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‘DWTS’ pro Gleb Savchenko slams Carrie Ann Inaba’s judging, backs suspended Val Chmerkovskiy

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Zenna, J. (2026, October 19). ‘DWTS’ pro Gleb Savchenko slams Carrie Ann Inaba’s judging, backs suspended Val Chmerkovskiy. New York Post. https://pagesix.com/2026/10/19/entertainment/dwts-pro-gleb-savchenko-slams-carrie-ann-inabas-judging-backs-suspended-val-chmerkovskiy/

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New York Post · collected 2026-10-19 · by Jolie Zenna

Quick Summary

Gleb Savchenko, a former "Dancing With the Stars" pro dancer, criticized judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s comments about Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s samba routine on a recent episode of the show. In a TikTok video, Savchenko called Inaba’s remarks “bulls—t” and defended Johnson by saying that what Inaba counted as a lift was just a trick seen many times before. This criticism followed Val Chmerkovskiy's suspension after he referenced a controversial incident involving Will Smith at the Oscars in a way that some found inappropriate, leading to his temporary removal from the show.
Written by AI on 2026-10-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Gleb Savchenko, a former "Dancing With the Stars" (DWTS) professional dancer, criticized Carrie Ann Inaba's judging on the show and backed suspended DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy in a recent TikTok video. Savchenko argued that Jenna Johnson and her partner Harry Shum Jr.'s samba dance routine was entertaining but not an "original" (OG) samba, noting it incorporated elements of hip-hop. He accused Inaba of unfairly penalizing the lift technique during their performance, calling it "bullshit." Savchenko asserted that Johnson did not perform a proper lift as defined by DWTS rules and claimed Inaba was just trying to create a TV moment. This incident has fueled controversy over judging standards on DWTS.

Written for “Dwts Judge Controversy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Dwts Judge Controversy
Entertainment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the 'DWTS' controversy, with Article A focusing on Gleb Savchenko's criticism and support for Val Chmerkovskiy, while Article B covers how the show addressed Chmerkovskiy's absence.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16532 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Jolie Zenna
75 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Jolie Zenna
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 75 articles by Jolie Zenna →

Topics

Oscars Page Six Daily Super Bowl Night TikTok Viennese

Subjects

Chmerkovskiy PERSON · 3× Inaba PERSON · 3× Johnson PERSON · 3× Carrie Ann PERSON · 2× Smith PERSON · 2× TikTok ORG · 2× Carrie Ann Inaba’s PERSON · 1× Gleb Savchenko PERSON · 1× Jenna [Johnson PERSON · 1× Val Chmerkovskiy PERSON · 1×

Narrative

“I just watched Jenna [Johnson] and Harry [Shum Jr.]’s samba and I think it was a very entertaining dance and was really cool,” he began in a TikTok video Sunday, referring to pro Johnson’s routine with partner Shum Jr., which stirred up the controversy. “I don’t think it was an OG samba, it was a bit flat-footed, it was like a hip-hop samba.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-19
🔮 But I’ll tell you this, if I was a judge instead of Carrie Ann, I would never, ever, ever call out that lift.”

Claims (19 extracted, 1 hedged)

Former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Gleb Savchenko slammed Carrie Ann Inaba’s “bulls—t” judging after Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended. asserted
Chmerkovskiy → slam → judging
“I just watched Jenna [Johnson] and Harry [Shum Jr.]’s samba and I think it was a very entertaining dance and was really cool,” he began in a TikTok video Sunday, referring to pro Johnson’s routine with partner Shum Jr., which stirred up the controversy. “I don’t think it was an OG samba, it was a bit flat-footed, it was like a hip-hop samba. asserted
it → watch → samba
But I’ll tell you this, if I was a judge instead of Carrie Ann, I would never, ever, ever call out that lift.” asserted
I → tell → lift
Savchenko, who competed on “DWTS” for Seasons 23 through 34, argued that what Inaba counted as a lift was just a “trick” featured on the show “many, many times.” asserted
counted → compete → show
“Jen didn’t lift him, he didn’t lift Jenna, it wasn’t done in the couple so I think it’s bulls—t,” the 43-year-old declared. asserted
old → lift → t
“Probably, Carrie Ann just had to say something because she’s the lifts police of ‘DWTS.’ asserted
she → have → DWTS
I think she was just doing her job creating a good TV moment, but I’d say team Val on this one. asserted
I → think → one
“I think there’s some bulls—t going on,” he concluded. asserted
he → think → ?
In a TikTok post, the pro dancer defended his wife, Johnson, after Inaba gave harsh feedback for including a lift in her and Shum Jr.’s samba at “Super Bowl Night.” asserted
Inaba → defend → Night
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” he wrote, referencing the 2022 Oscars when Smith slapped Rock onstage over the comedian joking about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. asserted
comedian → see → wife
Smith followed up the attack by screaming, “Keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth!” asserted
Smith → follow → mouth
Inaba responded to the comments via her Instagram Stories, writing, “So this is what we are doing now?” asserted
we → respond → what
A few days later, it was revealed that Chmerkovskiy would be sitting out of the forthcoming “DWTS” episode. asserted
Chmerkovskiy → reveal → episode
Chmerkovskiy responded to his suspension, writing in a separate statement that his “instinct” was to “defend” Johnson. asserted
instinct → respond → Johnson
The choreographer admitted that he “made a poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention.” uncertain
which → admit → what
As for Chmerkovskiy’s partner, Jenna Dewan, she will dance with “DWTS” pro Alan Bersten on Tuesday’s “Dedication Night.” asserted
she → dance → Night
The duo will perform a Viennese waltz in honor of Dewan’s mom, Nancy Bursch. asserted
duo → perform → mom
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788. Conversation Your voice matters. asserted
voice → know → Conversation
Discussions are moderated for civility. asserted
Discussions → moderate → civility
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