Gleb Savchenko revealed that one of his “Dancing With the Stars” partners gave him a hard time about their rehearsals.
The Russian American pro dancer has competed in 11 seasons on the ABC celebrity ballroom show—the last 10 all in a row. Savchenko’s partners have included Jana Kramer, Erika Jayne, and Chrishell Stause. In an August 2023 Q&A with Us Weekly, he was put on the spot when asked to name the partner who hated practicing the most.
“I think the most challenging was…I think, listen Lisa, I’m sorry but I got to call you out,” he said, referring to “Vanderpump Rules” star Lisa Vanderpump. The Bravo star was Savchenko’s very first DWTS partner in season 16 back in 2013.
“Lisa Vanderpump did not really want to practice that much,” Savchenko dished. “She wanted to practice in her bathroom in her house you know, where she had like a massive, huge tile floor where we were just waltzing around.”
Savchenko noted that his ex-wife Elena Samodanova would sometimes give them tips, and Vanderpump’s husband Ken Todd was also milling around. “So yeah, and Ken was walking around the house too,” he said. “So we did a few practices in Lisa’s house.”
Lisa Vanderpump Gave Gleb Savchenko Some Trouble During Their DWTS Partnership
Vanderpump landed in 10th place during her season of DWTS, and she did not make things easy for Savchenko during his first season as a pro dancer. While rehearsing a cha cha in Week 4 of the competition, the then 53-year-old suddenly collapsed and fell to the floor. Savchenko leaped into action to wake her up as cameras rolled.
Vanderpump later explained in a post for her DWTS blog for People magazine that she felt run down that week due to a lot of travel. She later found out she had a viral infection.
“I was exhausted, and everything felt off,” she wrote. “Gleb and I were rehearsing our cha cha and suddenly I just blacked out,” she wrote. “Between trying to fight that and all of the stress on my body from running around, I ended up with low blood pressure and a rapid heart rate, which is why I fainted. I was in shock when I woke up.”
While she vowed to give it her all, Vanderpump was eliminated from “Dancing With the Stars” after performing her cha cha routine that week.
In 2023, she told The Hollywood Reporter she was embarrassed by the incident. “It wasn’t a good look,” she said.
Despite the drama during her partnership with Savchenko, Vanderpump admitted that she became very close with him. In 2020, she told “The Bellas” podcast, “I did become very close to Gleb. I loved him. We had a little bit of an emotional affair in terms of having to connect and hold on to each other because it’s so scary.”
Gleb Thinks Lisa Vanderpump’s Husband Should Join DWTS
Savchenko has remained friendly with Vanderpump. He told Us he sometimes meets her for lunch. In a May 2024 interview with the U.S. Sun, Savchenko suggested that Lisa Vanderpump’s husband should join the next season of DWTS.
“Ken, Lisa’s husband,” he said of the 78-year-old restaurant mogul. “He would be great. Because she did it, his wife did it and now it’s Ken’s turn.”
Savchenko also suggested that pro dancer Emma Slater should be partnered with Todd.
Todd has gone on record as saying he will never consider joining “Dancing With the Stars.” In response to Savchenko’s comments, Vanderpump’s husband told the U.S. Sun, “Oh no! I can’t even walk, let alone dance. Seriously, no. [Lisa] is the dancer, not me.”
