Gleb Savchenko Dishes On Who The 'Toughest' 'DWTS' Pros Are

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Gleb Savchenko is giving fans a rare inside look at what really happens behind the ballroom doors. In a new interview, the longtime "DWTS" star breaks down the toughest pros on the show, how hard celebrities are pushed in rehearsals, and why “tough love” is often the difference between an average performance and a perfect score. With the competition heating up and conversations around coaching styles gaining traction online, Savchenko offers his unfiltered perspective on who he’d want as a partner, what makes a pro truly “tough,” and why pushing celebrities past their comfort zones is sometimes the only way to get them to the next level.

When asked by Covers which "DWTS" pros are the toughest, and who he’d choose as a partner himself, Savchenko didn’t hesitate to name names. “If I’m a guy, I would definitely want to be paired with Jenna [Johnson] or Whitney [Carson],” he said, noting both women’s technique, drive, and leadership. “All the girls are great, but for my height, style, and talking about being a dancer…”

And if he were competing as a celebrity? “If I’m a girl, I would definitely want to be paired with Val [Chmerkovskiy], Mark, or me!” His choices highlight that toughness isn’t just about being strict, but it’s about pairing the right coaching style with the right personality and skill level.

Recently, contestant Alix Earle went viral for asking her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy to “be tougher” on her in rehearsals, something Savchenko views as a very good sign. “If Alix asked Val to be a little tougher, it’s good,” he explained. “It means she’s a tough cookie and can handle that. She wants to improve and get better, be sharper and faster. It’s great.”

He shared that his own partner, Hilaria Baldwin, made the same request. “She was like, listen, I want you to be a little tougher with me and really teach me,” Savchenko said, noting that her dance training allowed her to embrace the challenge. “When you’re in the competition, you become a team. We all say, I want you to have fun and enjoy the experience, but you want to get a perfect score. In order for you to get a perfect score, you need to train, and training comes with toughness.”

Still, he emphasized that toughness exists on a spectrum. “There’s tough, and then there’s tough," he admitted. "You can push them, but also don’t break them.”

Asked whether he ever has to “crack the whip” with celebrities, Savchenko was honest about how demanding the process can be, physically and mentally. “Dance is not just an art form. It’s also a sport,” he said. “If you take any kind of sport, it’s training, and you have to train your body and mind.”

He explained that both pros and celebrities go through exhaustion, frustration, and discouraging moments, and that sticking through that grind is where real progress happens. “The hardest thing is when you’re exhausted, frustrated, hungry, or you get a bad score," he continued. "We as pros are also with them, doing it over and over again. You get exhausted and mentally defeated, too.”

But pushing through is key. “The moment your partner overcomes that pain and everything, that’s where the growth is happening,” he said. “Our generation is soft… In order to overcome everything and to become better, you need to toughen up and do the work.”

With just six couples left, the pressure on "Dancing with the Stars "Season 34 is higher than ever, and according to Savchenko, that pressure is exactly what separates the contenders from the champions.

As the competition heads into its semifinals on Tuesday, the show is honoring music icon Prince with a themed “Prince Night,” where each remaining pair will perform two routines. First, a brand-new dance style they haven’t attempted yet, and second, a revisited style meant to show their growth since the beginning of the season. It’s one of the toughest and most revealing weeks of the entire competition.

For social media star Earle and partner Chmerkovskiy, that means bringing intensity and precision to an Argentine tango set to “Little Red Corvette,” before revisiting their earlier Viennese waltz, this time to the emotional classic “Purple Rain.”

Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and pro Witney Carson will also showcase a new side of themselves with a Viennese waltz to “WOW,” then return to the energetic style of their Week 1 jive with a performance to “Baby I’m a Star.”

Utah influencer Whitney Leavitt and her partner Mark Ballas, who have faced online scrutiny and “favoritism” claims, will take on a Viennese waltz for the first time, dancing to “Slow Love.” They’ll revisit their earlier cha-cha, which fans loved on One-Hit Wonder Night, set this week to “Play That Funky Music.”

Dylan Efronand Daniella Karagach are preparing for a powerful tango to “I Would Die 4 U,” followed by a second cha-cha to “Kiss,” promising a blend of sharpness and swagger.

Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten will bring full drama to their first Paso Doble, set to “When Doves Cry,” then return to ballroom elegance with a foxtrot to “I Wanna Be Your Lover.”

Rounding out the semifinalists, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa will tackle an Argentine tango to “U Got the Look,” before bouncing back into a red-hot jive to “Raspberry Beret.”