release of Subway’s Fresh Fit Menu, he’s exploring some new options.

Alix Earle, Val ChmerkovskiyDisney/Eric McCandless

“I’ve been really enjoying their exclusive menu that is more about fresh-fit, protein-packed options,” he said. "Obviously, I love to enjoy food. But in times like a season where, to me, it becomes more like fuel, rather than pleasure – again, it’s not like I’m counting my calories, but I want to make sure that I’m getting the right nutrition. I like the fresh-fit option, because I know I’m getting what I need, and at the same time, I’m staying healthy and on track physically.”

The accessibility also fits into Val’s on-the-go lifestyle.

“Obviously, it’s the great taste, and it’s the health element, and the convenience element of it, but it also feels like a nostalgia about it,” he concluded. “It’s just something that I’ve relied on for a while, as far as food, and enjoyed it very much.”

Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Streams next day on Hulu.

Next, Make Sure Your Favorite Dancer Stays in the Competition: Here’s How to Vote Each Week

This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”