Has Maksim Chmerkovskiy talking back to Len Goodman opened up the floodgates for more dancer vs. judge spats? After the furor surrounding the Maks vs. Len bust-up on 'Dancing With the Stars' Monday, emotions were running high on last night's results show, and the spotlight moved to judge Bruno Tonioli vs. Chaz Bono.

After the show, the newly eliminated Bono and pro dance partner Lacey Schwimmer were gracious in defeat, but had harsh words for Tonioli backstage. And Bono's fiercely protective mother Cher came out swinging on Twitter to lambast the Italian judge.

The reason for all the anger? On Monday Tonioli decribed Bono's 'Phantom of the Opera'-inspired performance as "a cute little penguin trying to be a big menacing bird of prey." Coming after a previous critique when he said watching the pair "was like watching a little Ewok dance with Princess Leia," Schwimmer decided she'd had enough. "He got under scored again," she Tweeted, "and tonights comments were the cherry on top. Having a judge refer to him as an animal every Week is so rude and unnecessary."

"I feel so bad about the comments week to week," she added. "It's not about the way someone looks, it's about the routine."

Cher probably had Tonioli fervently hoping they don't meet any time soon, as she furiously Tweeted "I COULD TEACH HIS LITTLE ARM WAVING ASS SOME MANNERS ! Critique CHAZ'S DANCE STYLE, MOVEMENTS ETC,.BUT DON'T MAKE FUN OF MY CHILD ON NAT.TV."

She followed up with a series of irate posts, including "IS IT DWTS Or LOOKING PERFECT WTS? ITS EASY 4 HIM 2 TAKE CHEAP SHOTS AT CHAZ ! LET HIM COME 2 'MY' STAGE." However, she wasn't all rage, taking the time to thank judge Carrie Ann Inaba for her "gentility," and later issuing a recap of her thoughts: "Condensed version ...The Chick is beautiful & Polite ! The Men suck."

Backstage Monday night Schwimmer backed Maks for taking a stand against what the dancers see as unduly harsh or plain old mean-spirited critiques of their work: "Generally speaking, Maks has the courage to say a lot of what a lot of the people on the show don't have the courage to say. So, good for him."

However, walking the post-show press line last night, Schwimmer was even more direct. Backing Bono's claims that the judges underscored them each week, she told E! Online that "The judges always have a favorite or two. We are just not that couple this season."

Schwimmer also said that the judges' comments sway the public vote."When they make comments like that, it does influence how people will vote or support or view the show."

Tonioli's always been known for his outrageous remarks and often unique sense of humor. However, as the dancers are growing tired of the sarcasm and what they clearly perceive as mean-spirited personal attacks, perhaps it's time for Tonioli to take time out of his grueling schedule and jet off on vacation with Len Goodman.

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

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