Update On Protester Incident, DWTS Re-Evaluating Security, Pros And Celebs Head Back To Rehearsals
According to Good Morning America this morning, the protesters who stormed the stage on Dancing With The Stars are out of jail now. They comment on why they did it below (rolleyes). In the GMA report, note how the show is re-evaluating their security protocols and they are increasing security.
Cheryl Burke is still shaken by the incident. A source tells People that “She can’t believe people can be so hateful and cowardly.” According to another People report, Ryan is suffering from an ankle injury because of the incident. Cheryl also comments that everyone is still shaken by what happened, but, they were able to rehearse yesterday and are moving forward. Be sure to read both People links for more.
This morning, I got up and headed to rehearsal with the other pro dancers. Everyone is definitely a little shaken up about what happened, but it’s good to be dancing and focused on next week’s show.
I’m sure security will be increased for Monday’s show but, honestly, I still feel 100 percent safe in the ballroom. We have an amazing security team who have worked on the show for years and they are incredible.
This afternoon I’m headed to rehearse with Ryan. I know it will probably take us a few weeks to put this incident behind us, but I know Ryan wants to move forward and he’s not going to let this bring him down.
We have a quickstep this week and Ryan did injure his ankle a little when the protester got tackled, so we’ll have to see how our first rehearsal goes. But at the end of the day, we are all just so grateful that no one was more seriously injured.
This is a family-friendly show that should never be the source of any hate. It’s about celebrating dance and making people happy and I look forward to getting back to that next week.
Cheryl also spoke with Entertainment Tonight.
Burke said that her first concern was that the man was armed, and with children in the audience, things could quickly go from bad to tragic. But security rapidly responded to put a stop to the protest.
“I looked up to Ryan and I could tell he was on the verge of tears. I could feel his heart sinking into his stomach – and to be honest, mine was too,” she recalled. “I started getting teary eyed and apparently was shaking… I just wanted to be strong for Ryan.”
It breaks my heart to read about Cheryl and Ryan and how they felt. And it makes me mad that people joke that Ryan jumped behind Cheryl for protection when the protester got tackled. When actually, the security guard flung his body at the protester and bumped Ryan out of the way, which was probably when Ryan hurt his ankle.
And I wish the media would stop putting these protesters on TV. It encourages more people to get publicity by doing things like this.
I hope Ryan dances well next week! I’m rooting for him even more now.
People suck. That’s all I gotta say. Hopefully those 2 cowards will NEVER be allowed back into a DWTS show ever again!
Cheryl, if you read this, please tell Ryan that those of us who truly love this show, are in his corner! Good luck and I hope his ankle feels better!
Here’s what I actually find very unsettling about the whole thing: the number of people that seemed to think that what these protesters did was completely fine. The number of tweets I got trying to justify the whole thing simply because the protesters “weren’t violent” was sickening. I think the only reason that the protesters weren’t able to injure anyone was because they were stopped by security before they could get any further – and honestly, if a protester is coming at me screaming angrily, for safety’s sake I have to assume they’re out to inflict bodily harm, and security is well within their rights in subduing them. This was not a “peaceful” protest – this was an inappropriate disruption of a live broadcast on private property. If they wanted to protest outside the studio, fine. But during the show, while the cameras are rolling? I don’t think so, kids. I have to wonder if some are kinda lumping this in with what Kaepernick is doing/ongoing BLM protests/etc, and are more likely to assume fault on the part of the show, Lochte, and security than the protesters themselves. One guy claiming to be “Amber Rose’s lawyer” (debateable, since this guy only had 2K followers and looked like he was about 12 in his profile pic) said that the protesters were “nonviolent and peaceful” and that the only violence was when the security guards tackled them. Others seemed to imply that it was the show’s fault for casting Lochte, and that they should have expected things like this to happen as a result. My head was spinning by the time I got done reading through those tweets. To those who thought everything the protesters did was A-OK, I really would like to show up to their home or office and post up and scream “LIAR!” to them as they try to go about their day. Hey, I’m not being violent…and if it was ok for the protesters to do it on DWTS, then it’s totally fine for me to do it there.
