Valentin Aleksandrovich "Val" Chmerkovskiy (born March 24, 1986) is a Ukrainian and American professional Latin and ballroom dancer and choreographer. Born in Odesa and raised in Brooklyn, he started appearing on the ABC competition series Dancing with the Stars during its second season.
Chmerkovskiy was promoted to a pro on the series in 2011. He won the twentieth season with actress Rumer Willis, the twenty-third season with Olympic artistic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, and the thirty-second season with actress Xochitl Gomez. Chmerkovskiy received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work with his wife, Jenna Johnson, on the series.
Early life Valentin Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy was born on March 24, 1986, in Odesa, Ukrainian SSR (present-day Ukraine). His father, Aleksandr "Sasha" Chmerkovskiy, is a Jewish marine merchant, while his mother, Larisa Chmerkovskaya, is a Christian engineer. He has an older brother, Maksim, who is also a professional ballroom dancer.
Chmerkovskiy learned about the principles of dance through his brother. He started taking classical violin lessons when he was five years old and began dance training when he was seven, before he and his family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York in 1994. He continued his training at a youth-oriented dance studio in Bergen County, New Jersey, which was established by his brother and father. Career
Dancesport Chmerkovskiy is the first and only American to win the IDSF Junior and Youth World Championships. Additionally, he is a 14-time U.S. National Latin champion (Junior, U21/Youth, Adult Amateur), a Blackpool Open U21 winner, and an amateur Latin finalist at the Blackpool Dance Festival, UK Open Championships, and the International Championships. In 2001, Chmerkovskiy and his dance partner, Diana Olonetskaya, became the first American dance team to win a world junior championship title.
Dancing with the Stars Chmerkovskiy first appeared on the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars in 2006, as one of his brother's students during the second season. He then appeared as a guest dancer on the fourth, tenth and eleventh seasons. Chmerkovskiy was formally promoted to a professional dancer on the series in 2011 for the thirteenth season, where he was partnered with model and actress Elisabetta Canalis. They were the second couple eliminated from the competition, finishing in eleventh place.
In season 14, Chmerkovskiy was partnered with comedian and talk show host Sherri Shepherd. On Rock Week (Week 4) of Dancing with the Stars, they were the third couple to be eliminated, finishing in 10th place.
Chmerkovskiy danced as a professional partner in season 15 with season 1 winner, Kelly Monaco.Dancing with the Stars: Pairs Revealed for All-Stars Season They finished in third place in the season finale.
For season 16, Chmerkovskiy was partnered with Disney Channel's Shake It Up star, Zendaya. On May 21, Zendaya and Val came in second place behind Derek Hough and Kellie Pickler.
For season 17, he paired with film and television actress Elizabeth Berkley. Despite receiving high scores, including the season's first perfect score, they were unexpectedly eliminated in week 9, finishing in sixth place.
For season 18, he paired with actress and author Danica McKellar. They were eliminated in Week 8 and ended in sixth place.
For season 19, he was paired with Pretty Little Liars actress Janel Parrish. They made it to the finals and finished in third place.
For season 20, he was paired with actress and singer Rumer Willis. On May 19, 2015, Willis and Chmerkovskiy were crowned the winners, marking Chmerkovskiy's first win.
For season 21, he was partnered with R&B singer and reality television star, Tamar Braxton. On November 11, 2015, Braxton revealed that she had to withdraw from the competition due to health issues.
For season 22, he was partnered with meteorologist Ginger Zee. The couple made it to the finals, but ultimately ended in third place.
For season 23, he was partnered with Olympic artistic gymnast Laurie Hernandez. On November 22, Hernandez and Chmerkovskiy won the title, giving Chmerkovskiy his 2nd mirrorball.
For season 24, he was partnered with Fifth Harmony singer Normani. They made it to the finals and finished in third place.
For season 25, he was partnered with former Paralympic swimmer Victoria Arlen. They made it to the semi-finals in week 9 but were then eliminated, finishing in fifth place.
Chmerkovskiy did not return for season 26, but he was revealed to be back for season 27 where he was paired with actress Nancy McKeon. They were the third couple to be eliminated, finishing in 11th place.
For season 28, he returned where he was originally paired with model and actress Christie Brinkley. However, five days before the premiere, she withdrew from the competition due to a broken arm sustained in rehearsals. As a result, Brinkley's daughter and model Sailor Brinkley-Cook stepped in as a replacement. Despite consistently earning high scores, the couple was surprisingly eliminated in week 6 and finished in ninth place.
For season 29, he was paired with cheerleading coach and reality television star Monica Aldama. They were eliminated in Week 7 and finished in seventh place.
For season 30, he was partnered with influencer Olivia Jade. They were eliminated in Week 8 and finished in eighth place.
For season 31, he was partnered with The Bachelorette star Gabby Windey. They made it to the finals and finished in second place behind Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas.
For season 32, he was partnered with actress Xochitl Gomez. On December 5, Gomez and Chmerkovskiy won the title, giving Chmerkovskiy his 3rd mirrorball.
For season 33, he was partnered with reality television personality Phaedra Parks. They reached week 5 of competition and finished in 8th place.
For season 34, he was partnered with social media influencer and model Alix Earle. They finished as the runners-up behind Robert Irwin and Witney Carson.
Season Partner Place Average 13 Elisabetta Canalis 11th 18.0 14 Sherri Shepherd 10th 22.8 15 Kelly Monaco 3rd 26.8 16 Zendaya 2nd 27.3 17 Elizabeth Berkley Lauren 6th 26.5 18 Danica McKellar 26.3 19 Janel Parrish 3rd 27.4 20 Rumer Willis 1st 27.8 21 Tamar Braxton 5th 25.4 22 Ginger Zee 3rd 26.3 23 Laurie Hernandez 1st 27.7 24 Normani 3rd 27.5 25 Victoria Arlen 5th 24.9 27 Nancy McKeon 11th 20.4 28 Sailor Brinkley-Cook 9th 22.2 29 Monica Aldama 10th 22.1 30 Olivia Jade 8th 25.0 31 Gabby Windey 2nd 27.5 32 Xochitl Gomez 1st 27.2 33 Phaedra Parks 8th 22.0 34 Alix Earle 2nd 27.0 35 Jenna Dewan TBD TBD Season 13
with Elisabetta Canalis WeekDanceMusicJudges' scoreTotal ScoreResultInabaGoodmanTonioli1Cha-cha-cha"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" — Katy Perry55515Safe2Quickstep"Don't Get Me Wrong" — The Pretenders77721 Eliminated Season 14
with Sherri Shepherd WeekDanceMusicJudges' scoreTotal ScoreResultInabaGoodmanTonioli1Foxtrot"Sherry" — Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons87823No Elimination2Jive"Proud Mary" — Ike & Tina Turner87823Safe3Rumba"If I Could" — Regina Belle88824Safe4Tango"Cum On Feel the Noize" — Quiet Riot77721 Eliminated Season 15
with Kelly Monaco WeekDanceMusicJudges' scoreTotal ScoreResultInabaGoodmanTonioli1Cha-cha-cha"Bang Bang" — David Sanborn7.07.07.521.5Safe2Quickstep"Who Says" — Selena Gomez & the Scene7.57.07.522.0Safe3Paso doble"España cañí" — Erich Kunzel9.09.09.027.0Safe4Contemporary"Fix You" — Coldplay9.09.59.537.5Safe5Samba"Want U Back" — Cher Lloyd8.08.08.524.5No EliminationTeam Freestyle"Gangnam Style" — Psy9.09.09.027.06Tango"Good Girl" — Carrie Underwood9.09.09.027.0Safe7Cha-cha-cha & Foxtrot Fusion"Don't Stop" — Gin Wigmore9.09.09.027.0No EliminationSwing Marathon"Do Your Thing" — Basement Jaxx colspan="3" 98Viennese waltz"I'll Be" — Edwin McCain9.59.09.528.0SafeJive"Animal" — Neon Trees9.59.59.528.59"Surfer" Flamenco"Malagueña" — Brian Setzer8.09.08.525.5SafeRumba"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" — Michael Jackson9.59.59.528.510Paso doble"España cañí" — Erich Kunzel9.510.010.029.5No EliminationFreestyle"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" — Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes10.09.510.029.5Jive"Cat and Mouse" — Nikki & Rich9.59.59.528.5 Third Place Season 16
