“Dancing with the Stars” is a live show, so there’s always a flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants uncertainty to it even under the best circumstances. But the COVID-19 pandemic takes that to another level. Pro dancer Cheryl Burke tested positive with a breakthrough infection even though she was vaccinated. That meant she was unable to perform during week two of season 30. And it meant that her celebrity partner, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, had to isolate as well. The show made the best of a bad situation by showing a filmed rehearsal of their salsa for the judges and the viewing audience. Watch it above and see what the judges thought of it below.
Len Goodman: “Cheryl, I wish you a really speedy recovery. That was full of razzle dazzle, a lot of salsa content, which I always like to see. It was crafted well, and it was danced well. Well done.”
Derek Hough: “Listen, for a rehearsal, that was really, really good. Obviously there were little parts that were a little out of sync, but that’s what rehearsal’s for. I can really imagine that routine in the ballroom with the lights, the costumes, you coming alive. So great job, really well done.”
Bruno Tonioli: “We really miss you in the ballroom because that adds an extra layer to the performance. Yeah, there were a few issues there. And sometimes you could round your hips a little bit more, be a bit more grounded, but even the Pepto-Bismol shoes could not take away from your talent.”
Carrie Ann Inaba: “I was going to say, let that be a lesson to what you wear in rehearsal, right? … It was a little bit lackluster, but that’s because you’re marking it, but we have to hold it to the standards of what everybody else is doing in the ballroom. So it was a good job, lots of content, but you know, not fantastic.”
So the reviews weren’t too bad given that the performance that was judged wasn’t the one Rigsby and Burke had planned on. They ended up scoring sixes across the board for a total of 24 out of 40. When that was combined with their performance from the season premiere, they were on shaky ground in 11th place on the leaderboard out of 15 couples in the competition. Luckily for them, they had enough support from fans watching from home to advance safely to the next round. But Burke will still be in isolation by then, so we’ll have to wait and see how “DWTS” handles that predicament.
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