Dancing With the Stars Injuries

all it a curse or strike of bad luck as "DWTS" contestants suffer injuries

Another contestant on "Dancing With the Stars" has been injured. Melissa Rycroft, the "Bachelor" star, was missing from the dance competition lineup on the April 27, 2009, show after a rib injury during rehearsal. She is set to return to the show next week.

"Dancing With the Stars" contestant Holly Madison experienced pain in her torso while rehearsing the tango for the show March 26, 2009. A medical evaluation ruled out what was initially believed to be a broken rib. "While she is not suffering from a broken rib, she does continue to feel a great deal of discomfort and was prescribed pain medication," Madison's rep told Usmagazine.com. "She is committed to the show and her partner, Dmitry, and will rest when she can. She fully hopes and, at this time expects, to dance Monday." Madison's name can be added to a long list of the show's injured stars. She replaced singer Jewel, who suffered a dance-related injury before the show's premiere.

Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak can now add his name to the expanding "Dancing With the Stars" injury list. Wozniak, who had a fractured foot, pulled his hamstring during rehearsal March 20, 2009, according to E! News. He will remain in the competition despite his injury. The show's host Tom Bergeron commented on the number of injuries, saying, "I hope I'm not the cause. But you got to remember the two shows I host at ABC have the highest injury count on network television: "America's Funniest Videos" and now "Dancing With the Stars." It could be me. Oh God, now I'm paranoid!"

Call it the curse of reality televsion, as new "Dancing with the Stars" contestants have left the show due to injuries. Singer Jewel (pictured with dancing partner Dmitry Chaplin) fractured the tibiae in her lower legs while practicing for the competition. "When the doctors told me my injuries were so severe that I couldn't walk, let alone compete, I was devastated that I couldn't continue the show," Jewel said. "I have every intention of being at 'Dancing With the Stars' this season supporting my husband, Ty [Murray], and his partner Chelsie. I hope to be back on the show in the future."

"Access Hollywood" host Nancy O'Dell was also hurt while practicing for the show. O'Dell suffered from a torn meniscus in her knee that will require surgery. "Beyond disappointment doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about not being able to continue on 'Dancing With the Stars.' It has been one of my favorite shows since season one," O'Dell said.

Marie Osmond stunned television viewers when she suddenly collapsed during a taping of "Dancing With the Stars" on Oct. 22, 2007. As the show cut to a commercial, Osmond started to rise and was helped by others. Osmond explained on-air that "once in a while that happens to me when I get winded. I stop breathing." She later went on to win third place on season five. When she learned that Donny had been asked to appear on a future show, she objected. Marie said, "I don't want him to do it. Donnie has a very bad neck; he almost was paralyzed. He was in Hawaii playing with his family, bodysurfing, and he snapped his vertebrae. He's had several surgeries, and so for him to do that show, I think would be really stupid because it's hard"

Cristian de la Fuente suffered an arm injury during a "Dancing With the Stars" episode April 28, 2008. As Fuente and his dancing partner, Cheryl Burke, performed a samba, his left forearm was visibly in pain toward the end of the routine. Right before the commercial break, the Chilean model and actor was doubled over in pain before he was taken to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Doctors reported that he had suffered a ruptured tendon in his left bicep. The following week, he returned to perform with an injured arm. He was eliminated May 20, 2008 in third place.

Reality star Kim Kardashian almost lost her chance to compete on the popular show "Dancing with the Stars" when she cut her foot on a mirror in a hotel room Aug. 24, 2008. Kardashian said she lost "so much blood, it looked like a murder scene." She did recover in time to appear on the show's opening Sept. 22, 2008. She became the third participant to exit the show after the reality series' premiere.

Jeffrey Ross had trouble keeping his eye on the ballroom floor during rehearsal Sept. 22, 2008, when partner Edyta Sliwinska accidentally poked him in it. Unfortunately, the injury won him little sympathy; he was kicked off of the first show during season seven. "I really feel like my ego is intact, because it was a freak accident. I only lost because I got hurt. Because I was able to dance, I showed myself, my family and everybody watching that I shouldn't have been the first one out," he told "The Insider."

"Dancing With the Stars" pro Karina Smirnoff twisted her ankle while rehearsing on the set Sept. 22, 2008. Smirnoff, 30, was celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito's dancing partner this season. The two were voted off Oct. 14, 2008.

Cloris Leachman, the 82-year-old actress who was eliminated Oct. 28, 2008 from "DWTS," due to continuous low scores from the judges, was recently hospitalized with pneumonia. Her spokesman said she was home resting after experiencing shortness of breath on Nov. 15, 2008. "She is expected to tape something for 'Dancing With the Stars' later this week," the spokeswoman said. Leachman became the oldest contestant ever when she appeared on season seven's "Dancing With the Stars."

"All My Children" actress Susan Lucci is one of the many contestants on "Dancing With the Stars" plagued by injuries. Although she twisted her ankle during an early rehearsal Oct. 21, 2008, she kept her dancing shoes on for the show. After the injury, she said, "My foot feels fine. No pain right now. I'm taking it a week at a time, and I'm hoping me and Tony's fans will continue to vote for us." The duo eventually finished in sixth place. Lucci is 61 years old, which after Cloris Leachman at 82, made her season No. 7's second-oldest competitor.

Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor's "Dancing With the Stars" days ended abruptly when she tore her Achilles tendon Oct. 3, 2008, while rehearsing a jive dance with with professional partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. May-Treanor's injury is the third so far this season. Eliminated comedian Jeffrey Ross suffered a scratched cornea during rehearsal and dancer Karina Smirnoff twisted her ankle just before the season seven premiere.

Brooke Burke was one of the unlucky stars to fall victim to injury during the "Dancing With the Stars" rehearsal. Burke, who was performing the jitterbug with partner Derek Hough during a camera blocking rehearsal Oct. 19, 2008, came down hard on her right foot while doing a front flip in the high-energy routine. Burke's foot injury is the third to occur this season on "DWTS."

Former N'Syncer Lance Bass broke his toe in the seventh season of "Dancing With the Stars" while doing the samba. He continues to compete on the show, despite the injury. "I can't believe we're still standing, but everyone is so good this season. These next few weeks are going to be insane," he told MTV News during rehearsals with his partner "So You Think You Can Dance" alumna Lacey Schwimmer, who suffered from the early stages of endometriosis in Oct. Endometriosis is a painful condition in which uterine-lining tissue migrates outside the uterus and grows on the surfaces of organs. It affects 5 percent to 10 percent of women. Because Schwimmer's diagnosis was in the early stages, she did not have to undergo surgery.

The "Dancing With the Stars" injury list increased when professional dancer Julianne Hough was diagnosed with endometriosis, and later went on to receive an appendectomy. Hough was hospitalized Oct. 21, 2008, after she complained of having a stomach pain during a dance performance on the show. Her dancing partner, the former "Hannah Montana" actor Cody Linley, was visibly shaken after Hough returned to the show on Nov. 12, 2008. "It really, truly has been amazing. Julianne taught me everything I know," Linley said. The two were voted off after a salsa competition on Nov. 18, 2008.