Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

[hawaiiansteel]

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Kym Johnson injured, rushed to hospital on a stretcher

By ANTOINETTE BUENO
May 13, 2011




'Dancing with the Stars' dancer Kym Johnson, Hines Ward's partner this season, has just been carried out of rehearsals on a stretcher that's being brought to a L.A. hospital. No word yet on her condition or what caused the ambulance to be called.

Our cameras caught up with a very serious and concerned Hines Ward outside of the hospital, where he told us that he didn't know what was going on, but was going in to find out.

Kym's rep states that she injured herself during rehearsals today and was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures, to assure that she is ok.

The dancing duo has remained a favorite to win the Mirror Ball trophy in the show's 12th season, consistently receiving high scores from judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

[url="http://www.etonline.com/news/110760_Dancing_with_the_Stars_Kym_Johnson_Taken_Ou t_on_a_Stretcher_Hines_Ward_Reacts/index.html"]http://www.etonline.com/news/110760_Dan ... index.html[/url]

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Hines will likely have her sleeping in his hyperbaric chamber all weekend to heal up.

Hines Ward's partner Kym Johnson injured but will resume DWTS
Friday, May 13, 2011
By Maria Sciullo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The dancing show must go on -- Kym Johnson and Hines Ward are expected to compete Monday on ABC's "Dancing With The Stars" despite Ms. Johnson suffering a neck injury at rehearsal earlier today.

The Australian dancer was taken to a Los Angeles hospital for tests.

Shortly after 9 pm EST, the network released a statement saying she is bruised and wearing a neck brace but plans to return for next week's semifinals round:

"Kym Johnson was admitted to the hospital today immediately after falling and injuring her neck during practice. After several tests, she was cleared by the medical staff, though she is bruised, sore and currently wearing a neck brace. Kym plans to continue with Hines Ward in the competition and resume rehearsals as soon as possible."

Ms. Johnson, who has put Steelers wide receiver Ward through his paces into nine weeks of competition on the ABC competitive reality show, "Dancing With The Stars," was taken to the hospital on a stretcher and wearing a neck brace. An Entertainment Tonight video had the details. Jane Negline, her publicist, released an initial statement that said the dancer went "for precautionary measures, to assure she is OK."

Two hours after the news broke, there was cautious optimism on various fan sites, and professional Louis van Amstel, who was eliminated two weeks ago with Kendra Wilkinson, tweeted "@Kym_Johnson I'm glad to hear you're fine!!!! Xoxo."

Then, on his Facebook site, Mr. Ward shared an upbeat post with worried fans:

"I want to update you on my partner Kym. Kym was admitted to the hospital today after falling and injuring her neck during our practice. After several tests, she was cleared by the medical staff but she is bruised, sore and wearing a neck brace right now. Kym plans to continue with me in the competition and get back to rehearsals as soon as possible. Steeler Nation -- please show her some love. She is awesome! Hines."

What started as somewhat of a lark has become a personal challenge for Mr. Ward, the only non-actor among those who qualified for the show's semifinals. He and Ms. Johnson originally were putting in six to eight hours of rehearsal a day, when each team was required to choreograph and perform just one number.

But as they progressed to the later rounds -- the finale is May 23 and 24 -- Ms. Ward and Ms. Johnson were spending up to 10 hours at a time in studios around West Hollywood.

"Now it really kicks in," she said last week in anticipation of working up two separate dances as well as a bonus dance.

Following the Tuesday night results shows, which end at 7 p.m. EST and are followed by an hour or so of media interviews, it isn't unusual for the advancing teams to sit down and begin planning for the following week. Other commitments such as TV and radio appearances take away from practice time, and on Sundays the teams are required to work through their blocking on the dance floor at CBS Television City.

Besides Mr. Ward and Ms. Johnson, three other teams are scheduled to appear on Monday's show. Disney star Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas, actress Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, as well as actor Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff made the cut.

