Maksim Chmerkovskiy

After his season 23 elimination, Chmerkovskiy said he did not plan to return for season 24. Nevertheless, in February 2017, Chmerkovskiy and his fiancée Peta Murgatroyd announced they both would return as professionals. He was partnered with actress Heather Morris. Chmerkovskiy however, missed 4 weeks of competition due to an injury. Morris and Chmerkovskiy were eliminated on week 6 after receiving a perfect 40 and finished in 8th place. Chmerkovskiy returned for season 25, and was paired with television personality Vanessa Lachey. They were eliminated on week 7 of the competition, in a double elimination and finished in seventh place. On April 5, 2018, Chmerkovskiy announced in an interview that he was officially done as a DWTS pro.

On August 25, 2016, following the circulation of a reportedly new photo of Chmerkovskiy in costume for DWTS, Chmerkovskiy confirmed his return to the show in an appearance on Good Morning America. Season 23 was Chmerkovskiy's first as a competing pro since winning the competition in season 18. The full cast was officially announced on August 30, at which point ABC confirmed Chmerkovskiy was partnered with model Amber Rose. They were eliminated on week 6 of the competition, finishing in 9th place.

On February 12, 2016, Maksim announced plans for a 45 city live tour with his younger brother, Valentin. The tour, titled Maks & Val Live On Tour: Our Way, began on June 15, 2016. The show is autobiographical and tells the story of the brothers' lives through dance.

Chmerkovskiy is a Russian speaker, but understands the Ukrainian language. Chmerkovskiy did not speak English when he moved to the United States. He says he learned English from reading street signs in Brooklyn. Chmerkovskiy lives primarily in Fort Lee, New Jersey. He was engaged to fellow DWTS pro and Ukrainian Karina Smirnoff for nine months in 2009. In 2012 Chmerkovskiy began dating another DWTS pro, Peta Murgatroyd, but the relationship ended in 2013 after 10 months. Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd reunited in October 2014. Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd became engaged on December 5, 2015, when he proposed while onstage for a performance of Sway: A Dance Trilogy in Miami, Florida. Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd's son Shai Aleksander was born January 4, 2017 and they were married in a contemporary ceremony in Long Island, New York on July 8, 2017.

Prior to the full cast announcement, US Weekly reported Chmerkovskiy would return to Dancing for season 18 after a two-season break. Chmerkovskiy was paired with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis. They were announced the winners on May 20, 2014, marking Chmerkovskiy's first win. At the end of Season 18, they had the highest average of any dancers of the show with a 28.4 average, and were tied for the most perfect scores, earning a total of six.

In the summer of 2014, Chmerkovskiy appeared in multiple performances of the touring dance show "Ballroom with a Twist."

2014 was also the year when Chmerkovskiy started performing in Sway: A Dance Trilogy in Westbury, New York. Chmerkovskiy credits his father Sasha with the idea for Sway. Sway is a live ballroom dance show starring Maksim, his brother Valentin, and Tony Dovolani. The show also features other professional dancers from Dancing with the Stars, So You think You Can Dance, and dance instructors from Chmerkovskiy's Dance with Me studios. A few celebrities from Dancing with the Stars have appeared in the production as well. Sway is primarily broken into three distinct sections: a smooth, 40's nightclub inspired section featuring Dovolani, an urban and hip-hop influenced section featuring Val, and finally a more Latin and Miami oriented section featuring Maksim.

In February 2013, Chmerkovskiy announced his departure from Dancing with the Stars for Season 16. Chmerkovskiy returned on the fifth week of Season 16 for "Len's Side-By-Side Challenge", where he danced with Anna Trebunskaya in an Argentine Tango with brother Val and his partner Zendaya and in a Jive with Jacoby Jones and his partner Karina Smirnoff.

From July 9 to August 18, 2013, he starred in "Forever Tango", a Broadway musical, dancing and performing onstage with former dance colleague Karina Smirnoff.

At age 16, Chmerkovskiy and his father opened a youth-oriented competitive dance studio, Rising Stars Dance Academy, on the second floor of a building his father owned in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Chmerkovskiy said he chose New Jersey because there was a plethora of dance studios that he disliked already established in Brooklyn. The studio relocated a few times until it ended up in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. He said in 2011 of choosing a New Jersey location, "I didn't want to open a studio that would become just one of the studios in the area. I wanted to open my studio somewhere where there was nothing like it and where people would look at it with no preconceived notions."

In 2011, Chmerkovskiy starred as "The Bachelor" in the Ukrainian version of the dating reality series. He later told a Ukrainian newspaper that he regretted doing the show, saying, "This kind of project is not for me." The show made Chmerkovskiy the second most searched person on Google in Ukraine for 2011, behind only Steve Jobs. As of 2012, he hosted the Ukrainian version of the game show The Cube.

He returned for the show's seventh season, this time paired with two-time Olympic volleyball gold medalist, Misty May-Treanor. Chmerkovskiy and May-Treanor were forced to withdraw from the competition in Week 3. During a practice for their jive, May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon and required surgery. Her withdrawal gave them a finish in 10th place.

