ABC Cheryl Burke & Cody Rigsby have both tested positive for COVID-19.
Season 30 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” kicked off on Monday, September 20, 2021, and the second episode of the season, which will feature the first elimination, is set for Monday, September 27. Unfortunately, professional dancer Cheryl Burke has announced that she will not be attending the second live show.
In an Instagram video captioned “Have some difficult news to share…” on Sunday, September 26, Burke announced that she tested positive for COVID-19 via a PCR test and will have to quarantine for 10 days before she is back on the show.
In the three-minute video, Burke explains the situation as she drives to get tested for COVID-19.
“Unfortunately, I am on my way to take a COVID test because, not only do I feel scared and at a loss for words, I do feel run down a little bit, and I feel really sad because I don’t want to let Cody [Rigsby] down,” Burke shared.
She added that she’s fully vaccinated and that the fact she could have gotten COVID is “crazy.”
Burke Has to Quarantine for 10 Days
After stopping the video to go get tested for COVID-19, Burke shares that she tested positive.
“Okay guys, bad news, I have tested positive, which means I have COVID,” she tells the camera while she drives. “I just got the news now, and I’ve been anticipating, just waiting around since 7 a.m. and it’s 4 p.m. here in LA and I’ve been feeling progressively worse.”
She later adds while holding back tears, “I just feel so bad. I feel so bad for Cody. I don’t know what he’s gonna do now. I just feel like sh** to be honest, and it’s Sunday and the show is tomorrow.”
She said she was letting her followers know because being “real” and “open” is important to her.
“I just hope I didn’t spread it. For those of you who don’t feel like it’s a real thing, it’s f***ing real dude. So, I have to quarantine for 10 days,” Burke says before sharing that she hadn’t even gone home yet because she was waiting for test results.
The professional dancer got a lot of love and support from other professional dancers on the show in the comments.
“Cheryl sending you so much love,” Emma Slater wrote.
Britt Stewart commented, “Cheryl praying for you and sending you so much love.”
What Does This Mean for Cody Rigsby?
ABC has yet to comment about whether or not Burke’s partner Cody Rigsby will be allowed to stay in the competition. It will likely have to do with when the last time he had close contact with Burke was.
There is the possibility that there’s a full run-through of the couple’s performance that was filmed during rehearsals, and the judges could use that footage as a way to give out scores for the week. That doesn’t help with next week, however, when Burke will again not be able to compete. She also will not be able to attend any rehearsals for the next 9 days.
If Rigsby is allowed to compete, he will do so with one of the alternate dancers of the season. In fact, the two new professional dancers were brought on for this exact situation.
The two new pros, according to ABC’s official tweet about them, “will not be partnered with celebrities for season 30 but their talents will be showcased throughout the competing couples’ performances.”
According to ET Online, the dancers are ready to go if any professional dancer becomes injured or gets sick during filming.
The female pro who would likely step in alongside Rigsby is Sofia Ghavami. Ghavami was born in Miami, Florida and competed on “So You Think You Can Dance.”
She is also known for her time as a professional dancer on “Mira Quién Baila,” according to the outlet. She’s also been on tour with the famous “Dancing With the Stars” brothers Valentin and Maksim Chmerkovskiy as well as Peta Murgatroyd when they went out on their “MVP Confidential” tour.
“Dancing With the Stars” airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.
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