Former Dancing with the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko has thrown major shade at Alan Bersten's dancing skills after Alan was selected to replace Val Chmerkovskiy on this week's broadcast following Val's unprecedented suspension.
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Gleb criticized Alan's technique during a recent TikTok livestream, questioning why producers had selected him to dance with Val's celebrity partner Jenna Dewan on Dancing with the Stars' October 20 "Dedication Night" broadcast.
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"Alan, I think he's Alan. I mean, he's just not up to the level of the dancing, like, period," Gleb said in the video, which has been circulating on social media.
After calling out Alan's "quality" and "technique," Gleb continued, "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."
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Alan is filling in for Val after Val received a one-week suspension for a social media comment about Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Val had defended his wife and fellow pro Jenna Johnson after Carrie Ann criticized her samba with Harry Shum Jr. and pointed out a prohibited lift during the show's October 13 episode.
In a since-deleted comment, Val wrote that viewers "almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom," an apparent reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
Dancing with the Stars subsequently asked Val to sit out the next broadcast, with its production company telling People that his comment was inappropriate and did not reflect the show's standards. Val has since apologized to Carrie Ann.
But Gleb apparently believes producers should have picked someone other than Alan to take Val's place.
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"I don't want to, like, talk sh-t about people, I'm just being honest. I don't have anything against the guy. It's just like, 'Why Alan?'" Gleb said.
Gleb suggested a member of Dancing with the Stars' current Troupe could have stepped in, and he also appeared to consider Brandon Armstrong, who was eliminated earlier this season with Ciara Miller.
Alan had competed on Dancing with the Stars' 35th season with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis before their elimination in Week 2.
Gleb, meanwhile, was not invited back to compete as a professional partner this season. He previously insisted on Instagram -- while flashing his abs -- that he was perfectly fine with the decision.
Gleb's criticism prompted many fans to defend Alan in the livestream's comments, with some pointing out that Alan has won a Mirrorball Trophy while Gleb has not.
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Alan won Dancing with the Stars' 28th season with former The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown in 2019. Gleb's best finish in 13 seasons on the show was fourth place.
Alan also previously stepped in to help Gleb when an injury temporarily sidelined him on Dancing with the Stars' 23rd season in 2016. Gleb had even publicly thanked Alan for "standing in" with actress and singer Jana Kramer at the time.
Alan later joined Gleb and Jana for their semifinals paso doble on "Trio Night."
Alan's girlfriend and fellow Dancing with the Stars pro Emma Slater has also defended his latest assignment, although she was responding to a viewer rather than Gleb's comments.
"Alan is going to dance for Val? Alan?! Alan was eliminated," a viewer wrote on TikTok.
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Emma replied, "Yeah that's what happens, we all step in for each other."
Alan and Jenna are scheduled to perform a Viennese waltz on "Dedication Night," with Jenna dedicating the performance to her mother.
Val has said he will be supporting his celebrity partner from home.
In addition to apologizing to Carrie Ann via Instagram Stories, Val acknowledged that Carrie Ann "didn't deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgement."
Val also expressed that he did not want the controversy to take attention away from Jenna's next performance.
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Val's comment about Carrie Ann followed an emotional night for his wife, who shared that she went home and "had a good cry" after the October 13 broadcast.
Dancing with the Stars' 35th season airs Tuesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.