Val Chmerkovskiy’s Best Quotes About His ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Experience

The long and winding road! Valentin “Val” Chmerkovskiy has had a very fruitful journey on Dancing With the Stars — after following closely in big brother Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s footsteps.

Val first appeared on the reality show during season 2 in 2006, but it wasn’t until season 13, which aired in 2011, that he competed with a partner. The Ukraine native took home his first mirrorball trophy in 2015 alongside season 20 partner Rumer Willis.

The choreographer, who is married to fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson, won his second mirrorball title the next season. He and Olympian Laurie Hernandez were crowned champions in fall 2016.

Maks, for his part, became a pro during season 2 of the hit series and went on to win one mirrorball when partnered with Olympic ice skater Meryl Davis for season 18 in 2014. He retired from the series in 2017 following season 25.

Val, meanwhile, took a brief break from the show during season 26 in 2018, but has since appeared on every ABC and now Disney+ season. The dance studio co-owner made it clear in July 2021 that his role as a DWTS pro was the right fit for him at the moment — and not a judge or host like brother Maks previously revealed he’d consider.

“Would I kill it as a host? Absolutely,” Val exclusively told Us Weekly of a possible shift in title. “Not that I don’t have those ambitions, but I am very much content with continuing to dance and to perform on Dancing With the Stars, continue to teach. I just want a good partner.”

Later that year, Val gave fans a scare when he hinted that season 30, which aired in fall 2021, could be his last.

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“There’s no burned bridges, there’s nothing but gratitude, again, with the production, with the show,” he told Entertainment Tonight when asked whether he was walking away. “I hope I’ve served the show and this show has definitely changed my life, so it’s [mutual] love and we’ll see what happens in the future.”

The TV personality again hinted at his departure during an appearance on the “Bellas” podcast that same month, revealing that it had been a wild ride over the past decade.

“I don’t think anyone ever imagined that a show about celebrities partnering up with mostly Russian and Mormon ballroom dancers would be a huge hit but it is. For some reason, maybe two people coming together and moving as one, it’s something that’s powerful beyond the dance floor and that’s really what I want to champion,” he explained. “So that’s what I’m doing. That’s what I’m going to do in many different ways — whether it’s writing a script about it, whether it’s going and teaching at our studios, whether it’s going on convention [tours] and teaching kids around the country, I’m just going to continue to preach the gospel of dance.”

Val surprised viewers when he returned for season 31 of the series, which premiered in fall 2022.

“I know that Val is definitely excited to come back for another season and I think that he’s in the best shape of his life right now,” Johnson exclusively told Us in June 2022, teasing her husband’s comeback. “I’m not sure what happened to him [this year], but he is snatched.”

Scroll down to see some of Val’s best quotes about his time on Dancing With the Stars:

“I wanted to set an example to her generation that anything is possible, and stay hungry and stay humble,” Val told Us after the season 23 finale, which he won with Hernandez. “And she’s a testament to that.”

The choreographer added: “At the end of the day it’s not about the mirrorball. It’s about the friendships that you create, and I created a friendship with an incredible young lady that I’ll be rooting for for a very long time.”

The Val & Maks: Stripped Down Tour alum exclusively told Us about his tough love approach as a DWTS partner after being paired with former Paralympian swimmer, Victoria Arlen, during season 25 of the competition.

“There [are] no pity parties,” he explained at the time. “It’s hard work and you gotta earn your celebration and earn your rest and your sleep. I just know she’s that type of person and wants it anyway, so I’m going to squeeze every ounce of her potential out of her. Then I can live with the results.”

The reality TV star added: “Everyone falls down, but you have to stand up and keep going.”

The two-time World Latin Dance Champion exclusively told Us which of his partners he wanted a do-over with, pointing to Zendaya, who he worked with on season 16 in 2013. He admitted that he felt as if he “dropped the ball on a few things” when he teamed up with the Euphoria star.

