← Kennedy Saves the World
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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. Welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. It's happy hour. I hope you put your dancing shoes on because Max Chermakovsky, who is a champion on Dancing with the Stars, is here with his vodka. It is called Tetia Kappa and it is hopefully beautiful. Max, welcome to Kennedy Saves the World.
- [00:29]
B
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
- [00:31]
A
Cheers to dancing, family, and bringing light into every ballroom.
- [00:36]
B
I love that. Let's do that.
- [00:40]
A
Mm. Yeah, that's good. That's good vodka.
- [00:43]
B
What is this called?
- [00:44]
A
This is a transfusion. So it's vodka, ginger ale, grape juice, and a little bit of lime juice. This is a great backyard barbecue drink. This is something that you would make for your friends if you're grilling burgers and steaks in your backyard. So you were dancing in the restaurant. When did you realize that you could go from dancing in the restaurant to actually making money dancing? Because maybe you were making money in the restaurant dancing?
- [01:11]
B
When I asked, I wanted to ask for. This is true story. I wanted to ask for raise. When I got the job, I was like 15 years old, so I didn't really negotiate. I just kind of of took whatever I was given. And then I said, you know, what, what if we. And it was $25 a show. And around midnight. So for about 30 minutes, I do the show. 25 bucks. I thought it was winning. And, you know, I wanted to make it 35. And I felt like if I, you know, I was very. I had anxiety having to go with an. And negotiate money with an adult.
- [01:47]
A
Yeah.
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B
And so I decided. But if I come back with a trophy of any sort, like, look, I won Philadelphia Open. Why not? You know, I would like a race. I felt like that would have been a better trade off.
- [02:02]
A
But that's actually, that's a good work ethic because you wanted to prove yourself and then come back and be like, okay, now I am worth something more. Yeah, I'm going to work hard. Yeah, I'm going to bring more people in because now they know that you have champion.
- [02:16]
B
No, no, no, I wasn't thinking about that. I wasn't in sales yet. I was in more. More of like self promotional. Like, you get the better quality for the product for what you're paying, so you should pay a little more.
- [02:27]
A
Were you in high school at that point?
- [02:28]
B
I was in high school, yes.
- [02:30]
A
Were you attending high school?
- [02:32]
B
I wasn't, of course.
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A
Good for you.
- [02:34]
B
I was attending high school, graduated Moro High, and I went to Pace University.
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A
Look at you.
- [02:42]
B
Dropped out because I was representing United States at British Open came back and they failed me in three classes for. For absence. And there was no. Nothing I could say because it wasn't one of the major sports when today, Pace University, all these decades, unfortunately, later, Pace University has one of the top dance programs in the country.
- [03:04]
A
You should go back and demand your diploma.
- [03:06]
B
You should say that louder.
- [03:07]
A
And give the man his diploma. Look what he's done for your school.
- [03:12]
B
Let me get back in it.
- [03:14]
A
Let him get back into the program, and then he'll earn his own diploma. Man's a hard worker, and by God, he's got some good vodka.
- [03:21]
B
This is great vodka.
- [03:23]
A
This is great vodka.
- [03:24]
B
Everything in my life had to be quality. I'm not trying to boast myself or keep saying how wide this product, but it's vodka, it's dancing. It's, you know, dance studio business. It's. Whatever it is, whatever I'm representing, I don't want to say that it's the best in the world ever. Ever. I never want to say that because that's not my goal. But my goal is that, you know, I under promise and over deliver. That's key to life, in my. In my opinion. And you'll. You'll never not be successful if that's. That's. That's how you're driven.
- [03:58]
A
So were you ever at Chippendale?
- [04:00]
B
We're in Vegas and we saw a friend who's one of the cast members at Magic Mike.
- [04:05]
A
Oh, yeah.
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B
And we had that conversation. And she's like, baby, would you. Chippendale. I don't know what she brought up. You know that they have their.
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A
The Thunder from Down Under.
- [04:14]
B
Under. No, I. Magic Mike was much more PG version.
- [04:19]
A
Okay.
- [04:19]
B
I would definitely be open to doing that. They have great dancing. Yeah, that's. You know, they don't take.
- [04:25]
A
No, the. The Thunder from Down under, guys, they'll get you pregnant.
- [04:28]
B
They'll do stuff.
- [04:29]
A
Old ladies. They'll get old ladies pregnant. Like, that's. The Australians are wild.
- [04:32]
B
Yeah.
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A
How has dance worked its way into your family?
- [04:37]
B
Instead of just, like, leave dancing for when it's a job? Yeah, we try to make it every day. We don't get to do it every day. For sure. Kids took a long time away.
