Alan Bersten is stepping in for Val Chmerkovskiy this week on Dancing With the Stars and will be performing a Viennese waltz with Jenna Dewan for the show’s “Dedication Night.” Alan was eliminated from DWTS earlier this season, and his return to the ballroom comes amid Val being suspended for the “Oscar Slap” comment he made toward Carrie Ann Inaba.
There’s been a lot of chatter about Alan being chosen to replace Val (Gleb Savchenko has plenty of feelings), but apparently Val is here for it. A production source tells E! News that he “fully trusts Alan to manage this week and is grateful that he’s stepped in,” confirming that “as per Val’s conversations with the network, he fully plans to return to the show next week with his wonderful dance partner Jenna Dewan.”
Meanwhile, a source previously told Variety that Jenna “has continued to be a true professional and respectful of the process. Jenna is a beloved part of the Dancing with the Stars family, and we are grateful for the joy and positivity she brings to the show.”
There’s been some speculation about how Val’s suspension went down behind the scenes (with some sources saying Carrie Ann Inaba went to HR, and others saying the studio made the first moves to suspend Val), but either way, this is a first for DWTS!