In season 10, Chmerkovskiy, returning for his eighth season, was partnered with Erin Andrews. Andrews and Chmerkovskiy's partnership was notable for their good rapport and Chmerkovskiy was protective of Andrews as she coped with threats. They ended up coming in third place during the two-hour finale on May 25, 2010.

On February 9, 2009, Good Morning America announced that he would be paired with Denise Richards for the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars. They were eliminated second in the competition, giving the pair a finish of 12th place. In the ninth season, he was paired with actress Debi Mazar, during which they were eliminated fourth. Halfway through season 9, Chmerkovskiy partnered Joanna Krupa for one week while Derek Hough was ill. Krupa and Chmerkovskiy danced an Argentine Tango and participated in the '70s themed group dance.

Chmerkovskiy was a dancer in the Broadway production Burn the Floor when it opened on July 25, 2009. Chmerkovskiy was partnered with Karina Smirnoff for the first three weeks of the show's Broadway run, leaving to return to Dancing with the Stars. The pair learned their choreography for the production in just two days. Chmerkovskiy returned to Burn the Floor in November 2009 through January 2010, this time he partnered with Kym Johnson.

In 2009, he participated in the ABC sport show called "The Superstars" and was paired with Freestyle Skier Kristi Leskinen. They won the competition. Chmerkovskiy also appeared as himself in a 2011 episode of the short-lived CW reality show H8R. He appeared as an actor on a 2012 episode of the TV Land series The Exes. Chmerkovskiy appeared on three episodes of General Hospital in March 2013 playing the role of Anton Ivanov, who dances with Kelly Monaco's character Sam Morgan during the Nurses' Ball. In 2016, Chmerkovskiy and his brother, Valentin, both made cameo appearances in the Netflix series Fuller House, a reboot of the sitcom Full House.

His professional work includes choreographing for the Wynn Las Vegas's water-based show Le Rêve. By 2008, Chmerkovskiy's contribution to Le Rêve included choreographing three numbers: "Tango", "Paso Doble" and "Piece Montèe". In 2014 Chmerkovskiy returned to Le Rêve to choreograph for a new scene as part of a $3 million upgrade to the production.

Chmerkovskiy choreographed and performed in the Dancing with the Stars Tour 2008-2009 winter tour. The tour kicked off on December 17, 2008 and was scheduled to stop in 34 cities.

Chmerkovskiy first appeared in the second season of the ABC series Dancing with the Stars partnered with actress Tia Carrere. The pair's most successful dance was their tango. They finished in sixth place. The following season, he and partner singer Willa Ford came in seventh place. Chmerkovskiy returned to Dancing with the Stars in March 2007 for Season 4, this time partnered with boxer Laila Ali. They made it to the finals and finished in third place. In Season 5 of Dancing with the Stars, he was partnered with Melanie Brown and the couple received second place. Following the season 5 finale, Chmerkovskiy reportedly told TV Guide Magazine he would not be returning to the show, something he later told People Magazine he had announced his departure because of stress. Chmerkovskiy did not compete in Season 6, although he and former partner Melanie Brown made an appearance for the 100th episode.

As a dancer, Chmerkovskiy competed at the professional level in the International Latin category. With partner Elena Grinenko, whom Chmerkovskiy competed with from 2002-2005, Chmerkovskiy achieved the rank of 2nd in the United States and 7th in the world among professional international Latin couples.

In 2001, Chmerkovskiy had his first major success as an instructor when he helped his brother, Valentin, then 16, and Diana Olonetskaya, 15—became the first U.S. dance pair to win a world junior championship. Chmerkovskiy also taught dancers Serge Onik and Kiki Nyemchek, both of whom competed on So You Think You Can Dance, finishing in the top fourteen in season 11 and fourth in season 14, respectively.

The family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York in 1994. The challenges of immigration for Chmerkovskiy and his family included financial and language barriers. On his second day in the United States, Chmerkovskiy had a new pair of roller blades stolen. Moving to the United States also gave Chmerkovskiy the opportunity to rededicate himself to dance. At 15 he began working at a local Russian restaurant, dancing as entertainment. Working at the restaurant, Chmerkovskiy decided winning competitions as a dancer would be a way to argue for higher pay.

Maksim "Maks" Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy (Ukrainian: Максим Олександрович Чмерковський [mɐkˈsɪm olekˈsɑndrowɪtʃ ˈtʃmɛrkou̯sʲkɪj] ; born January 17, 1980) is a Ukrainian-American Latin–ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is widely known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series Dancing with the Stars, on which he first appeared in season two. In his 17 seasons as a competing pro on the show, Chmerkovskiy made it to the final round five times, with two runner-up and two third-place finishes. On May 20, 2014, Chmerkovskiy, paired with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis, won his first Dancing with the Stars title. Chmerkovskiy has also starred in the Broadway productions of dance shows Burn the Floor and Forever Tango.

Chmerkovskiy was born January 17, 1980, in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR to parents Aleksandr "Sasha" Chmerkovskiy and Larisa Chmerkovskaya. He has a younger brother, Valentin Chmerkovskiy (born 1986), who is also a professional dancer. His father is Jewish, and his mother is Christian, and he has described himself as Jewish.