Mr. Macchio's leg injury warranted great discussion last week, when he suffered a burst cyst behind his right knee. In acute pain, he still danced but received fairly low scores. Fan votes carried him and Ms. Smirnoff through, however.

Until then, Season 12 was a relatively injury-free show. In previous years, celebrities and pro dancers alike have experienced, among other maladies, a ruptured Achilles tendon (volleyball player Misty May-Treanor) and ruptured biceps (actor Christian de la Fuente). Even Mr. Chmerkovskiy had an unspecified leg problem that caused him to tumble during a televised dance earlier this season.

Although he never considered himself a dancer, Mr. Hines said that by now, he's earned the right: "First thing I do in the morning is this," he said last week, drawing himself up straight and throwing back his shoulders. "In football, that's the worst position to be in, up high like that. But it's natural to me now."

With luck, he'll have a few more dances to prove it.

Maria Sciullo: [email="msciullo@post-gazette.com"]msciullo@post-gazette.com[/email] or 412-263-1478.




Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11133/1146372-100-0.stm#ixzz1MHw3b2vU"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11133/11 ... z1MHw3b2vU[/url]

Perhaps Hines Ward had to go to court today for the "stolen" Honda Civic case, and he had Limas Sweed stand in for him at practice. Limas dropped her.

[flippy]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Possible Explanations:

1. Hines' hands aren't as good as everyone thinks. He dropped her. She shoulda danced with Plax. Unfortunately his prison situation was up in the air.

2. Ben did it.

3. Mr Myagi couldn't convince Sensai and the Cobra Kai to leave girl alone until tournament.

4. It's a ploy to one up Ralph Machio's injury.

5. He just wanted an excuse to get her in the hyperbaric chamber.

6. Angry Asian snuck in to take Hines' place while he was on Jay Leno and dropped her.

7. Kym thought she could sell dope forever and Hines had to put her in her place.

8. Kym got hit in police cross fire.

9. They were having lunch with Casey and Kym made the mistake of getting in front of Casey in the buffet line.

10. James Harrison is a dirty player.

[papillon]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Possible Explanations:

1. Hines' hands aren't as good as everyone thinks. He dropped her. She shoulda danced with Plax. Unfortunately his prison situation was up in the air.

2. Ben did it.

3. Mr Myagi couldn't convince Sensai and the Cobra Kai to leave girl alone until tournament.

4. It's a ploy to one up Ralph Machio's injury.

5. He just wanted an excuse to get her in the hyperbaric chamber.

6. Angry Asian snuck in to take Hines' place while he was on Jay Leno and dropped her.

7. Kym thought she could sell dope forever and Hines had to put her in her place.

8. Kym got hit in police cross fire.

9. They were having lunch with Casey and Kym made the mistake of getting in front of Casey in the buffet line.

10. James Harrison is a dirty player.

This must be a trick quesdtion/list, we all know it has to be #10.

Pappy

[DukieBoy]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

First, I'm happy that Kym's gonna be OK. Second, thankful her jaw wasn't broke. Goodell would be pushing for a Hines rule in DWTS.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Hines Ward’s ‘DWTS’ Partner To Practice With Neck Brace

May 13, 2011



(Source: THE INSIDER)

LOS ANGELES (KDKA) — News of Kym Johnson’s injury during rehearsal today with Hines exploded on the internet from Twitter to TMZ and then on the entertainment shows, including THE INSIDER who happened to have cameras there when it happened.

KDKA’s Stephanie Watson just learned tonight from Kym’s publicist her neck is bruised and sore, but she plans to continue with the show.

An emergency had the LA fire department dispatched to the “Dancing With The Stars” rehearsal studios where Hines Ward and his partner Kym Johnson were practicing.

THE INSIDER’s Brooke Anderson says their cameras were there when Johnson was taken out on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on her face.

“We had cameras inside speaking to Hines and Kym right before it happened and they had just come out of their rehearsal room when all of the commotion began,” Anderson told KDKA-TV. “So we’re not sure if they were practicing some sort of a lift or what exactly occurred.”

