Las Vegas Weekly

October 7, 2008 · 1:46 PM

Injury sidelines gold medalist on Dancing With the Stars

By Robin Leach

* As Luxe Life revealed yesterday, Olympic volleyball gold medalist Misty May Trainer was forced to leave the Dancing with the Stars show due to an Achilles tendon injury. As a result, there are now only 10 teams left to compete. Hometown singer Toni Braxton and regular Vegas visitor Lance Bass look to survive the third-round eliminations on the ABC-TV show. Both Toni and Lance scored 22 out of 30, performing a traditional Viennese waltz. Toni wore an 18th century dress and danced to a rock version of Beethoven! We’ll know the viewer reactions and the dance team knocked off tonight. Sitting at the bottom and in biggest danger of being kicked off now is Cloris Leachman, who wound up with the lowest score at 16. Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito was next with 20 out of 30.

Photo: ABC-TV

Lance and Lacy's Viennese waltz

Photo: ABC-TV

Misty on crutches

Misty appeared on crutches and with her left leg in a cast as last night's show concluded. She then revealed she had ruptured her Achilles tendon. She will not be allowed to continue dancing on the show. She told host Tom Bergeron and viewers: "I was doing the Lindy hop -- the jive for tonight. It felt like I got hit in the back with a baseball bat. I heard the pop. I flew out of control and hit the judges' stairs. Then I just couldn't put any weight on it at all."

The accident occurred during weekend rehearsals and fellow contestant celebrity chef Rocco DeSpirito was first to her side to assist. "One moment she was fine and dancing beautifully -- the next she was on the floor in agony," he commented. ABC doctors examined her fully yesterday and ruled she could not perform for the remainder of the seventh season.

Photo: ABC-TV

Misty with Wynn choreographer partner Maksim

Photo: ABC-TV

Toni Braxton's Viennese waltz.

It's the third injury this season for the DWTS cast. Roastmaster comic Jeffrey Ross, who was axed during Week One, was accidentally poked in his eye by pro-partner Edyta Sliwinski and his cornea was scratched. Then dancer Katrina Smirnoff, previously romantically linked here in Vegas with Mario Lopez, sprained her ankle during the first week of competition.

Now comes gossip that our Vegas reality star, Kim Kardashian, who was knocked off the show last week, may be brought back next week to take Misty's place -- until she's ko'd again! She flies home to Hollywood today from New Orleans and says she'll be ready if the producers decide to return her to the contest as the ongoing dramas continue.

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