Dancing With the Stars’ Derek Hough Praises Jan Ravnik Amid Criticism

Ahead of the dancing competition’s Halloween-themed episode, Jan, 30, and Jen, 26, raised eyebrows by seemingly addressing Maks and Peta’s opinion that the Slovenia native has “absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars.”

For his part, Jan shared a picture on his Instagram Story hours before the live episode of himself bending over backward in a spooky, trance-like pose beside Jen, who held her hand in the air over him. Atop the snap, he wrote Taylor’s lyrics, “I’ll be the actress starring in your bad dreams.” 

Jen took a more direct approach, sharing a TikTok the day before of herself miming frustrated typing on her phone, writing, “Me when anyone talks trash about Jan.”

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star added in the caption, “We don’t tolerate Jan slander in this house.” 

Days before, Maks and Peta—who tied the knot in 2017—criticized Jan’s skills as a dance teacher and choreographer while weighing in on his inclusion on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars.

“There’s zero foundation technique, quality, understanding of the partnership,” Maks, 45, said on the Oct. 24 episode of Peta’s The Penthouse With Peta podcast. “Bro, I’m getting emotional. It is absurd, and this is unreal how blind we have to be and God forbid say what’s obviously there.”

Peta, 39, agreed with Maks, noting she feels “bad” for Jen because she’s “not getting taught the basics that she needs to.” 

“He’s a Taylor Swift dancer. It’s the obvious reason why he is hired,” she said. “Apart from that, he’s a lovely guy. He looks great. He obviously is a great dancer.”

And she ultimately sees the issue as bigger than just Jan himself.

Peta added, “Hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous.”

In addition to Jan and Jen, read on to see who else is competing on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars.