Val Chmerkovskiy Reveals He Tested Positive for COVID and Will Miss DWTS Halloween Episode
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Momodu Mansaray/WireImage Val Chmerkovskiy
Val Chmerkovskiy has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Dancing with the Stars pro announced the news in a video on Instagram Friday, revealing that he will not be able to compete on Monday's Halloween-themed episode beside partner Gabby Windey.
"I've got some bad news, I unfortunately tested positive for COVID and will not be able to perform this Monday," Chmerkovskiy, 36, began in the clip. "It sucks majorly — for lack of a better, more profound word. But the good thing is that Gabby tested negative so we're still in it."
Continuing, Chmerkovskiy said, "The great thing is that we have some awesome pros on the show, one of them being Alan [Bersten] who's gonna step in, learn the routine and partner with Gabby this Monday."
He then reassured fans that he would "be back next week" and feels "fine" as he pleaded for everyone to "vote us through another week."
"This is a huge bummer, I'm very disappointed," he said. "I feel like I let some people down, and selfishly, was really looking forward to this week's routine, being Halloween, being Argentine Tango. I really love this routine 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."
"Again, thank you for all your support all season long," he added. "I feel fine, I will be back — this is a minor setback for a major comeback, and thank you."
In the comments section of his post, Chmerkovskiy also confirmed that his pregnant wife Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy is healthy. "Wifey is good too. She tested negative. ❤️" he wrote.
Windey, 31, and Chmerkovskiy have finished at the top of the leaderboard every week since the show premiered in September.
Last week, for DWTS' Michael Bublé-themed night, Windey and Chmerkovskiy earned a score of 46 out of 50 after performing a sensual Rumba to Bublé's song "Home".
Judge Derek Hough later called Windey a "sensational dancer" and praised her for the "absolutely gorgeous" and "phenomenal" dance number.
"Some of the shapes you did, even the greatest artist could not draw them more beautifully," fellow judge Bruno Tonioli said. "To me, it was perfect."
Eric McCandless/ABC Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy
Meanwhile, Bersten, 28, had been competing with country singer Jessie James Decker, and earned a 41 out of 50 after performing a Salsa to Bublé's song "Come Dance with Me".
Though the duo earned the title of Prom King and Queen the week earlier, and were praised by the judges this week for Decker's improvement, it was sadly not enough to save the couple at the end of the evening.
During the results, Bersten and Decker, as well as Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater, landed in the bottom two. The judges ultimately voted to save Donovan and Slater, which sent Bersten and Decker home in week 6.
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Dancing with the Stars airs live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT Mondays on Disney+.
