The Dancing With the Stars contestants will keep on dancing till the world ends, although one of those pairs will no longer do so in front of a TV audience.
On Monday, Oct. 4, ABC’s competition show devoted the episode to Britney Spears‘ music with “Britney Night,” giving the contestants a way to send the embattled pop star support amid her ongoing conservatorship battle.
The contestants and judges experienced some challenges of their own this week. After dance pro Cheryl Burke tested positive for COVID-19 the day before the Sept. 27 episode, partner Cody Rigsby learned later that week that he, too, received a positive diagnosis. This meant the pair would have to dance virtually from their own homes, rather than performing from the ballroom.
Additionally, host Tyra Banks explained that judge Derek Hough was absent from the episode “due to a potential COVID exposure,” although he has tested negative and is fully vaccinated. As a result, each pair’s scores would be out of only a potential 30 points this week, with Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli handling the evaluations, just like the old days.