Johnson’s Rep, Jane Negline, tells KDKA’s Stephanie Watson she was taken to the hospital and underwent an MRI as a precaution. She will be okay, just a lot of soreness and bruising to her neck. THE INSIDER’s Brooke Anderson says Hines was understandably upset.

“We actually caught up with Hines Ward outside the hospital. He said he really didn’t know what was happening, what was going on, but he was going to find out,” Anderson said. “I think he was probably still a little bit shocked that it had happened.”

Of course, fans hope the injury isn’t serious enough that she won’t be able to continue. But if not, would the show go on for Hines?

“Maybe Hines could get another professional dancer because of course they want to give Hines his fair shot at the Mirror Ball Trophy,” Anderson explained.

But for now, that is a worst case scenario. Hines, on his Facebook page, assured fans:
“Kym plans to continue with me in the competition and get back to rehearsals as soon as possible. Steeler Nation – please show her some love. She is awesome! Hines”

Kym will continue practicing with a neck brace. Hines & Kym have three dances on Monday – the Tango, the Salsa and the Cha Cha Cha.

[url="http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/05/13/hines-wards-dwts-partner-to-practice-with-neck-brace/"]http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/05/ ... eck-brace/[/url]

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

First, I'm happy that Kym's gonna be OK. Second, thankful her jaw wasn't broke. Goodell would be pushing for a Hines rule in DWTS.

[Silicor]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Based on his past performance, he'll probably push for the "rule" anyway. Reality, facts and fairness really have very little to do with the way Mr. Goodell conducts business.

[Keyplay1]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Ruthlessburgher said "Perhaps Hines Ward had to go to court today for the "stolen" Honda Civic case, and he had Limas Sweed stand in for him at practice. Limas dropped her.

Nice one!

[Oviedo]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Hines made next week's finals.

Steelers Nation need to have his back because Chelsea has the teeny bopper vote and Kirstie has the old lady pity and "Cheers" fans vote.

Hines and Chelsea by far are the best.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Kym Johnson’s ‘DWTS’ Diary: I Feel So Blessed

May 17th, 2011 / Author: OK! Staff




Hi, everyone, and welcome to my OK! blog! Every week, I’ll be sharing with you all the behind the scenes stories as I train NFL wide receiver Hines Ward for this season’s Dancing With the Stars, trying to make the Pittsburgh Steelers pro look as cool in the ballroom as he does on the football field for season 12!

After what happened last week, I’m actually feeling really good right now. Everyone thinks I’m Wonder Woman for surviving that fall. I don’t want to see it, I never want to see it. I was in pain. I took a terrible fall, and I’m incredibly lucky, I feel very blessed, VERY blessed — someone was looking out for me that day.

I feel terrible for Hines because I was the one who wanted to try this thing, and it was one of those unfortunate accidents that could’ve gone horribly wrong and thank God it didn’t. I felt so bad for Hines, putting him in that position. He felt sick when he saw the footage. We were told not to watch the footage, because it was quite full-on — I don’t ever want to see it myself because i feel like my neck would hurt even more if I watched it — but Hines unfortunately caught the second part of it, he didn’t meant to but he ended up seeing it before we danced. I think that’s why he got so emotional.

He honestly, he is the one who got us those marks last night. He really danced his heart out. I was so proud. We worked really hard on Wednesday and all day Thursday and Thursday night in the stdio, so we actually had all of the three dances done, which was just very lucky. This happened on Friday morning, first thing. Hines, thank goodness, had the choreography down, so then Cheryl [Burke], she’s a good friend of mine, thankfully came in and continued working with Hines to clean things up while I was in hospital and getting better. We ended up being okay, and I am just so lucky that Hines is the person he is, he’s such a beautiful person. So to get those scores? That was great. It was really really really good.

I just got out of the neck brace yesterday just before the show. I wasn’t cleared to dance until the day of, until Monday morning because the doctors wanted to see me again to make sure i had more range of movement. They didn’t want me dancing on it if it was still how it was from the first results that they got back. I really took time to rest, wore my neck brace, and I ended up with more movement so they gave me the all-clear to take the brace off and dance, obviously. I modified the choreography a lot but I didn’t end up needing it a lot with Hines’ great dancing.

