Erin Andrews And Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Erin Andrews And Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Dating rumors have been swirling about all season over certain “Dancing With the Stars” couples, and that short list includes ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and her pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Let’s just say Monday’s (May 24) freestyle routine did little to curb any suspicions about these two.

For their freestyle dance, the couple chose to do a contemporary, lyrical-style dance that had them doing all kinds of flips, spins, rolls and passionate embraces on a bed. We also happened to notice Chmerkovskiy’s comment during rehearsals that (intentionally?) implied there might be a little heat between this dancing duo: “Our freestyle is very passionate. It’s very emotional. And in a way, I think it will tell the story of Erin and I.” Hmm….

The judges had mixed feelings about their passionfest — although all of them gave the couple kudos for taking a “risk.”

Len Goodman: “Freestyle is about risk and reward. You took an enormous risk; in parts you pulled it off. It was a mix for me of emotion and commotion. I liked it, but I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t love it.”

Bruno Tonioli: “That was a psychodrama unfolding out there! You put your heart and soul into that. You took a huge risk attempting contemporary technique, and some of the steps you pulled off were quite incredible. Well done.”

Carrie Ann Inaba: “I loved the choice. I just think it was the perfect choice for you to make. It was so risky. Even Maks, I think what’s great about this is, is Maks, you’re risking because this isn’t your specialty…. I think you just had one stumble on the tosses on the bed with the spin, but other than that.”

And with that last remark, Inaba set the perfect stage for Chmerkovskiy’s next eyebrow-raising comment: “It wasn’t the bed we rehearsed on,” he said with a sly grin.

Tom Bergeron, usually the one ready with the quick-witted responses himself, had to give Chmerkovskiy props on that. “You know in 10 seasons, ‘It’s not the bed I rehearsed on’ is my favorite excuse ever.”

But no excuse was necessary tonight. The couple earned a 9-8-9 for their freestyle dance and a 10-10-9 for their “redemption dance” samba, giving them a total of 55 out of 60 for the night. That score was good enough to tie them for the top spot with Nicole Scherzinger. Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek took the bronze Monday night with a 52.