Somebody's got some explaining to do ... because model Kate Upton and "Dancing with the Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy ... the most random two people ever ... left a restaurant together Monday night in NYC.

There were reports the two were spotted canoodling inside ... but sources close to both camps tell us, they're not together. Not even close. They're just friends.

Still, how are they even friends? This doesn't make sense.

Polish supermodel Joanna Krupa wants to show the entire world the two perky reasons why everyone should be watching "Real Housewives of Miami."

With the heat in Florida just too much for her beautiful supple skin to bear, the 34-year-old former not hooker "Dancing with the Stars" contestant set her gorgeous gals free and sunbathed topless on Friday.

But Joanna and the twins were not alone, as her lucky ass fiancé Romain supervised the entire accidentally on purpose -- but amazing --  photo op.

She's an unreal almost housewife.

Julianne Hough and Ashley Greene got the royal treatment in a nail salon, but it wasn't easy spotting 'em in the crowd of busy employees. Instead it was ridiculously easy, 'cause ... y'know.

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Even if Maksim Chmerkovskiy does want to dance with stars again, the Ukrainian pro needs ankle surgery before he can even consider a return to "Dancing with the Stars."

As TMZ first reported, Maksim sat out the most recent season to pursue other entertainment gigs ... so far he's got an appearance on "General Hospital" to show for it.

Sources tell us, producers at "DWTS" desperately want Maksim to return to the show next season. But sources close to Maksim say that won't be possible until he gets surgery on one of his ankles.

We're told the wear and tear of working with untrained dancers each season has taken its toll Maksim (as opposed to dancing with another pro, which is way easier).

Our sources say producers are throwing around various ideas to make Maksim a part of the show in any way possible ... perhaps as just a choreographer.

She's only 16 years old, but "Dancing with the Stars" front-runner Zendaya is on track to rake in $345,000 during the ballroom battle ... IF she can make it to the finale.

According to her "DWTS" contract ... Zendaya collected $125,000 to kick off the competition and appear on the first two weeks of the show. After that, she gets paid weekly -- SOP for all the contestants.

The good news for the dance-savvy Disney star -- the $$$ goes up, the longer she can last. Here's the breakdown:
 
Weeks 3 & 4: $10,000 per week ($20k total)
Weeks 5 & 6: $20,000 per week ($40k total)
Weeks 7 & 8: $30,000 per week ($60k total)
Weeks 9 & 10: $50,000 per week ($100k total)

Grand total for all 10 weeks: $345,000

You gotta understand, Zendaya's been blowing away the competition -- meaning there's a good chance she could take home the mirror ball ... and with it, all that cash.

Sure beats flippin' burgers.

With every new season of "Dancing with the Stars" ... a new diva shall emerge amongst the cast ... and this season it's "The Bachelor" Sean Lowe. Sorry ladies.

Sources close to "DWTS" tell TMZ ... ever since filming began, Sean has caught a baaaad case of DIVA-itis ... demanding to be shot from certain camera angles, talking down to crew members, acting like a brat and bragging to other cast members, "This show NEEDS me."

We're told Sean's ego has gotten so big ... he now considers himself a brand and must "market accordingly".

As for other cast members ... we're told they've already started brainstorming nicknames for the reality star in light of his behavior -- like Princess Sean -- but have yet to find just the right one.

We could probably think of a couple.

FYI -- The executive producer of "DWTS," Conrad Green, tells TMZ, "Sean is a pleasure and there is nothing diva-like about him."

Attention "Dancing with the Stars" fans ... wanna live in the lap of luxury a la host Brooke Burke? Well now you can ... by renting out her Malibu estate for a cool $50,000 A MONTH!!!

It's interesting ... Brooke and her husband David Charvet originally tried to sell the mansion back in 2011 for $12.5 million, but no cigar. Now the couple's trying their luck at renting ... listing the primo digs as a Summer lease.

The price tag may be hefty, but the house is ridiculous ... 6,800 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 5 baths, beach access, screening room, 4,000 bottle wine cellar, giant fruit orchard ... and a freshwater pool complete with cabana.

Good to be filthy ... rich.

There could be a canine calamity tonight on "Dancing with the Stars" ... because we've learned Lisa Vanderpump's pooch Giggy will dance his paws off.

Giggy -- a permanent fixture on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" with more than 65,000 Twitter followers -- has been added to Lisa's inaugural dance number ... and if all goes according to plan (i.e. no poo mishaps) the pooch will hit the floor LIVE.

In fact, we're told Giggy -- who's slated to make his entrance at the end of the routine -- has been rehearsing non-stop with Lisa and her pro-partner Gleb Savchenko.

Gleb might make the Pomeranian a permanent fixture ... it all depends on his performance ... and how well he wears sequins. 

Pressure's on.

Didn't take long for Julianne Hough to come down with a case of post break-up hotness ... 'cause Ryan Seacrest's ex-GF was SMOKIN' during a night with girls this weekend ... and TMZ has the footage.

Hough -- along with her brother Derek and former old "Dancing with the Stars" pal Maksim Chmerkovskiy -- kicked it outside Beacher's Madhouse at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood this weekend ... just days after calling things off with Seacrest.

Judging by her tight, short dress ... it seems Julianne is on a mission to rebound.

Another interesting point -- we noticed Hough puffing on a cigarette ... something she probably couldn't do while dating Ryan (a well known health and clean freak).

Country music legend Wynonna Judd is weighing in on the "Is Taylor Swift really country?" debate -- and let's just say Swift's country card might be in jeopardy.

Wynonna, and her "Dancing with the Stars" partner Tony Dovolani were at LAX when we asked if Taylor's music should be considered country -- and she replied, "Yeah, it all fits in there somehow."

Hardly a ringing endorsement -- but the real test came when we asked ... "What's your favorite Taylor Swift song?"

There's a loooong 20-second pause before Wynonna offers an answer.

Watch, and then we gotta ask ...

"Dancing With the Stars" contender Victor Ortiz is already a champion in the boxing ring -- and  tells TMZ he already thinks he's got the moves to be a ballroom champ too.

Victor was taking a little breather from his hardcore "DWTS" training -- when we asked how the season 16 rehearsals were shaping up for a pro-athlete like himself.

That's when the gloves came off ... Victor said he's training harder than ever with partner Lindsay Arnold (a new 'pro' this season) to snatch the coveted mirror ball trophy, and boldly added ... "I'm definitely winning it!"

He also laid out his feelings about one particular competitor -- Andy Dick -- so, enjoy.