The night before we didn’t know what was going to happen. Cheryl was learning all the choreography in case she had to step in. He would’ve danced with Cheryl if I couldn’t dance. When they gave us the all-clear we spoke about it. I wasn’t sure, I wanted to give Hines the best chance he could have to make the final. We spoke about it and he said, “You know what, we’re a team, if they’ve cleared you, do your best and I’ll pull you through.” He’s such an incredible man.

We got through it together and I honestly, it really put things into perspective for me. The doctors even said it themsleves, they said, “You’re a very, very lucky girl.” It’s lucky that I took it a little bit lower on my back. I can’t exactly remember what they said now, but if it had been a little bit higher, if I had fallen just a little bit different, the whole outcome could’ve been horrible. Basically I’ve sprained the spinal cord, that’s what got squished. I miraculously didn’t fracture or break anything, it’s more in between the bones.

I feel so lucky. Just to be dancing — just to be walking! I went into shock when it happened. I couldn’t feel my arms for about a minute, that’s what was really scaring me. Then Hines was so great. The paramedics and the cast and Cedars Sinai — the paramedics were there in five minutes and they just really took care of me. Hines was with me every step of the way. He was with me in the hospital, he stayed there for every test result, he was with me throughout the whole experience. He took me back to the hospital on Monday to get more tests and he was with me waiting to see what the results would be. He’s been with me the whole time. Even when he rehearsed, he came back to my house to see me. I was on my couch laid up with my pajamas on and he showed me what they’d worked on. We’re a team, and he’s just really taken care of me. I feel so lucky, I can’t even begin to describe how lucky I feel.

I think the competition got the better of me, it was the semifinals. I’ve been on 12 seasons including Australia, and I was wanting to try some different things, things that haven’t been seen on the show before. I felt terrible, I blame myself for trying this. It’s just one of those freaky things that happened. Thank goodness that I’m all okay now. Apart from the fall, I was just really proud of Hines with these two dances. I thought they ere deserving of really good scores even before I got hurt, so to get those marks… and Hines danced them incredibly. I’m so proud of him. We really don’t care what happens now. After we finished that tango, the scores weren’t anything he’s concerned about. He was just so happy we were dancing together.

Last night was a bit of a blur, to be honest with you. I don’t want to watch the footage because I think it may mess with my head and I think I may be more tentative and scared. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to try to attempt stupid crazy tricks, I’m going to rely on Hines’ great dancing. If we get through, I’m on the mend, I’m feeling a lot better, so if we got through I’ve got such great ideas for our freestyle. Hines and I started this competition together, it’d be nice to end it together.

I think hopefully the audience will really love what we do. I feel like I have a great idea for this week, I hope we get a chance to do it. In rehearsals, I’ll be dancing a lot and on my feet, so I’ll probably wear my brace. I’ll definitely get a lot of rest this week as well — I’ve had a bit of a shock to my system and I’m not going to overdo things and go to crazy. At the end of the day, it’s about having fun and enjoying this competition. It’s not worth breaking your neck for… literally! The mirrorball is not worth that!

Fingers crossed and thank you all for your support!

Kym

[url="http://www.okmagazine.com/2011/05/kym-johnsons-dwts-diary-i-feel-so-blessed/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter"]http://www.okmagazine.com/2011/05/kym-j ... um=twitter[/url]

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

[url]http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=6578462[/url]

Hines Ward ready to shine in 'Dancing' finals
Mon, May 23
11:41AM ET
by Lynn Hoppes

It's a two-night finale for ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," with the early-season favorite (actress Kirstie Alley), the most consistent dancer (football player Hines Ward) and the rising star (Disney actress Chelsea Kane) all competing for the mirrorball trophy.