Madness…utter madness…
Couldn’t agree more, Everyone!!
I wish these protesters would stop getting air time. Why is GMA interviewing them? I feel like that gives them a sense of validation. I don’t care what their reasons for doing their protest was, they shouldn’t have done it on the show. Yes, Ryan lied and made a mistake, but get over it. People do dumb shit all the time and do a lot worse things than what he did.
I felt absolutely terrible for Ryan and Cheryl after the incident, and Cheryl’s blog about it made me tear up. I’m glad that all of the DWTS people have come together in support of them. I hope the rest of the season can move on without a hitch and I hope that America just lets Ryan dance.
To the one protester who’s complaining of bruises from getting tackled, I have two words to say to you “Bitch, please”.
One tv host even thought it was DWTS fault for letting these people in wearing those anti Lochte shirts. Really? Like DWTS would ever let anyone in wearing the shirts. Obviously the shorts were under their clothes.
I still think it was an inside job. How could all those people get good tickets like that?
I don’t disagree with what these two said but I do disagree with what they did. Still, I feel that there is something amiss with this whole situation. I’m also surprised that this sort of stunt hasn’t been tried before and it likely will again. DWTS might be wise to also improve upon their casting discretion along with those security protocols.
I wonder if these people that didn’t have a problem with it would feel if somone burst in to their workplace or super market while they were there and started yelling in aggressive manner particularly if their children were there
I have to disagree with people who want the casting protocol changed. Part of the appeal of DWTS in my opinion is the redemption/new perspective we get. Andy Dick, Lil Kim, Warren Sapp, Hope Solo,etc. all had been in the spotlight for some serious moral/criminal issues before the show. Maurice Greene joined the show less than 6 months after some pretty serious doping allegations. Sadie Robertson’s family had a history of really inflammatory comments. That’s to say nothing of political figures like Bristol Palin and Rick Perry. I’m at a loss about how Lochte is the tipping point for some people who act like this is the first person to ever be in trouble and do the show.
Bottom line- there’s a lot of people that someone might want to “protest” on this show. Don’t watch, rant on facebook, whatever. But when you start putting someone’s safety in question and Cheryl Burke says her first thought is that the protestors might be armed you’ve crossed a line. I’m seriously pissed at people who think this is remotely ok or something that Ryan (or any other contestant) should have to tolerate.
@Chayse – I may have missed something along the line in the discussion (I’ve been slipping in and out of Pure all day), but I thought people were more talking about the protocol for audience members, rather than the celebs themselves. As I understand it, pretty much any Tom, Dick, or Harry can get general admission tickets to DWTS – it’s just a matter of first come, first serve. I’m wondering now if they’re going to have to do a bit more screening of audience members – maybe making potential audience members fill out a profile of sorts at the beginning of the season before they’re even allowed to get tickets? Having a database of people who have applied for tickets, and only making them available to vetted audience members? Idk – but now that people have seen that folks like the protesters can slip in without issue, I think more troublemakers are going to be trying to get in and make a ruckus.
And just circling back to what I said earlier – it truly is appalling how some people will point the finger at everyone EXCEPT the protesters to shoulder the blame for what happened. It’s mind-blowing to me how, as a society, people are so reluctant to hold people accountable for their own actions. We can hold Lochte accountable for his – but it’s somehow not the protester’s fault that they showed up to DWTS, rushed the stage, and interrupted the broadcast. If that’s the tack people want to take these days, then I’m just gonna start karate-chopping people in the neck like Miss Piggy and saying “Can’t blame me – you said something stupid, I just reacted to it!”
@Courtney- I was addressing wynn’s earlier comment a little but mostly previous comments I’ve seen online- not necessarily Pure. I’ve seen a lot of “well, what do you expect when you cast Lochte” or “DWTS is at fault for casting him- they really need to vet their contestants better”
With audience members, I don’t know how they fix it. I mean, they could take away signs and stuff but its not like they could strip search people or check every article of clothing. I mean, I guess they could set the audience seating further back and set up some sort of perimeter, but that seems extreme.
