The show is about dancing, how dangerous can it be?
Before Season 8’s “Dancing With the Stars” debuted two weeks ago, two celebrity contestants were already on the injured list and off the program.
“Access Hollywood” co-anchor Nancy O’Dell suffered a torn meniscus, requiring surgery, and singer Jewel sustained fractures in both tibiae (shinbones). Actor Gilles Marini reported a left shoulder injury and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has injured his foot and was recently photographed wearing a removable cast.
And ballroom might have gotten the best of Steve-O, survivor of innumerable outrageous “Jackass” stunts. He said dancing might be responsible for torn muscles causing inflammation and pinched nerves in his back.
They join a growing list of the show’s previous celebs-turned-dancers who have been injured during practice, rehearsals or taping: Olympic volleyball player Misty May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon, actor Christian de la Fuente ruptured his biceps, and actress Susan Lucci sprained her ankle.
Injuries aren’t racked up this fast on “Survivor,” with its camping and wilderness shtick, or “The Biggest Loser,” which tortures the morbidly obese. This is only ballroom dance, right? The “only” is the rub.
Don’t be blinded by the blinged-out costumes. The discipline is far more demanding — physically and mentally — than most people realize, even for the fittest competitors. Champion dancers make it look effortless, but the audience never sees the years of blood, sweat and training.
Celebs go from zero to 60 when they begin working out, training several hours a day (often in high heels) for about four weeks leading up to the show, then continue training during it. The regimen is more intense than that for beginners or even pros, putting enormous demands on bodies and psyches. It’s a perfect formula, say health experts, for overuse injuries. One misstep or mind-wandering moment, and pop! There goes that tendon.
The injuries could almost be expected, says Ken Richards, vice president of DanceSport for USA Dance, the national governing body of DanceSport, the competitive version of ballroom dance. Ballroom dancing isn’t the same, physically, as running on a treadmill, jumping around during aerobics or even dancing by yourself.
“Moving with a partner takes a different kind of coordination, and that may be taking (contestants) into a different comfort level,” he says.
The difficulty factor ratchets up when you factor in dancing in hot, restricting tuxedos or skimpy costumes and elaborate head wear; having stage fright; learning complex choreography; looking graceful; and keeping the beat while smiling.
And those heels — it’s one thing to walk in them, quite another to rumba.
