Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maksim "Maks" Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy (Ukrainian: Максим Олекса ндрович Чмерковський, Russian: Максим Александрович Чмерковский, pronounced [mɑkˈsɪm olɛkˈsɑndroβ ɪtʃ ˈtʃmɛrkou sʲkɪj]) is a Ukrainian American Latin Ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is widely known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series Dancing with the Stars, on which he first appeared in season two. In 14 appearances on the show, Chmerkovskiy made it to the final round five times, with two runner-up and two third-place finishes. On May 20, 2014, Chmerkovskiy, paired with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis, won his first title. Following his win with Davis, Chmerkovskiy announced he was retiring from DWTS after 14 seasons on the show. He intends to expand his chain of dance studios and is studying acting.