Las Vegas Weekly

October 21, 2008 · 1:23 PM

Kickboxing routine slows Lance; medics watching Toni as drama spins for DWTS contestants

By Robin Leach

Photo: ABC TV

Lance and Lacy, doing the West Coast swing.

Photo: ABC TV

Toni and Alec, swinging in a West Coast fashion.

Dancing with the Stars hopeful Lance Bass wound up in a hospital emergency room over the weekend after sustaining a windpipe injury during a kickboxing routine to warm him up for dance rehearsals. Not only that but he, our hometown headline singing sweetheart Toni Braxton and the other remaining contestants all had to learn new routines this weekend that have never been done before on the show. The introduction of the hustle, the jitterbug, a modernized salsa and a West Coast swing number even had the ABC show’s professional dancers going “back to the books.” Some of them had never danced -- or learned -- those fancy footsteps.

Medics were on hand in the event that Toni’s heart-muscle problems returned because of the strain of rehearsals and the new high-energy dance numbers. So the drama really heated up last night (Monday) as the show reached the halfway mark for the season. Lance “Sir Dance-a-lot” started it off but slipped on the floor doing the West Coast swing and only scored 21 out of 30, with each judge awarding seven points and scolding his partner, Lacy Schwimmer, for “outshining” him. Toni was next up, also performing the West Coast swing, which earned her and partner Alec Mazzo 22 out of 30. Susan Lucci won another 22-point score for the hustle, despite revealing she was dancing with two bone fractures in her foot and had to undergo an MRI. Crusty 82-year-old Cloris Leachman danced a sexy salsa, filled with grinding and groping, which won her 21 points. Viewers vote tonight (Tuesday), and then it’s a toss-up as to whether Cloris stays or goes or a surprise awaits her tied contestant Lance.

Share This