‘Dancing with the Stars’: Could ABC change rules after Amy Purdy, Danica McKellar injuries?
We’ve been down this road many times before with “Dancing with the Stars,” and we are now staring at it plainly in the face again: The possibility of ABC doing something to change the rules of their ballroom dancing competition in order to try and curtain the injuries that have plagued the competition as of late.
Just in the past two weeks, we have seen Danica McKellar suffer a rib break that cast concern about whether or not she could continue in the competition, and this week, Amy Purdy’s status has also been in question. While there are freak accidents that can happen anytime you dance, many injuries over the years have been attributed to the fact that you rehearse around the clock to be good at these routines, that way yo can stay until the end of the competition and take home the Mirrorball Competition. There is motivation for contestants to stay in the game as long as possible. Even if they are not trying to win the trophy, they at least want to project a personality that appeals them to future employers after the show. Therefore, they literally are dancing for their careers, and sometimes that means putting in crazy hours.
So what can you do calm things down a little bit? According to E! News, executives are considering rule changes to better ensure that the contestants have more time to rest and prevent injuries. Will this really happen? It’s hard to say. The great performances on the show are brought on by rigorous rehearsals, and if there are weaker performances in future seasons, it’s possible that viewers will notice. The truth of the matter, though, is that the network will need to institute harsher rules if they want the contestants to get more rest, since some will continue to work and work until they hit their limits.
We’ll find out on Monday what Purdy’s state is, but above all what we’ll say on this story is simple: If you want to avoid injury, don’t go on this show. Smaller amounts of rehearsal time could help to prevent problems, but the biggest way to ensure safety is to never be put in a situation where you can hurt yourself in the first place.
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Photo: ABC