Logo

U.S. Soccer Star Hope Solo Says She Was ‘Slapped Hard’ Across Her Face in Rehearsal by Her ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Partner. Allegations That ‘DWTS’ Results Were Fixed. A Mysterious ‘Secret Memo’?

Aug 17, 2012  •  Post A Comment

Hope Solo, the goalie of the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s soccer team, says that when she was on "Dancing with the Stars" her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, once "got so angry with her that ‘he slapped me across the face. Hard,’" reports The Clicker on Today.com. Solo makes the accusation in her new memoir.

The article continues, "She wrote that ‘he was extremely apologetic,’ and that her ears rang afterward. Hope also claims that the cameras were rolling during the incident (the footage later disappeared, according to her) and that ABC had offered to take Maks off the show and give her a new partner, but she declined."

The Fox News account of this story adds that Hope said "she stayed with him so as not to ‘end Maks’ career.’ She was also concerned that the tabloids would make her look like a ‘prima donna,’ Us Weekly reports."

Fox News also writes that Solo, 31, in her memoir, says that Maks, 32, "manhandled me in rehearsals from the start, pushing me, whacking my stomach, bending my arms roughly. I thought that was just how it went — how dancers worked with each other,” she wrote. “But it kept getting worse. One day, Maks was trying to put me in a certain position and hit my stomach so hard with his open palm that I had a red handprint there for the rest of the day.”

Solo and Chmerkovskiy were partners on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2011.

According to the Fox News account, "Chmerkovskiy has not responded to her claims, but tweeted, ‘Always hated hypocrites and liars, but when someone is both and an opportunist, I just feel bad for them. Can’t win at someone’s expense.’ He later wrote ‘life’s best lessons are the ones that you smile through.’ "

Furthermore, Solo hints in her memoirs that the results on "Dancing with the Stars" are fixed, the Today.com story says:

"And remember when Maks famously slammed the judges for their seemingly unfair scoring of Hope, telling head judge Len Goodman that he should retire? According to the soccer star, Maks had told her after his live blowup that ‘some secret memo’ had gone around earlier saying that the pair was going to be eliminated that week, and that he was creating drama so the producers would keep them around for longer. In other words, ‘DWTS’ fixed its own results, according to her. 

"As for that ‘secret memo,’ a show insider told us, ‘There was no memo stating who was going home — simple as that. There’s never been anything like that. No one knows who’s going home before they even perform.’ The insider told us that everyone who works on the show makes guesses about who’ll get eliminated based on performances and fan support, and nothing more. ‘But to suggest that there was an actual memo going around, detailing who would go? That is absolutely incorrect,’ the show source said."

The Today.com account of the story adds, "ABC has not yet responded to requests for comment."

The Today.com story also notes, "Kirstie Alley, who was paired with Maks in season 12 and will dance with him again this fall for the ‘All-Stars’ edition, took to Twitter to defend the show. ‘Just wanted to say..DWTS is THE most REAL show on TV..what u see is what u get.. It’s tough and sparkly and 100% The REAL DEAL!!’ she tweeted.

"As for the accusations against her pal and dance partner? ‘I shall bite thine tongue, lest I get into a girl fight that I would surely lose without a hammer in my hand…;)… ouch! bloody tongue,’ Kirstie tweeted."

soloandmaks.jpg

Solo and Maks on "Dancing with the Stars"

5 Comments

  1. And she just stood by and took this physical abuse from him? Hell to the no, I would have whacked him hard in the face (and below the waist line) and reported the situation to ABC and then filed suit.
    This sort of behavior is totally unaccepatable and should not be tolerated by anyone. No one should feel they have the right to inflict physical or mental abuse upon another!

  2. And Hope apparently will trash anyone to sell her new book…

  3. @ Beau ~~ how do you know that Hope is “trashing?”

  4. She should slap herself for not wanting to “end Mak’s career.” This clearly makes her look like she needs a therapy session rather than trying to sell a book because most women would have had Mak arrested, charged and in a cell up at Castaic with a guy named Bubba doing the slapping on him.
    Mak would have not lasted an hour after slapping a woman on “Dancing with the Stars: Compton.”

  5. I don’t believe one word of Hope Solo’s story. She is just trying to sell books. Perhaps with this publicity, she will sell HUNDREDS of copies! LOL

Leave a Reply to Yvonne Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)