DWTS' Maksim: "I Would Love to Dance With Erin Again"

Pro hoofer weighs in on last night's show with Brandy, Bristol Palin's surprise moves and his former sports reporter partner

If Brandy wasn't so cool-headed, things could have gone terribly wrong last night when she Maksim Chmerkovskiy performed their Viennese waltz on Dancing With the Stars.

How so? Read on to find out what Maksim told me earlier today about Brandy's missteps, Bristol Palin's surprisingly good performance and why he thinks the world won't stop talking about him his former DWTS partner Erin Andrews...

How happy are you about last night's show? You came in second with 23 points.
Very happy! I've been always telling Brandy that you just have to get the first show out of the way. I think she did an amazing job for the first time, for the nerves, and anxiety and all that stuff. I really enjoyed our dance.

Were there any missteps we didn't see?
There were missteps but I am absolutely amazed at how Brandy handled it. She missed a couple of steps and where normal people would freak out and go, "Oh my god. I can't believe I just did that," she totally went straight into the next move. I have confidence in her now that if something does go wrong, which it does sometimes, that she'll be able to recover.

What's up for you and Brandy next week?
We're doing the jive. We're still testing the waters out with Brandy to see what she's comfortable with, what she's going to be better at...She's a very versatile person with so many looks. She can just smile and look adorable and innocent and all that, but she has a hot and sassy side as well.

Were you surprised at how well Bristol did?
Bristol did great! I think Bristol has a lot to prove and she certainly tries her best. She shouldn't put pressure on herself. If there's no pressure, there are no expectations and she can just walk out and do her thing. I applaud her bravery for even being on the show.

Have you warned Brandy about about the romance rumors that will start about the two of you?
The rumors began before we even met! Brandy and I are cool. There's no romance. I know that we are going to be great, great, great friends. Like I've said before, I haven't won Dancing With the Stars, but I've won many friends. I remain extremely close with 90 percent of my past partners. Before the premiere yesterday, I got a text from Tia Carerre, Mel B and Denise Richards. It's just very inspiring and it's also very gratifying. But like I've said, this season is all about trying to win that trophy.

Will we ever see you and Erin dance again on the show?
I came back to dance with Mel for our 100th show. You never know, maybe they'll bring us back. I would love to dance with Erin again for sure if she would like to but at the moment right now, this very second, my mind is on what Brandy and I are going to be doing next week.

Why is everyone so obsessed with you and Erin and trying to figure out what was going on between the two of you?
I think we showed partnership beyond just the show. I've apologized to our fans because romance or not, they will probably never know because I'm a private person. I put out as much as I can on Twitter, my website, and my YouTube channel, but just to an extent. What Erin and I had is between me and Erin.