Professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy lost his cool on ABC’s "Dancing with the Stars" after judge Len Goodman called his dance with his partner their worst of the season, reports EW.com’s Inside TV blog.
The dancer, who had performed a rumba with Hope Solo, told Goodman that "maybe it’s time" for him to leave the business after the older judge mentioned working for 50 years, the story says.
"With all due respect, this is my show,” Chmerkovskiy said. “I helped make it what it is."
Chmerkovskiy also reacted badly after being scolded by another judge, Carrie Ann Inaba.
Among other issues, Chmerkovskiy was upset at being criticized over footwear, as Goodman had taken issue with Solo’s shoes, the story adds.
Chmerkovskiy added: “I’m just not going to sit back and let my partner get disrespected.”
Here’s a video of the performance and some of the fireworks that followed:
Len Goodman fashions himself as another Simon Cowell. He’s not happy unless he’s being over-critical. To comment on shoes is really pushing it. This is a side of Goodman that didn’t exist until this season. If that’s what the producers want, that’s what they’ve got.