Such good news! Melissa Gilbert has returned to rehearsals today. She joked about her injury on Twitter. Below is more from ABC.
“Nobody puts Halfpint in the corner!” she tweeted to her actor friend Craig Bierko, referencing her character’s nickname from “Little House on the Prairie.”
Later, she tweeted that she was “very happy” to be back dancing with professional partner Maksim Chmerkovkiy.
Gilbert and Chmerkovskiy hurt themselves on Monday following an aggressive paso doble. Chmerkovskiy injured his elbow and pulled his groin; Gilbert suffered a mild concussion and whiplash and was taken to the hospital after feeling dizzy and nauseous backstage.
Gilbert was well enough to watch the show Tuesday night. In response to Sherri Shepherd’s elimination, she tweeted that she was “truly stunned.” “If they can go any of us is fair game!” she added. “This makes my head hurt even more…”
According to People.com, Maks has his protective hat on. Here is more for how Maks is reevaluating his ballroom tactics….
“I think we are coming back,” he says. “I’m pretty sure. It’s not up to me, it’s up to her, [but] I haven’t heard talks of not coming back. Although, if she wakes up tomorrow and continues to have a headache, I won’t let her in the studio.”
The week’s events do have the dance pro reevaluating his ballroom tactics, questioning if it’s worth it to put so much effort into the dances and risk injuries, only to be eliminated so quickly like favorite Sherri Shepherd, who got the boot on Tuesday.
“We owe it to our fans to give them a reason to vote for us,” he says. “I’ve always been very vocal about how you have to earn your stripes. But I’m not sure if this is the right strategy this season, because it’s clearly not appreciated.”
Even though Chmerkovskiy has “a problem with easy choreography,” he says, “Honestly, at this point, I’m not really sure if it’s worth killing yourself and trying to put on a show.”
I agree! They need to be really careful. Let’s hope all goes well!!
UPDATE: Maks has penned a new blog at TV Guide on Melissa’s condition, their rehearsals, and more. Below is a take. More at the link.
First things first, Melissa is doing well. She’s quite an inspiration. It’s not like her injury was a crazy trauma, but it’s definitely scary and not something you want to see on the show. This is not The Hunger Games. It’s Dancing with the Stars. It’s not without struggle and adversity, but it’s not a blood sport. We love to see people fall down and get up metaphorically speaking, not literally. Watching the playback made me think, “Am I doing the right thing? Am I pushing her too hard?” There was a lot of debating within myself. But Melissa and I spoke afterward on how to proceed and where we’re gonna go. We’re gonna try to take this week easier. It goes against everything I believe in and my process, but I’ve matured enough to understand that sometimes, certain things are not worth it. This is one of those moments where it’s not worth the drama and not worth putting her through it.
I think the show amplified her injury. Having said that, Melissa’s injury wasn’t really blown out of proportion, but we had to tell viewers what happened, why she got carried out with an oxygen mask and why she’s not here. The picture is dramatic, so we had to comment. Sometimes it becomes overdramatic afterward when people start talking, but she did almost pass out. She did take my leg out with her head so fast that she didn’t even remember that it happened. I didn’t even know it happened! It tells you how unexpected it was. At the same time, it was a very hard hit. It takes a lot to take my leg out. Her neck is very sore. Those are facts. When you hear that, you can take it as you wish and then people start writing things and talking about it. Honestly, I would take her falling over backwards and hitting her head over what happened. What happened is more dangerous. She has a fused vertebrae in her neck area. Her doctor came to her house and said that she should not attempt to be a hero.
Rehearsals are going well. We are taking it easier. I’m going at her pace. If I see any sign of any kind of anything, I’m stopping. She’s like, “Let’s continue.” I’m like, “No, we’re stopping.” I think we’ll be fine on Monday. More than anything, I really respect how cool we are as friends. We’re very cool together. I was speaking to someone and they said, “She loves you. She talks about you all the time. She really likes hanging out with you.” This is a person who has nothing to do with us. I’m not saying this to toot my horn or something, but I thought it was very sweet. And I love spending time with her. I really do feel that we’re not fake with each other. We’re have each other’s best interests in mind. I’m trying to be the supportive partner and someone who has her back. That means that I alter my views on what the dance should be. As long as she’s happy and smiling and healthy, I’m good.