Chayse: “I’m at a loss about how Lochte is the tipping point for some people who act like this is the first person to ever be in trouble and do the show.”
It is indeed a curious phenom as the furor over Lochte seems greater than all the previous controversial contestants combined. Heck, even this very season, there is another contestant with a decades’ long rap sheet that gets ne’re a mention. It seems this phenom is some formula of notoriety, timing and extent. For instance, on the examples you gave, the celebs were either not themselves the offender, household names, super current, nor capable of inciting international incidents (plus Olympic athletes are held to higher standards of conduct in general). I also don’t know if there was any fabrication in a cover up attempt in those cases (which I gather is mostly why people are so up in arms with Ryan). In his case, at this stage, it comes off to some as a save face more than a heatfelt redemption with DWTS the exploitation vehicle (although, to the show’s possinle credit, there were murmurs that the contract with Ryan had been negotiated prior to the Rio incident and the show couldn’t back out despite wanting to).
I’m all about sensibility, ownership and accountability all around whether it be contestants, protestors, casting or even a show plant/ploy. Monday night could have been REALLY ugly had the protestors had weapons and, as discussed above, how many security measures can be provided before it changes the landscape of the show assuming it hasn’t already been? I know TPTB are tempted by intrigue and ratings, but now that the wackos appear to be storming the stage, they may want to take more consideration and caution in the future as extra insurance.
The hate that Derek is getting on twitter is also shocking and it kinda sheds a light on the mentality of people who are still up in arms about Locte. The names that Derek was called by these people is telling – faux patriots up in arms over Ryan calling Derek all sorts of names and spouting some serious hate (including a few calling him a “fag”) – kind of boggles the mind that they don’t see the hypocrisy of their actions. Their behavior is just as bad or worse. Ryan’s acted like an idiot…these people are just plain sick.
I don’t use Twitter and am very sorry to hear that a decent, kind man, like Derek, has to put up with hateful words when he stands up against inappropriate behavior on live TV. The protestors have a right to their beliefs but do not have the right to disrupt a television show and cause fear. If they want to protest, then they should get a permit and do it outside! I commend Derek Hough for demonstrating the strength of his convictions. Too bad that lesser human beings are so shortsighted and will try to further disrupt and/or punish Derek via technology. I respect the man, in more ways than one.
#14 – “faux patriots up in arms over Ryan calling Derek all sorts of names”
I’m like Joanne B. – I don’t use twitter. Are you telling us, PH, that Ryan was calling Derek names for standing up to the protesters??? (I know I’m missing something here)
Re: Marilu being a ringer at 64 – This is the reason why I don’t like Derek doing the show anymore! Who needs this crap in their life, especially if you embrace positivity like Derek does??? Makes me feel sick whenever I read it actually!
If I were in charge, I would have security officers stationed every ten feet along the perimeter of the ballroom. If that obstructs the view for those seats, then simply don’t fill those seats for several rows up.
I’m not sure how many aisles they have between the seats, but I’d station a security guard halfway up each aisle.
They also might want to have some LAPD officers on hand in the ballroom as well.
You don’t want to make the heightened security kill the fun mood in the ballroom, but in a way that extra visibility NEEDS to be seen.
I’m actually not surprised that people are being so awful about Derek. They think they’re being clever when they bash him, but actually they’re just showing they’re own ignorance. Thank goodness Derek has such an aura of positivity around him.
Sometimes I think people are so awful because they see love, kindness, and light and it highlights how much those things are missing in their own life, so they lash out even more. It’s a sad way to go through life.
No, Meggie – rednecks on twitter were calling him names for “standing up for Lochte”. I think I left out an important comma in the sentence you quoted. 🙂
Yeah, the Marilu as ringer thing is so ridiculous that I just automatically assume the speaker is a moron. Seriously. So, folks – be advised that I will seriously question your mental capacity. I didn’t hear the cries of “ringer” when Florence Henderson was on the show – and she’s done more broadway than Marilu has.
Thanks, Heidi! I get it now! (the sentence I mean, not the name calling!)