Dancing with the Stars: Behind-the-Scenes Feuds and Jealousies Exposed!

DWTS Drama Alert: Val Chmerkovskiy and Alix Earle's Toxic Partnership Exposed

The spark may be gone, but the drama is just heating up on Dancing with the Stars! Sources close to the show are spilling the tea on the behind-the-scenes struggles of this season's contestants. And let's just say, it's not all glitz and glamour for everyone.

Val Chmerkovskiy, the 39-year-old pro dancer who has won three times on the show (with Rumer Willis in 2015, Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez in 2016, and actress Xochitl Gomez in 2023), is reportedly feeling "demoralized" in his pairing with social media influencer Alix Earle. According to insiders, Chmerkovskiy is allegedly wishing he had been paired with a more "desirable" celebrity than Earle, who has been struggling to keep up with the physically demanding choreography.

But it's not just Val who's feeling the strain. His partner Jenna Johnson (who was eliminated last week along with Corey Feldman) has also been feeling deflated after working with Feldman, 54, whom she reportedly struggled to get along with due to his poor work ethic and lack of dance experience. Her brother-in-law Maksim Chmerkovskiy even spoke out about the difficulties Jenna faced, demanding that she be shown "respect" for her hard work.

"This season has been a hard slog for everyone," a source close to the show revealed exclusively on The Scholarly Note. "It's not as joyful as other seasons. There's no magic this year, and it's hard to pinpoint exactly why. We've had contestants before who are weird or who don't try, or are controversial – that's nothing new. But somehow, this mix isn't working."

And it seems like Val is feeling the pinch too. Insiders claim he's jealous of the contestants with great attitudes, and has even been eyeing actress Danielle Fishel (who scored a 19 out of 30 for her Cha Cha with Pasha Pashkov last week) as his dream partner.

"Val would have loved to be partnered with Danielle," our insider spills. "She's having fun, and her partner is having fun with her. And the pros always feel like those contestants are desirable."

But Val isn't alone in his struggles. Fellow pro Gleb Savchenko (who has been paired with Hilaria Baldwin) is reportedly starting to question his match-up with the yoga instructor and mom-influencer.

"Despite loving that Hilaria has authentic ballroom dancing experience, he allegedly fears the public's apparent dislike of her could cost him the win," our insider reveals. "He has been waiting a decade to lift the coveted Mirrorball Trophy."

And it seems like Hilaria is no stranger to controversy herself. She was recently questioned on why she reverted back to speaking with a Spanish accent during an interview with GMA (she famously faked her Spanish heritage and accent in 2020).

But what's even more surprising is that Hilaria has been encouraging viewers to mock her fellow contestants – including a disparaging social media comment about the show lacking credibility.

"I haven't seen any of the other stars liking comments that put the other dancers down," one Reddit user wrote. "It's off-putting, especially coming from someone with dance experience."

With the drama and tension building up, it's anyone's guess who will be crowned the winner this season. Will Val and Alix be able to salvage their partnership? Or will Gleb and Hilaria finally get their shot at glory?

Stay tuned for more updates on The Scholarly Note!