Bill Nye Injured During 'Dancing With the Stars' Performance
Bill Nye might be a science whiz who can school most of us in physics and biology, but all that knowledge wasn't enough to keep the 57-year-old safe on the dance floor.
Nye suffered a knee injury during his "Dancing With the Stars" performance with partner Tyne Stecklein Monday night. "We can confirm Bill Nye was injured during his performance last night and is currently seeking medical attention," an ABC rep told omg! Insider. "We will continue to keep you posted on his progress."
He's scheduled for a MRI and possibly, according to the website Rumorfix, undergoing surgery.
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Nye might as well be called "the popular guy" when it comes to ABC's long-running dance competition. Already in the season, he's emerged as a clear fan favorite, despite low scores and some harsh critiques from the judges.
Video of Nye's premiere-night cha-cha – which scored a lowly 14 points — went viral. On Monday night's show, "DWTS" co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet told USA Today that the clip had close to 3 million hits on YouTube, the most of any dance in the competition's history.
Watch his Nye's "DWTS" dance:
Nye's wiggy Week 2 dance with partner Tyne Stecklein saw him donning a headpiece for a 17-point paso doble that judge Carrie Ann Inaba described as a "weird, bizarre masterpiece of insanity." Bruno Tonioli told the PBS icon, "You nearly blew a gasket!" Still, the fans love this science guy.
And here's that paso doble:
Injuries have become a regular theme on the dancing competition show. Last season, Olympic legend Dorothy Hamill withdrew on doctor's orders after suffering a spine injury during the first week of competition. Melissa Rycroft herniated a disc during her season of the show, while Melissa Gilbert also hurt her back.
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Gilles Marini underwent surgery to treat a separated shoulder, and even much-battered reality star Steve-O was hurt — and it had nothing to do with his "Jackass" co-stars. Former Member of Congress Tom DeLay quit the show three weeks into its ninth season due to a foot fracture.
When Nye's "DWTS" casting was announced, he wrote that during his dancing mission he'd be "fighting decades of bad posture," which could ultimately be his "undoing." But the competitive contestant also vowed that he's in this adventure to win it. With any luck (and a positive MRI), his fans are hoping to see him back experimenting in the ballroom next week.
Check out "DWTS" performance photos:
"Dancing With the Stars" Season 17 airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
