Maksim Chmerkovskiy returning to "Dancing with the Stars" as guest judge
Maksim Chmerkovskiy is returning to the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom -- but this time, he'll be handing out scores instead of receiving them.
The dancing pro will be a guest judge during Monday's semi-finals, sitting alongside regular judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli for the show's first-ever "plugged/unplugged" night, ABC announced.
On Monday, those couples will perform either a jazz, paso doble, cha cha or tango routine to an original or "plugged" version of their selected song. Then, for their second dance, they'll perform either a Viennese waltz, Argentine tango or rumba to an acoustic or "unplugged" version of that same song.
Special musical guests will be on hand for the unplugged performances including singer Kerli, who will perform a version of Fall Out Boy's "My Song Knows (Light em up)," and YouTube sensation Noah Guthrie, who will perform his popular cover of "Sexy & I Know It."
At the end of the night, one couple will face elimination.
Chmerkovskiy, who appeared on Broadway in "Forever Tango" and heads up six dance studios in the New York area, told CBSNews.com last month that he was open to returning to "DWTS" one day."I never walked away, slammed the door...and said, 'I'm never coming back.' I think eight years of doing something -- the type of person I am, I am not gonna be there until they tell us the show is off air and we're done with it, or until I feel like I can't dance anymore," he said. "I want to be able to capitalize. We all know why we're there. Everyone is doing something to better their lifestyle, to better their life. Period."
Tell us: Will Chmerkovskiy make a good guest judge?