Dancing with the Stars Season 33 has come a long way from its first pair of high-profile eliminations, with a few episodes left to go before the winning pair is granted the Mirrorball trophy. Fans can look forward to seeing the show represented later in 2024 TV schedule with ABC's Christmas special, but Alfonso Ribeiro unfortunately suffered an injury while filming a dance number.
The special is currently in production in Florida at Walt Disney World, with Julianne Hough also taking part. According to TMZ, the Fresh Prince vet was in the midst of filming a dance routine when he stepped errantly on a trolley rail and rolled his right ankle.
Soon after, Ribeiro was understandably in pain, and he was seen wrapping his arms around the shoulders of Hough and a crew member to keep himself standing without putting any pressure on his right foot. Another crew member brought a chair for him to sit in before he was eventually put into a wheelchair. It's also reported that he vomited into a nearby trashcan.
When Will Alfonso Ribeiro Return To Dancing With The Stars After Injury?
The update from TMZ states that Alfonso Ribeiro suffered a minor ankle injury, but was otherwise not suffering any further lasting injuries. In fact, he was reportedly heading back to continue filming for the Dancing with the Stars holiday special, although without confirming whether or not he'd be dancing again.
Beyond that, it looks like viewers won't need to worry about him missing the milestone 500th episode filming on Tuesday, November 12. It's specifically said that he'll "participate in filming" the installment, which sounds like he might not be back in full capacity, but perhaps that's just reading too much into word choice.
In any case, it's great news to hear that the AFV host's ankle injury isn't as big of a potential obstacle as it seemed when it was initially reported. How much of a bummer would it have been for Ribeiro to have to miss out on such a huge night for the show due to a dancing injury?
On the way to its Season 33 finale, dancers Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson have been on a three-week winning streak, though Danny Amendola and Witney Carson shared top honors ahead of Halloween Nightmares Night's divisive elimination. Interestingly enough, that streak was preceded by the all-star pair Brandon Armstrong and Chandler Kinney taking the top score for the first four weeks of the competition.
Dancing with the Stars is set to debut its landmark 500th episode on Tuesday, November 12, at 8:00 p.m. on ABC, and is streaming for those with Disney+ subscriptions.
