Since Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerklovskiy won season 18 of "Dancing with the Stars," the rumors followed Chmerkovskiy everywhere. First, there was his rumored romantic relationship with Davis and next, his departure for "DWTS."
Davis and Chmerkovskiy already denied and put a stop to the rumors that they are romantically involved, which leaves us with the other rumor... is Chmerkovskiy really leaving "Dancing with the Stars?"
According to Guardian Liberty Voice, the rumor is true. Chmerkovskiy has finally decided not to return for the next season. However, Chmerkovskiy will still be seen in the Indian version of the dancing show. The 34-year old ballroom stunner will be a guest judge for "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" for four episodes. The report was confirmed when Chmerkovskiy posted a photo on his Instagram with the caption: "Another flight! This is a long one....19 hours to Mumbai via Dubai! Finally gonna get some sleep!! AND there's a lounge in the back ;) Stay tuned for some pics from India!"
Back in "The Wendy Williams Show' interview in May, Chmerkovskiy was vocal about his interest in being a permanent judge for the show. He even said "I'm a good judge. I judge the way it's supposed to be. I know this business, I've been in it and I grew up in it." Well, his wish came true.
Chmerkovskiy has been a regular for "Dancing with the Stars." He's been there since season 2, although he left the show in 2013 but also returned early 2014.
Chmerkovskiy had also previously left "DWTS" to go to another show, so this isn't the first. In 2009, he joined "The Superstars" on ABC and took home the gold with freestyle skier Kristi Leskinen. In 2011, he joined "The Bachelor" in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, fans of Chmerkovskiy are worried that this might be a permanent departure. However, it has to be noted that there is still no official cast announcement for "Dancing with the Stars" Season 19, which will air this fall. And if there's no announcement yet, there's always a chance that Chmerkovskiy will be back in the new season, whether as a panel judge, a cast member or just someone to take part in a challenge.