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A
Do they love when you dance or do they think you're nerds?
- [04:51]
B
They love it. Shy starts. Shy runs up. The little ones start tapping. Mostly our dog doesn't let us. But now everybody's trained to stay away and let Mama Papa film some videos.
- [05:03]
A
Nice. I love it.
- [05:05]
B
No, it makes sense. Life has been amazing. And, you know, and so Dancing with the stars, celebrating the 20th anniversary. Anniversary.
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A
That's wild.
- [05:14]
B
Yeah. It was the. The day of the premiere of the first season one, which was, I think pilot season, six hours of television time. And then at season two, when I joined, it became full blown. Ten weeks, twice a year.
- [05:28]
A
Yeah. And it's gnarly. I mean, that's a big time commitment. The people I know who've done that show, like, they're exhausted, they're often injured, they're pushing their bodies in ways like, you know, a lot of people think that they can go to a wedding and, and do the cha cha. They're fine. But it's like, my God, is it.
- [05:45]
B
Completely different, you know, because, you know TV and you know, that's your brethren. You know, what I didn't know is that when I signed up on the show all those years back, what. First of all to say, I mean, that's the reason why I'm here. That's the reason why we're here. Isn't it crazy? You have a dense show on television. Everybody was making fun of, you know, it goes to show, like going into. That's right. Bobby won.
- [06:12]
A
And I've known him since 2012, when he was like kind of a random country DJ, and then he just like blew up. And because of his loyal audience, like, he. He won the whole damn thing.
- [06:24]
B
He won the whole damn thing. You know, our friend Shawna was his partner. Yeah, she won the whole damn thing. Also fellow. Not my. My wife's. Fellow Australian.
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A
Nice.
- [06:34]
B
No, but the show has changed a lot of lives. It put a lot of people on the map on the dancer side. I mean, it gave us the house and the life and the opportunities and opportunities for the most. Mostly from. From.
- [06:48]
A
Did you know each other beforehand or did you and PETA meet on the show?
- [06:51]
B
We met because I was on Dancing with the Stars. Got an opportunity to be on Broadway, to star in a show and a production that Peter was a part of. And. And when they came and you were.
- [07:01]
A
Like, there's a hot potato.
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B
Well, I mean, I had a fiance, she had a boyfriend, so there was no hot potato.
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A
A simmering.
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B
But it was. It was like. It was like hello and goodbye. But now you. You've seen me, you've. You. You will never forget me.
- [07:17]
A
That's right.
- [07:18]
B
And then when I. When I came back and I came back into the show sometime later, already as a single person, she was still not single. So that was still kind of simmering going on. But by the time we Were both single. It was just, you know, obvious.
- [07:33]
A
Yeah, it was like there's. Yeah, it's like gravity, like entering into a black hole. There's no. You cross the event horizon, it's.
- [07:42]
B
It's destiny. I am proud of us, you know, and by. And I mean first and obviously foremost us, me and Peter. But I also mean my brother. I'm proud of, I'm proud of Jenna, his wife now, you know, my sister in law. I'm proud of dancers, the three, I would say generation of dancers now that have also been a major part of Dancing with the Stars success.
- [08:10]
A
Don't go anywhere more. Kennedy saves the world right after this. This is Jimmy Phela inviting you to join me for Fox Across America where we'll discuss every single one of the Democrats dumb ideas. Just kidding. It's only a three hour show. Listen live at noon eastern or get the podcast@fo across America.com. who's crazier, dancers or the celebrities who come on the show?
- [08:31]
B
Celebrities, obviously, like Hope solo.
- [08:33]
A
Right? That's the first thing that comes to mind.
- [08:35]
B
Stop it. We're celebrating things.
- [08:38]
A
Yeah, she's.
- [08:38]
B
We're celebrating.
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A
I'm on your side here, okay.
- [08:42]
B
A lot of people were.
- [08:43]
A
Yeah, she, she, she might have been unwell at points in her life, but it just goes to show that's how people love it. That's why people love watching it on tv because there is so much emotion. It's not just the performances that you have before a live audience. It's all the other stuff that goes into it.
- [09:00]
B
True. Yes. When I joined the show, I asked, what is my job? I was told erroneously at that time. I'm going to say it, I was told it is to give your partner the best chance at winning. And why I say erroneously is because that's not the show. That's not my job. The job of a professional dancer is to give the celebrities the best experience.
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A
Okay.
