DWTS VIPs coming through! Reigning Dancing with the Stars champs Maksim Chmerkovksiy and his season 18 partner, Meryl Davis, reunited at the show's season 19 premiere on Monday, Sept. 15, to cheer on his brother Val, who's competing with Pretty Little Liars actress Janel Parrish.
Chmerkovskiy, 34 — whose chemistry with Davis sparked rumors of a romance earlier this year — shared a picture of the reunion via Instagram. In it, he smirks charmingly at the camera and wraps his arm around Davis' waist as she leans into him, smiling.
"Bang! @meryledavis and I think that y'all should vote…and vote for @iamvalc and @janelparrish!" the former DWTS pro captioned the photo.
Viewers went wild for Chmerkovskiy and Davis' intense, romantic dances last season, to say nothing of their sweet interactions behind the scenes. Both stars have insisted on multiple occasions that they're just friends, but Chmerkovskiy acknowledged their special bond in an interview with Social Life magazine in June.
"Do you know what a showmance is? It is like being at a summer camp when you're a teenager," he said at the time. "When you spend three months very closely with someone at a particular place, it is like a summer love. You have no choice but to get involved with that person."
His involvement with Davis was particularly significant, in part because it led to his first (and likely last) Mirrorball trophy. Asked if he planned to return for another season, he told the mag, "I want Meryl to be the last person I dance with, the last person I got to be passionate with and care so much for."