Former Dancing with the Stars pro Louis van Amstel has slammed Gleb Savchenko for criticizing Alan Bersten's dancing skills after Alan was chosen to replace Val Chmerkovskiy following his suspension.

ADVERTISEMENT

Louis took to Instagram on Tuesday, October 20, and expressed disappointment in Gleb for publicly questioning whether Alan was qualified to step in for Val and dance with his celebrity partner Jenna Dewan on Dancing with the Stars' 35th season.

RELATED LINK: 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' PROS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: WHO'S DATING OR MARRIED TO WHOM!? (PHOTOS)

"I saw Gleb on TikTok Live going after Alan and why he shouldn't be... the replacement for the week instead of Val," Louis, 54, said in an Instagram video.

"Gleb, I'm disappointed that you actually threw Alan under the bus."

Gleb recently criticized Alan's dancing technique during a TikTok livestream, suggesting that Alan wasn't skilled enough to replace Val for the October 20 "Dedication Night" broadcast.

"Alan, I think he's Alan. I mean, he's just not up to the level of the dancing, like, period," Gleb said.

After criticizing Alan's "quality" and "technique," Gleb added, "He's a good dancer, I guess, for TV, but if we talk about [the] art [of] dancing, like, creating art? He's like, eh."

Gleb also questioned why producers had selected Alan instead of a member of the show's current Troupe or another available professional dancer.

Alan was asked to fill in for Val after Val received a one-week suspension over a controversial social media comment about Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

Val had defended his wife, Jenna Johnson, after Carrie Ann criticized her samba with Harry Shum Jr. and called out a prohibited lift during the show's October 13 broadcast.

In a since-deleted comment, Val wrote that viewers "almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom," apparently referencing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

The show's production company subsequently deemed Val's comment inappropriate and told People that he would sit out the "Dedication Night" broadcast. Val has since apologized to Carrie Ann and acknowledged that she "didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgement."

Louis, however, argued that Gleb's criticism of Alan went against the supportive environment that Dancing with the Stars is supposed to foster.

"This show is about making people feel good, about supporting, about changing lives, affecting lives in a way. It has affected all of our lives," Louis explained.

"There are many reality shows where the drama comes from the cast going at each other and the entertainment is at their expense. I don't believe our show is. Our show is about supporting one another, especially when it comes to the pro dancers."

Louis, who competed as a pro partner on Dancing with the Stars on and off from Season 1 through Season 31, also defended Alan's abilities and pointed out that Gleb's criticism was particularly unfair considering the nature of the competition.

"Gleb, I'm sorry, I'm surprised to hear that you said that. Alan is a great dancer and you said it, 'He's a great dancer for TV.' Well, he's not competing in our industry, he's competing on TV," Louis said.

Louis went on to explain that professional dancers remain under contract for three months, meaning they can continue participating in performances even after their celebrity partners are eliminated.

"Ultimately, Alan didn't make the choice, the producers made the choice," Louis emphasized.

Louis then suggested that he had his own stories about Gleb that he could share publicly, but he had no intention of retaliating against him.

"I could open Pandora's box and come after you, but I'm not," Louis warned.

"I like you, you're a great dancer, you did wonderful on DWTS, you're a wonderful dad, so I'm going to stop here. But please, let's stick together as a group and support each other."

Alan previously competed on Dancing with the Stars' 35th season with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis before they were eliminated in Week 2.

Alan also won the Mirrorball Trophy with former The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown in 2019, while Gleb's highest placement in 13 seasons as a professional partner was fourth place.

Gleb was not invited back to compete as a professional partner on the show's current season.

Interestingly, Alan had previously stepped in for Gleb when an injury temporarily sidelined him during Season 23 in 2016. Alan rehearsed with Gleb's celebrity partner, Jana Kramer, and Gleb publicly thanked him for his help at the time.

Alan's girlfriend and fellow Dancing with the Stars pro Emma Slater also recently defended his assignment after a viewer questioned why an eliminated professional dancer had been selected to replace Val.

"Yeah that's what happens, we all step in for each other," Emma replied on TikTok.

During Tuesday night's "Dedication Night" broadcast, Dancing with the Stars co-host Alfonso Ribeiro briefly acknowledged Val's absence when introducing Alan and Jenna.

"As you can see, Alan Bersten is with Jenna Dewan because Val is not with us this week," Alfonso told viewers.

Alan also addressed the unexpected partner switch in a pre-recorded segment before his performance with Jenna.

"First and foremost, I know it's a really unusual situation," Alan told the Step Up and The Rookie star. "But I feel so honored to step in and help you this week."

RELATED LINK: 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' PROS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: WHO'S DATING OR MARRIED TO WHOM!? (PHOTOS)

Carrie Ann also appeared to acknowledge Jenna's challenging circumstances when offering feedback following her performance.

"Jenna, I know this journey has been a lot. But you continue to come out here giving us all your heart, all your soul," Carrie Ann said.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS