After 11 seasons on 'Dancing with the Stars,' pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy has proven himself to be incredibly talented -- and sometimes just as combative. But his partner on the current cycle of the show, actress Melissa Gilbert, is coming to his defense.

Rehearsal footage this week showed Maks getting frustrated with Melissa's inability to pick up the Viennese Waltz as quickly as he thought she should, and the resulting scenes made him come off as more than a bit of a bully.

Not so, says Melissa.

"It's frustrating but it's silly," Gilbert said of the producers' choice to show only the most tension-filled moments. "It seems kind of counterproductive, because I don't understand the point of it ... to make me look stupid?"

"There were a lot of expectations, we had to work really hard, we've been on this consistent run and we had a lot to prove," she continued. "So I had to work extra hard and it's frustrating and I'm tired! And to motivate me, that's how we do it."

But Maks, accustomed to being portrayed as the show's resident taskmaster, took it in stride, saying with a smile, "I think what's happening is that no one else's negative moments are light enough for TV ... Mine are the lightest for broadcast. The rest are so bad you can't show them on TV. That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

"Everybody gets frustrated," he added. "We literally spent three or four percent of the time clashing, and this is week six ... My conscious is clear."

On Monday night's 'DWTS' broadcast, Maks and Melissa ended up tied for third place with Maria Menounos and Derek Hough, ahead of fellow competitor couples Gladys Knight and Tristan MacManus and Roshon Fegan and Chelsie Hightower.

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