Maksim Chmerkovskiy is misunderstood.

No less than that’s what he’ll say in case you ask. The skilled dancer, who beforehand competed on 17 seasons of “Dancing With the Stars” and gained as soon as, left the ABC sequence in 2017 and has a model new function: decide on Fox’s “So You Assume You Can Dance.” Oddly sufficient, he’s greatest recognized for difficult the judges on his former present. So now, it might be coming again round.

“Problem me, please! One factor I’m not is a hypocrite. I discovered early in life that if you wish to dish it out, you’ve bought to have the ability to take it,” he tells Selection. “This must be an expert trade. Come at me with info and information and I’ll come again at you with the way it actually is in the actual world, from my private expertise. I’m not going to say, ‘That is what my opinion is.’ No, that is the way it occurred to me. That is the way you fail an audition, that is the way you under-prepare, that is the way you overthink. I’ve finished all of the negatives as nicely. I wish to be the mentor to the younger grownup who’s initially of the 20 years that I’m on the finish of.”

In the beginning of his profession, he says he was a “cussed Capricorn who didn’t hear” and needed to make errors to get to the place he’s now. “Look, I’m right here to mentor. I’m right here to coach. I’m not right here to demand consideration. It’s not about me.

Chmerkovskiy will decide Season 18 alongside JoJo Siwa and Allison Holker, whereas Cat Deeley will host the dance competitors sequence. As at all times, every decide falls into a job — and anybody who watched “Dancing With the Stars” might assume he’ll be the powerful one.

“You’re going to have to guage me and the job that I’m doing. I by no means go in pondering I’m the powerful decide, so now I’m going to be powerful. I believe I’m a soft-ass bunny sweetheart, white and fluffy,” he stated. “I believe you all bought confused. You all misread me. Everyone misunderstands me. I lead with rainbows and unicorns and butterflies. And so one way or the other I’m the ‘dangerous boy of ballroom.’ I didn’t even know what that meant more often than not. I attempted to be me and you then guys could be like, ‘Maks was an asshole.’”

In fact, “DWTS” is a really totally different present than “So You Assume You Can Dance,” on many various ranges — specifically, the personnel.

“Not knocking on previous individuals — there have been those who ran the present from day one to final season and hats off. I’m bowing, you’ve set and established a platform and basis that’s legendary. Having stated that, all the things has to undergo some modifications and changes and updates. And I believe we’re dwelling via that point proper now,” he stated. “So the individuals which are coming in to government produce, to supervise to expertise coordinate, to community executives, these are those who I labored with for a really very long time from ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and got here via and did some issues with different jobs. It’s like an enormous household reunion, 20 years later. Everyone’s experience is on a unique degree. Everyone’s prepared to do that huge get-together. And everyone is aware of one another. I don’t must get to know my executives. I don’t must get to grasp the connection with these individuals. I’ve recognized them for nearly twenty years.”

This season of “SYTYCD,” premiering March 4, will present the dancers dwelling in a home collectively and permit viewers to get to know every of them much more.

“In my view, final season of ‘So You Assume You Can Dance’ bought away from that and it grew to become a present about choreographers and who the choreographers are and the way these contestants deal with these choreographers and their choreography. It skewed to this point towards one other individual,” he explains. “We wish to deliver it again and the manufacturing needs to deliver all of it the best way again to have a look at this new batch of individuals that you simply’re gonna get to know, fall in like with, fall in love with and turn out to be a fan of.”

This season may even be the primary with out Nigel Lythgoe as a decide, because the producer stepped down in January amid two lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault. Whereas filming started earlier than he exited the present, no reshoots had been finished on the time of the interview.

“I’m conserving myself very a lot in my lane,” Chmerkovskiy says. “Thank God I’m not a producer, I’m not an editor and I’m not anyone who has to make any of these selections. I fall asleep, I get up comfortable. This explicit second in my life is stress-free.”