with Zendaya WeekDanceMusicJudges' scoreTotal ScoreResultInabaGoodmanTonioli1Contemporary"Feel Again" — OneRepublic88824No Elimination2Jive"This Head I Hold" — Electric Guest98926Safe3Viennese waltz"Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" — Doris Day88824SafeGroup Freestyle"The Rockafeller Skank" — Fatboy Slim colspan="3" 24Samba"Love On Top" — Beyoncé98926Safe5Argentine tango"Discombobulate" — Hans Zimmer1091029Safe6Cha-cha-cha"Do I Do" — Stevie Wonder1091029SafeTeam Paso doble"Higher Ground" — Stevie Wonder787227Paso doble"Buster Voodoo" — Rodrigo y Gabriela99927SafeJive Dance-off"Good Golly Miss Molly" — Little Richard colspan="3" 38Foxtrot"Don't Worry, Be Happy" — Bobby McFerrin910928SafeSalsa"Dança Molengo" — Bonde do Rolê, feat. Rizzle Kicks101010309Quickstep"Don't Give Up" — Noisettes88925SafeHip-hop"Fine China" — Chris Brown1010103010Samba"Yerbatero" — Juanes10101030SafeFreestyle"Beauty and a Beat" — Justin Bieber, feat. Nicki Minaj10101030Cha-cha-cha Relay"Treasure" — Bruno Mars colspan="3" 5Jive"Rockin' Robin" — Michael Jackson10101030 Runners-up Season 17
with Elizabeth Berkley Lauren WeekDanceMusicJudges' scoreTotal ScoreResultInabaGoodmanTonioli1Contemporary"Imagine" — John Lennon88824No Elimination2Samba"Straight to Memphis" — Club des Belugas89825Safe3Foxtrot"Come Fly with Me" — Frank Sinatra89825Safe4Argentine tango"Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well & the Requiem Mix" — Emily Wells99927Safe5Jive"I'm So Excited" — The Pointer Sisters89926Safe6Cha-cha-cha"Put Your Hands on Me" — Joss Stone10101030No EliminationMegamix"Sexy and I Know It" — LMFAO"The Blue Danube" — Johann Strauss II"Chillando Goma" — Fulanito"Shake a Tail Feather" — The Blues Brothers colspan="3" 27Quickstep"Dance Apocalyptic" — Janelle Monáe99927SafeTeam Freestyle"Bom Bom" — Sam and the Womp999278Jazz"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" — Cher89825SafeCha-cha-cha Dance-off"Woman's World" — Cher colspan="3" 09Viennese waltz"Young and Beautiful" — Lana Del Rey98926EliminatedSalsa"Pucko" — Bonde do Rolê10101030 Season 18
with Danica McKellar WeekDanceMusicJudges' scoreTotal ScoreResultInabaGoodmanTonioli1Foxtrot"Walk Away" — Kelly Clarkson88824No Elimination2Samba"All Nite (Don't Stop)" — Janet Jackson88824Safe3Contemporary"Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" — Billy Joel99936No Elimination4Jive"Love Me Right!" — The Swag Geeks, feat. Brook Penning88832No EliminationArgentine tango"Too Close" — Alex Clare10910395Quickstep"Be Our Guest" — Jerry Orbach & Angela Lansbury1091039Safe6Cha-cha-cha"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" — Whitney Houston99936Safe7Salsa"Watch Out for This (Bumaye)" — Major Lazer, feat. Busy Signal, The Flexican & FS Green88833SafeTeam Freestyle"Livin' la Vida Loca — Ricky Martin10910398Tango"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" — Lorde1091038EliminatedTeam-up Samba"I Luh Ya Papi" — Jennifer Lopez, feat. French Montana89938 Season 19
with Janel Parrish