The show's producers reportedly had known that she would grace the men magazine and still gave her one of the best pairings.
- April 9, 2011
AceShowbiz -
Karina Smirnoff's position on "Dancing with the Stars" might not be threatened after all. Despite report that ABC may fire her from the show due to her Playboy shoot, an inside source says that producers had known she would pose nude for the magazine, yet they have not treated her differently. "They did know ahead of time and they still gave her one of the best pairings," the source reasons to People.
Previously, an insider from the show said ABC is angry over her decision to grace the publication's cover in her birthday suit because it would hurt the program's image. "If Karina posed naked, she can kiss her dancing days goodbye. I hope for Karina's sake that this isn't true," the insider told PopEater.
"ABC publicity department controls the image of this show with an iron fist. It's a cash cow and they are not going to allow its reputation to be soiled by a dancer who wants to do Playboy," another source said. Karina reportedly has violated the terms of her contract by stripping off for the magazine without getting a consent from the show's bosses.
Karina has done the photo shoot before this season of "DWTS" started and her picture will appear in the May issue. She, however, is not the first from the show who poses for the magazine. Co-host Brooke Burke and competitors including Kendra Wilkinson, Lisa Rinna, Pamela Anderson, Holly Madison and Denise Richards have been featured in Playboy before.