“I am just so much better now than I was when we were partnered that I wish I got a chance to now do that process again with her knowing everything that I do,” he said at the time. “She was my third partner on the show and so I was just a rookie still trying to figure it out. So I wish I had that do-over.”

Val noted that they are “still friends” despite coming in second place, but he regarded their pairing as “a teaching experience for both of us.”

“It’s family. It’s family beyond only the talent you see on screen. There’s a lot of people behind screen that we have built a relationship with and we want to see the show continue to grow and be successful,” Val exclusively told Us, noting he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the series. “I personally still want to serve the show. How much longer, I don’t know. If they continue to call me back, I am more than willing to be a part of it and continue to serve my presence on the show.”

“I like the role that I’m in. I like what I’m doing. I’m about to host 19 cities on a tour on my own terms,” the two-time DWTS champion exclusively told Us when asked if he would ever consider hosting the series. “We have 12-hour days where my whole body’s exhausted. I’m exhausted, and I love every single ache and just every single part of it. That’s when I realized, I truly am in Zen. This is what I am meant to do. This is what I love to do.”

He continued: “I’m trying to be a part of that family and do my best to support that family, not to take over and be the face of this brand. I don’t need to be the host. I think Tyra [Banks] did a great job, Tom [Bergeron] did a great job. I think Erin [Andrews] did a great job, Brooke [Burke] did a great job. I think people are in place and I trust them with my talent and with my time. And I just want to serve that collective.”

The 14-time U.S. National Latin Dance champion joked about having “a very unfriendly competition” with his wife when it comes to the dance show. “You know, the two of us have an awesome opportunity and responsibility to coach [our] partners, two extraordinary young women, you know, that are gonna really change things and represent a generation,” he told Us. “I’m excited for that competition. I hope to see [our partners] Olivia [Jade Giannulli] and JoJo [Siwa] in finals.”

“I’ve always been very clear about coming back on the show. I love the show. I love being on it. I am so grateful for the opportunity. Is this my last season? Probably,” Val, who was partnered with Giannulli during season 30, told Entertainment Tonight. “I have no regrets about my tenure on the show. I have no regrets about the season. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to end it with.”

The Ukraine native teased that even when he does walk away from reality TV, dancing will never be far from his mind. “I’m going to promote dance and whether it’s at Dance With Me or a local dance studio, go and dance. That’s why I’m passionate about the show, whether the show moves on with me or without me, which I’m not saying it’s going to move on without me,” Val revealed during an appearance on the “Bellas” podcast. “I’m saying I love the show, genuinely, but I want to see it [continue] for a long time. It’s good for dance, it’s good for my passion, it’s good for my business. It’s good for life!”

“I’m in such a different mental place than I was if you asked me this question, like, five years ago,” the professional dancer told Us when asked about his participation on season 31 of the Disney+ show. “I would’ve given you a little bit more bravado [in my] answer [years ago]. But I definitely feel like it’s a different type of season for me. It definitely is a new feeling for me.”

Val, who was partnered with Gabby Windey, explained that his culture has influenced his ups and downs on the series — and how he approached working with The Bachelorette alum.

“Eastern Europeans, we are very superstitious people. Anytime we have anything good in our life, we knock on every piece of wood we see. It’s like we have to whisper our blessings just in case, you know?” he added. “So I feel very lucky. I have a great partner. She’s wonderful to work with and she’s loved by a lot of people. She can dance, and I think I have every single tool I can ask for when it comes to a show like Dancing With the Stars. So I hope not to mess it up.”

Val revealed that exiting DWTS is something that is “inevitable” for him — and most of the longtime stars — after judge Len Goodman announced that he was leaving the franchise after season 31 came to an end.

“It feels like a chapter closing,” he told reporters. “I started thinking, like, ‘Well, if this time has flown by so fast for him, it’s flown by so fast for me as well.’ That’s kind of the inevitable reality for all of us. So, it really put me in a place of appreciation and gratitude.”