“Dancing With the Stars” pro Val Chmerkovskiy will miss Monday night’s Halloween episode, he shared on Friday after revealing he has COVID.
“I’ve got some bad news, I unfortunately tested positive for COVID and will not be able to perform this Monday,” said Chmerkovskiy in a video posted to Instagram. “But the good thing is that Gabby [Windey] tested negative so we’re still in [the competition].” He also noted in the comments that his pregnant wife, Jenna Johnson, has also tested negative.
Alan Bersten, who was eliminated with partner Jessie James Decker last week, will step in for Val for a Halloween-themed Argentinian tango.
“This is a huge bummer. I was really looking forward to this week’s routine,” Chmerkovskiy said. “But the good thing is Gabby knows it, Gabby’s ready and Alan’s gonna do a great job and you guys are gonna vote us through, so I’ll be back next week.”
He thanked fans for their support, saying, “I feel fine, I will be back. This is a minor setback for a major comeback, and thank you.” Val and Gabby were the first couple to earn a perfect score this season.
Windey responded to his post saying, “We’ll miss you!! Just want Jenna to stay safe and you to feel better!” The couple ended last week in a tie for second place on the leaderboard with Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev.
Earlier in the season, Daniella Karagach, Joseph Baena’s partner, tested positive for COVID and missed both Elvis Night and Bond Night on the Disney+ reality competition.
Seven other couples remain in the competition at this point. In leaderboard order, they are Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas, Shangela and Gleb Savchenko, Wayne Brady and Witney Carson, Jordin Sparks and Brandon Armstrong, Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart, Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater, and Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki.
