Las Vegas Weekly

March 29, 2010 · 3:35 PM

Photos: Maksim dances around romance rumors; DWTS preview

By Robin Leach

Maksim Chmerkovskiy at Tabu Ultra Lounge in the MGM Grand on March 26, 2010.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Rumors are rampant that ballroom bad boy Maksim Chmerkovskiy and his Season 10 Dancing With the Stars partner Erin Andrews have flipped for each other and are waltzing off to do the cha cha cha! The most anybody can get out of the dapper, chest-baring heartthrob is a “maybe!”

Maks didn’t bring leggy blonde ESPN reporter Erin with him when he hosted at Tabu Ultra Lounge in MGM Grand over the weekend, but he did bring his charm and swagger to turn up the heat with his fans. Our contributing photographer Erik Kabik was there for these super shots.

Maks danced around all the personal questions about their relationship, even though Erin says giddily that they are behaving like 15-year-olds and that she’s already head over heels for him. She said, “I wanted to get him as my partner from the beginning,” while he said, “I lucked out with Erin. She’s great at everything.”

They made their dancing debut on last Monday’s two-hour premiere. He was previously engaged to DWTS professional Karina Smirnoff, but they split four months ago before rumored Las Vegas marriage plans and after spending a honeymoon-styled vacation here.

Partygoers included several dancers and performers from Le Reve, which Maks helped choreograph at the Wynn. His trip was short, as he had to return to Hollywood for more training with Erin. He shared his predictions with VIP hosts and bachelorettes: “This year, Erin and I are taking home the mirrored ball trophy.”

While on the subject of DWTS love links, let’s put to rest rumors that our Las Vegas hometown hero and Season 7 champion Derek Hough is romantically involved with his celebrity partner, former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger. Nicole is very much involved with F1 racecar driver Louis Hamilton, and he was in the front row cheering her on last Monday in the studio.

Photo: Adam Larkey/ABC TV

The season 10 premiere of Dancing With the Stars. Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Erin Andrews are pictured here.

The big question now is who will be the first celebrity to be axed tomorrow night. All 11 stars dance again in tonight’s two-hour broadcast. Nicole and Erin are up at the top battling it out with Olympic gold medalist figure skater Evan Lysacek and blonde bombshell Pamela Anderson. Tonight, we already know that Pamela will perform the foxtrot, with the others following suit or performing the jive.

The bigger question revolves around 80-year-old astronaut legend Buzz Aldrin and The Bachelor star Jake Pavelka, who are fighting to stay alive at the bottom of the board with reality TV star Kate Gosselin and All My Children hunk Aiden Turner. We should see footage tonight of Kate celebrating her 35th birthday at home in Pennsylvania, where she’s been rehearsing in her house with partner Tony Dovolani.

Photo: Adam Larkey/ABC TV

The season 10 premiere of Dancing With the Stars. Edyta Sliwinska and Aiden Turner are pictured here.

Vegas Deluxe will use Twitter for real-time reports during the live broadcast starting at 5 p.m. in L.A. for the 8 p.m. East Coast primetime slot. We’ll hold back the judges’ scoring until after the show has aired in its entirety on the East Coast and will only use them in the spoiler-alert story.

We’ll have the dance-floor photos tomorrow, as the fate of one couple rests in the hands of viewer and judges’ voting from last week and tonight.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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