Gleb Savchenko has insisted he never meant to attack Dancing with the Stars pro Alan Bersten when criticizing producers' decision to have him temporarily replace Val Chmerkovskiy.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I didn't attack Alan at all. Alan is a good dancer for his niche, okay? He's great for his thing, but he cannot be compared to Val. Okay?" Gleb said in a TikTok livestream that is being cut and reshared on TikTok.

He added, "I'm not talking trash, I'm just saying how it is."

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

Gleb insisted he doesn't "talk trash about anybody" and continued, "We are a very sensitive world. It's like a very cancelled culture right here... If you don't want to hear my opinion, just bounce."

Prior to Dancing with the Stars' Dedication Night on Tuesday, October 20, Gleb had criticized Alan's dancing technique during a TikTok livestream, suggesting that Alan wasn't skilled enough to replace Val and dance with actress Jenna Dewan.

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

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."

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 asked him to sit out of DWTS for one episode. Val has since apologized publicly for his comment and to Carrie Ann directly.

Former Dancing with the Stars pro Louis van Amstel, who competed as a pro partner on the show from Season 1 through Season 31, slammed Gleb on October 20 for criticizing Alan's talent, admitting he was "disappointed" in the pro and could "come after" him -- but chose not to.

In his latest livestream, Gleb pointed out how pros have "different styles, different technique, different sh-t."

"I don't want to compare anybody," he noted. "I think everyone is great for their own thing. And it takes time to get better and better."

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.

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."

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

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

"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.

Jenna and Alan received 37 out of 40 judges' points for their Viennese waltz on Dedication Night from Carrie Ann, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli and guest judge Kym Johnson.




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS