Las Vegas Weekly

October 21, 2008 · 11:35 PM

Toni’s axed from DWTS as new medical drama centers on Vegas dancer

By Robin Leach

Julianne Hough dances with Cody Linley on Tuesday, moments before she fell ill and was hospitalized.

Photo: ABC TV

Former Las Vegas Academy student Julianne Hough, who is one of the dance professionals on Dancing with the Stars and is partnered with Hannah Montana actor Cody Linley, was rushed to hospital after last night’s (Tuesday’s) broadcast. She had been complaining of stomach pains during the day, and right after she danced she collapsed.

Her mother, who was in the audience, rode with her in the ambulance that had been on standby in the event of a medical problem with Toni Braxton. Luxe Life is monitoring this developing story.

As the field narrowed on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars, our two favorites, hometown headline singer Toni Braxton and Vegas visitor Lance Bass, hovered last night dangerously near the bottom of the judge’s voting tallies. Toni scored a 22 and Lance tied with Cloris Leachman with just 21 points as the lowest scores of the round. Susan Lucci, who danced with two fractures in a bone in her foot, even scored better with 22!

The top-rated ABC show has now reached its halfway mark, and Luxe Life goes on record with the prediction that Brooke Burke will probably wind up the eventual winner. However, last night it was time for the viewers to bring the axe down on another couple. The minutes ticked by in agony until, right down to the wire in the closing seconds, host Tom Bergeron announced that Lance, Cloris and Susan were “safe” for yet another week and that -- in a stunning and sad upset surprise -- our local femme fatale, Toni Braxton was axed from the show.

FormerMarried With Children star Ted McGinley, who was the second celebrity KO’d, told me at the Blush first anniversary party in the Wynn that all the axed stars will return for a last dance before the finals. DWTS co-host Samantha Harris told me at Blush: “The bar has been raised this season. We have the best and strongest dancers of all the shows to date this season. It’s a very tough challenge this time around.”

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