- [09:28]
B
And, and what that means is that you have to not just teach them dance and dance steps and then bow out. That's not my responsibility. But you got to lead them through this emotional roller coaster too. You have to be the shoulder to cry on. You have to be the person that they run through with that. Oh, my God, I can't believe it. They spoke so badly of me. What do you think? You know, I mean, I was just not ready. Year 10 of dancing with the Stars, we had the same conversation. Where's my job? Okay, well, now your job is this. So that type of job description early in the game would have been. Would have caused very different Max on television. I'm just gonna, I have to be honest.
- [10:15]
A
What kind of Max would we have seen?
- [10:17]
B
Well, you would probably see the same, you know, abrasive and, and, and hot headed. But in terms of the work ethic, in terms of where I direct myself, I would probably be a little softer. You know, I would still want to win. I would still be upset that, you know, it's very lopsided in terms of your opportunities if you're not with a partner that can even be in the finale like you. But there's no, there's no fight. There's no what are you fighting for? But I would be okay with that. But I would, but I would be a more, I don't know, I would be more able to make relationships work. Maybe Hope Solo would not have had that bad season. Maybe she would have had somebody who was like, listen, boo, maybe she needed.
- [11:05]
A
You're not that, you know, psychotherapist and not right.
- [11:08]
B
But she, she, she got a, she got a dance teacher who's trying to make, make something out of nothing and, you know, and then defends that because, you know.
- [11:16]
A
Are athletes the hardest because they've been famous the longest?
- [11:20]
B
No, I think the, the, the TV stars are the hardest. Not tv, but I'm saying like the movie, the, the actors. Let's, let's say that the actors. I think the, the, the actors are the, the ones that have always relied on a character and dance exposes you.
- [11:42]
A
Yes.
- [11:42]
B
You know, and so you're no longer a character. You have to be you. Because it's so hard. You can't just, you know, act the steps. You have to do them. You have to do that move and you have to sweat through it. And while you're sweating, it's not, it's not very sexy to play a character. To play a role. So I think it's very exposing. I think athletes are used to hard work.
- [12:02]
A
Okay.
- [12:02]
B
They're harder to probably show emotion if they don't have it. But if, if the casting is correct and I think that that has.
- [12:11]
A
Who's your favorite?
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B
My partner or in general, someone who.
- [12:16]
A
You'Ve danced with on the show.
- [12:18]
B
I mean, I, you know, Meryl Davis, I won with.
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A
Yeah, that's right. And it took a while.
- [12:23]
B
She'll always get my flowers for, for that fact. But I've had a fantastic time with Kirstie Alley. You know, rest in peace. Yeah, we, we, you know, did some memorable things. I'm, I'm going. Mel B. Is my Girl, she. I will. I had an incredible time with.
- [12:43]
A
But she had a lot of experience with choreography.
- [12:46]
B
She had like, like, step, step here, step, click, step, like that, maybe a two step. But no, she was talented in. In picking up choreography without giving it too much thoughts. She was just like, just show me what to do.
- [13:04]
A
I'll do it in their heads. Like, overthinking everything.
- [13:06]
B
Exactly. There's some people who would have been better had they not taken it that serious.
- [13:11]
A
Do you think people would be better if they had a little bit of Tetia Kappa 100?
- [13:17]
B
Although. Although there's an actual. I'm not gonna name who it was. Maybe it's actually public knowledge. I don't know. But there was a celebrity who would just, like, get super stiff and tight. But a lot of them were. But this one particularly, and it was just coming to the end of their. Their season, and it was just like, if he. If they wouldn't produce a fun number, it would be it. And so I think we came up and was like, hey, why don't you just, like, take a shot of some kind of alcohol? And they did. And. But we didn't say how much, and we just said, look, you know, just take a little, soften up, whatever. That person got super drunk and ruined. Ruined that step, that routine. It would have been bad anyway, but it backfired.
- [14:10]
A
Preparation goes a long way.
- [14:12]
B
Yeah, for sure.
- [14:15]
A
Well, if a little is good, a lot's even better.
- [14:17]
B
Yeah, it's like, oh, once it goes down, like the old school. Yeah. No, it's. It's. It's.
- [14:23]
A
Was it Tucker Carlson?
- [14:25]
B
No, it wasn't. Okay, cheers.
- [14:26]
A
Cheers to you, Max, and your family and your dancing and delicious vodka. And on that, we believe you. This has been Kennedy Saves the World along with Maxi. I'm Kennedy. Listen. Ad free. With a Fox News Podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts and Amazon prime, members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News Podcast Network.
- [15:00]
B
This is Jason Chaffetz from the Jason in the House podcast. Join me every Monday to dive deeper into the latest political headlines and chat with remarkable guests. Listen and follow now@foxnewspodcast.com or wherever you download podcasts.