Is the strain of his heavy workload and weekly transatlantic commute starting to take its toll on 'Dancing With the Stars' head judge Len Goodman? He and Bruno Tonioli have a punishing schedule, pulling double duty judging 'DWTS' during the week, and then flying back to the UK to judge the BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing' at the weekend.

Now Len's had blow-ups with pro dancers on both shows in the space of just a few days. Is he crankier than usual? Last night he and Maksim Chmerkovskiy had a major falling out after Maks interrupted Len's harsh critique of his rumba. That bust up followed a furious on-air altercation with 'Strictly' dancer James Jordan on Saturday night, during which Len told him, "All you have to do is turn up, keep up and shut up."

Is an irascible Len overdue for a vacation? Well, luckily for him he'd already booked one before it got nasty on the dancefloor(s). It's been announced that Len is taking a week off from 'Strictly' next month, and subbing-in for him as guest judge on Nov. 5 and 6 will be none other than 'DWTS' Season 11 champ, Jennifer Grey.

She told the BBC, "I so look forward to making the pilgrimage to the birthplace of the greatest dance show, the mecca of spray tans and tangos, and to sit in for the great and pernickety Len Goodman."

For his part, Len said "Flying back and forth between London and LA doing the two shows is very grueling, so this year the BBC have kindly agreed to give me a week off to rest."

A BBC spokesman added: "It was always agreed that Len would take a week off from 'Strictly' due to his commitments with 'Dancing With the Stars'."

It's not the first time Len's had a celebrity stand-in while he's been on vacation. 'Lord of the Dance' star Michael Flatley filled-in for him back in Season 7, and got to judge the relative merits of Cloris Leachman, Lance Bass and Susan Lucci, among others. Flatley was also rumored to be a possible fulltime replacement when Len underwent treatment for prostate cancer in 2009.

Both pro dancers who fought with Len this week blew up after he criticized their partner's performance. After Len told Hope Solo that her rumba was her "worst dance of the whole season," Maks went for the jugular and suggested maybe it time the veteran judge retired. He then carried on his tirade in his post-performance interview with host Brooke Charvet.

Similarly, 'Strictly' dancer Jordan lost his temper after judge Craig Revel Horwood described his partner as "sexless, cold and stiff," leading Len to intervene. When Jordan pointed out that the public loved them, Len said "We are here and we spend a lifetime watching and teaching and judging dancing. Our criteria are different to the public's."

Jordan not only went on to heckle Len from the gallery, he also told host Tess Daly that "It would be nice if the judges stopped commenting on our choreography -- we've also been in the business a long, long time. We know what we are doing."

Backstage last night Maks seemed calmer, but defended his comments. By contrast, Len and James Jordan have reportedly put aside their differences and made up. A 'Strictly' source told 'The Mirror' that "Len appreciated James was passionate about his performance so they drew a line under the row."




'Dancing With the Stars' airs Mondays at 8PM ET and Tuesdays at 9PM ET on ABC.

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