Maksim Chmerkovskiy “The Bachelor” Ukraine

From the ballroom to The Bachelor! Swooning flame-tempered Dancing With the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy is kicking off his Sunday shoes for a shot at love on reality TV….in the Ukraine.

Chmerkovskiy — who left the Ukraine for New Jersey as a young boy — will star in the European nation’s first season of the dating reality soap that has captivated US audiences for more than 14 seasons. The unlucky-in-love Maks, 30, was formerly engaged to his DWTS co-star Karina Smirnoff. The split was a bitter one and Maks says a desire to give something back to his nativeland as well as a genuine desire for true romance prompted him to sign on for the TV deal.

“To come back here as a person to be looked up to is an amazing feeling…The idea that I would find ‘the one’ on a TV show is something that I can’t ever fathom, but after speaking to producers I have realized that a show where characters are doing it solely for TV exposure simply would not work,” the dancer wrote in an in-depth posting on his blog.

He added: “There has never been a show such as this in Ukraine and it makes me think that a first season would be the most ‘real’ as far as participant’s perception of ‘what its all about’ is concerned….I thought about everything VERY long. I’ve spoken to my family. I’ve spoken to people around me and decided that this might be something to try and see ‘how it’ll work.’”

Chmerkovskiy arrived in Ukraine for filming almost immediately after Dancing With The Stars wrapped up its 11th season last November. Nov. 26. He reportedly filmed for four to six weeks. And while he isn’t giving anything away, Maksim hinted that he might be successful in his quest for the ultimate woman.

“I know it’s hard to find someone you can connect to on a project like this, but nothing is impossible. For the sake of the show I can’t reveal anything, but I must say I am very pleasantly surprised so far.”

The Bachelor: Ukraine, starring Maksim Chmerkovskiy, will air in Europe later this year.