Dancing With The Stars: 10 Celebrities Who Didn’t Like Their Partner

While Dancing With the Stars is a fun show, there is a lot of drama behind the scenes. For many professional dancers, Dancing With the Stars is their job. And like any job, they often don’t get along with their co-workers. While most dancer and celebrity couples get along well, some don’t exactly click.

It’s always very awkward when a couple does not get along. The rehearsal footage is often filled with awkward footage, and post-show interviews are typically steeped in personal attacks and criticisms. These are the couples who truly demonstrate the stresses of Dancing With the Stars.

Kate Gosselin & Tony Dovolani

Perhaps the most awkward pairing was Kate Gosselin and Tony Dovolani. In fact, it’s probably one of the most iconic TV rivalries (despite the fact that they were partners). Gosselin hated Tony as a partner and often got frustrated with his teaching style.

Tony hated Kate in return, and at one point even stormed off the set owing to his frustration. Tony later stated on Anderson that “We didn’t dance” and There was a lot of therapy involved” after the season. Doesn’t sound like the most enjoyable partnership.

Ian Ziering & Cheryl Burke

Unfortunately, details are quite mum regarding the hostile relationship between Ian Ziering and Cheryl Burke. But whatever occurred between them was not pretty. Following the show, Burke appeared on the podcast Allegedly and using some incredibly harsh language, stated that working with Ian was a nightmare.

She later apologized for the comment after drawing some backlash, with some claiming that she shouldn’t joke about such difficult subject matter. Controversy aside, it’s clear that the two did not get along.

Hope Solo & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Perhaps the biggest rivalry in Dancing with the Stars history was between Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Most of the allegations came after the season, when Hope published her memoir Solo: A Memoir of Hope. 

Within the book, Hope claimed, “He manhandled me in rehearsals from the start, pushing me, whacking my stomach, bending my arms roughly…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.” Suffice to say, she did not like working with the Ukrainian dancer.

Mischa Barton & Artem Chigvintsev

Mischa Barton was part of one of the most rewatchable teen dramas of all time, playing Marissa Cooper on The O.C. Unfortunately, she did not have a good experience on Dancing With the Stars. She often fought with partner Artem Chigvintsev, and their lack of chemistry was on display within the show itself.

At one point, Barton snapped, and according to Us Weekly, she stated, “I was relying on you to make it a positive experience” and claiming, “I can’t do another week of this. He just is not getting it” before leaving in frustration.

Jaleel White & Kym Johnson

While Jaleel White may have been part of some of the best routines, there was quite a bit of drama behind the scenes. According to Us Weekly, White got into a very heated argument with Johnson during rehearsals.

White accidentally stepped on Johnson’s foot and “flipped out” when Johnson showed pain. He was allegedly “shouting at her, calling her an ‘idiot’,” and when Johnson stormed off in tears, White went off on an intervening producer, “shouting about how they put him with a ‘stupid’ partner.”

Kirstie Alley & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Some of the best cult documentaries have to do with the subject of Scientology. Unfortunately, Scientology is exactly what got in the way of Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. When Us Weekly asked Maksim what happened between him and Kirstie, Maksim answered, “Scientology happened.”

Going into further detail, he stated, “A note was sent to a friend telling me I was ‘disconnected,’ as in, I am no longer allowed to be Kirstie’s friend.”

Vanessa Lachey & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Maksim Chmerkovskiy seemingly makes a lot of enemies, and that also includes Entertainment Tonight correspondent Vanessa Lachey.

An anonymous insider spoke to Us Weekly, claiming, “They’re playing nice for the cameras but both are miserable paired with each other. There is a lot of fighting going on behind the scenes.” Unfortunately, the details surrounding their hostile relationship are quite scarce, but regardless, it’s obvious that they didn’t care much for each other.

Jennifer Grey & Derek Hough

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough performed exceptionally well together, but the stresses of the job still got to their heads. At one point, Hough was getting frustrated with Grey, and Grey was shooting back in response.

She claimed to People, “He was like, ‘Just walk! Just walk!’ And I’m like, ‘I’m trying to walk!’,” explaining their tiff and the events that led to her storming off the set in frustration. Hough in turn added, “I rarely, rarely, rarely lose my temper or anything like that . . . I’ve seen this one lose hers before – scary!”

David Hasselhoff & Kym Johnson

Perhaps it wasn’t personal between Hasselhoff and Johnson, but it’s very apparent that Hasselhoff didn’t enjoy his time on Dancing with the Stars. An insider source spoke to Us Weekly about the various problems that production was suffering under Hasselhoff.

According to them, “He was a mess, his people would call staffers 20 times a day, changing rehearsal times, canceling shoots and even suggesting things like camera angles and poses…At first, Kym thought getting Hoff as a partner was quite a coup, but then she quickly realized it was a mistake.”

Melora Hardin & Artem Chigvintsev

The most recent season of Dancing with the Stars saw a stellar partnership between Melora Hardin and Artem Chigvintsev. Unfortunately, trouble started brewing in paradise during Janet Jackson week. The two got into a very passionate and heated argument – an argument that was seen during the episode pre-recorded, behind-the-scenes segment.

However, the massive fight was for the best. As Chigvintsev states to Page Six, “I think it’s good to have that type of a moment because you kind of, like, go back to the neutral to realize what’s important and what’s actually great about this relationship.”

About The Author

Nathan Sharp
(852 Articles Published)

Nathan Sharp is a writer from outside Toronto, Ontario. He has a love of movies and television, having enjoyed them for more than twenty years. His preferences include drama, action, and horror, with the former being a particular point of interest and fascination.

He also has a love of video games, particularly those of Rockstar.

Whether it be about film, television, or video games, Nathan loves a good discussion and has written hundreds of articles for Screen Rant.

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