Val Chmerkovskiy: Wants Michael Strahan"s Job on Live!?

Now that we’ve learned Michael Strahan’s departure from Live! With Kelly and Michael has been expedited, producers are hunting voraciously to find a new co-host for the show.

Sources claim host Kelly Ripa is gunning for her good friend Anderson Cooper, but he’s more of a newsy guy, so fans are skeptical he’ll actually take the gig.

Might she be open to a hot Ukrainian dancer with a sexy accent and a body that won’t quit?

Because if so, Val Chmerkovskiy just threw his hat in the ring.

After a performance on Dancing With the Stars, E! News caught up with him and partner Ginger Zee, who is the meteorologist at Good Morning America.

Zee told the interviewer that she is looking forward to Strahan joining the team as an anchor at GMA.

“I love having him,” she said. “We’ve had him obviously for a couple of years, a couple days a week.

“I love Michael Strahan and he’s going to be a great addition and he’s wonderful!” she added.

View Slideshow: 16 Celebs Who Could Replace Michael Strahan On Live!

When asked about possible replacements for Strahan on Live!, Chmerkovskiy cut in and made his ambitions known.

“Look, I’m in,” revealed the dancer.

“Michael is going to come on Dancing With the Stars, and I could go and help out with Kelly.”

“There you go, problem solved!” he added.

At this point, it seems Ripa would be happy to see anyone occupying her co-host’s seat, so long as it’s not Strahan.

She has reportedly not been holding back her contempt for the former NFL player and can’t wait till he leaves this Friday.

View Slideshow: 11 TV Co-Stars Who Hated Each Other in Real Life

Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Peta Murgatroyd: Engaged!

Dancing With the Stars pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd began dating back in 2012, but just like the competition for the mirrored ball trophy, their relationship has been far from easy.

The couple split several times amidst infidelity rumors, always telling the press that their work schedules were too hectic to allow them time for a relationship.

(We feel like training and filming just a few feet away from each other would make it easy to put in long days at work and still spend time together, but we digress.)

Anyway, after many ups and downs, Maksim and Peta got back together in May of this year, and over the weekend, Maks asked Peta to be his dancing partner for the rest of their lives.

This is not a couple that"s ever shied away from the spotlight, so it"s fitting that Maks proposed during a performance at the Olympia Theater in Miami.

You can watch the big moment in the video below.

"I"m in love with you, and I will be in love with you for the rest of my life," Maks told Peta before getting down on one knee – much to the delight of the massive crowd on hand.

The couple hasn"t discussed any specifics, such as when they plan to tie the knot, but if they decide to have kids, you know they"ll with some serious rhythm.

Congrats to Maks and Peta!

Maksim Chmerkovskiy: I"d Like to Kill Hope Solo!

Back in 2011, Hope Solo competed on Dancing With the Stars along with fan-favorite Maksim Chmerkovskiy as her coach and partner.

The duo performed respectably, finishing in fourth place, but their working relationship is remembered as one of the most volatile in the history of the show.

Rehearsal footage showed Chmerkovskiy getting rough with Solo during rehearsals, and neither of them had anything good to say about the other after their time on the show was through.

Just when it seemed that they had quietly gone their separate ways, Solo dropped a bombshell in her memoir, claiming that Chmerkovskiy slapped her during one of their final rehearsals together.

Maksim swears that incident never happened, but Hope still sticks to her story three years later.

So we suppose it’s not surprising that Maks didn’t have a lot of kind things to say about the former USWNT goalie in a recent podcast interview:

“She’s just a sh-tty person,” Maksim says. “You can have a sh-tty life growing up, but if you’re a bad person, there’s no excuse for that.”

The remark was made during a game of “F-ck, Marry, Kill” and not surprisingly, Chmerkovskiy stated, “I would definitely kill Hope Solo” (hypothetically, of course).

Jeez. Tell what you really think Maks!