With only three couples left vying for the coveted “Dancing with the Stars” mirrorball trophy, the pressure is on for each pair to wow the judges and the voters with their upcoming freestyle dance.
However, Maksim Chmerkovskiy says his 60-year-old partner, Kirstie Alley, may have been reaching a little too far when she promised – on Tuesday’s “DWTS” results show – that next week’s routine would be full of airborne tricks.
“[Host Tom Bergeron] came up to Kirstie and said, ‘What are you going to do [for the finals]?’ and she goes, ‘Well, we’re going to do a lot of aerials,’” Maks told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Thursday’s Access Hollywood Live. “So he goes, ‘Do you know what aerials means?’ and she goes, ‘No, I just heard it from Cirque du Soleil people.’
“I’m like, ‘Great. That’s when you’re in the AIR,’” he continued with a laugh. “She’s like, ‘OK… I’m going to take that back!’”
Aerials aside, Maks revealed he plans to center the ballroom couple’s freestyle routine around the real life story of the former “Cheers” beauty – representing the highs and lows she’s experienced in the public eye.
“I think we’re just going to depict her story on the show – like, life transformation kind of thing,” Maks said. “It will be fun.”
No matter what goes down when Maks and Kirstie take the floor to compete on Monday’s finals, the Ukranian hunk said he believes Kirstie has definitely put in enough blood, sweat and tears to earn the trophy.
“I think [Kirstie] is probably the most deserving [of the title] because of the transformation she went through — it was a life-changing experience for her,” Maks told Billy and Kit. “She did come back to life… she’s just a different person.”
Watch Maks and Kirstie take on Hines Ward and partner Kym Johnson, and Chelsea Kane and pro Mark Ballas on “Dancing with the Stars,” Monday at 8 PM on ABC.
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