Alley has stumbled a few times in this 12th season but her loyal fans have kept her on the show. Ward had to deal with a bad injury to his partner, Kym Johnson, and also learned how to use his hands more while dancing. And Kane has weaved through the competition to be the most impressive star week after week.

So how will the finals play out?

"I really don't think I will do anything differently in terms of my work ethic and determination. I will continue to give each dance 100 percent and will keep taking instruction from Kym," Ward said. "She got me here through the roughest of times and I owe it all to her. This being the finale, I will try to pay extra attention to the small details to fine-tune my moves, but I will try not to overthink things."

Johnson still is a little sore from falling on her neck a few weeks ago, but she'll be just fine, Ward said.

"Kym is a warrior. She is part of the Steeler family as far as I am concerned. I mean, to come back three days after nearly breaking her neck to dance on Monday was amazing," said Ward, a 12-year wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. "I was just thankful she was able to walk! Physically, she is hanging in there. She doesn't want to quit. She is not 100 percent, so we still can't do maybe some of the things she wanted to before she got hurt. But I know Kym, and she will make sure that our routine is solid and entertaining."

The trio of dancers will have two nights to impress the judges and wow the crowd.

"I am preparing for this finale like I would the Super Bowl. In this competition, this is my Super Bowl," said Ward, who has two titles in three appearances. "But this time I am looking for a different outcome than the one from three months ago..."

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Dancing With The Stars Finale Results: Hines Ward, Chelsea Kane Tie After Final Show

May 23
by Jason Kirk



The much-hyped freestyle round of the 2011 Dancing With The Stars finale began with Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas dancing with glow-in-the-dark flair (like Office Space!) to a Latin number. A pack of batteries meant to power Kane's outfit apparently fell out at some point. This is the nuttiest thing ever. The judges loved it, scoring it a perfect 30 out of 30. That's 59 for the night, guaranteeing the pair at least a tie for the night's highest result.

Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy didn't inspire tons of confidence during their training montage. The pair entered the night as the longshot and won't achieve the evening's highest score, but judges approved of their final effort, which involved ambitious lifts and a cartwheel, giving it 27 points out of 30. That's 54 for the night.

Hines Ward and Kym Johnson went with a football theme, dressed up as a marching band major and cheerleader to a song from Drumline, which is set in Atlanta. Though sadly not as a University of Georgia Redcoat Band major. The pair did bring out a drumline for accompaniment -- I'm not gonna lie, that transition to the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" towards the end was pretty awesome. Judges scored it a 30, and we have a tie.

A winner won't be decided until Tuesday night after fan votes are tallied. This is so important. Sports!

[url="http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/5/23/2186708/dancing-with-the-stars-finale-2011-results-scores-hines-ward"]http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bul ... hines-ward[/url]

[Oviedo]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Dancing With The Stars Finale Results: Hines Ward, Chelsea Kane Tie After Final Show

May 23
by Jason Kirk



The much-hyped freestyle round of the 2011 Dancing With The Stars finale began with Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas dancing with glow-in-the-dark flair (like Office Space!) to a Latin number. A pack of batteries meant to power Kane's outfit apparently fell out at some point. This is the nuttiest thing ever. The judges loved it, scoring it a perfect 30 out of 30. That's 59 for the night, guaranteeing the pair at least a tie for the night's highest result.

Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy didn't inspire tons of confidence during their training montage. The pair entered the night as the longshot and won't achieve the evening's highest score, but judges approved of their final effort, which involved ambitious lifts and a cartwheel, giving it 27 points out of 30. That's 54 for the night.

Hines Ward and Kym Johnson went with a football theme, dressed up as a marching band major and cheerleader to a song from Drumline, which is set in Atlanta. Though sadly not as a University of Georgia Redcoat Band major. The pair did bring out a drumline for accompaniment -- I'm not gonna lie, that transition to the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" towards the end was pretty awesome. Judges scored it a 30, and we have a tie.

A winner won't be decided until Tuesday night after fan votes are tallied. This is so important. Sports!

[url="http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bulldogs/2011/5/23/2186708/dancing-with-the-stars-finale-2011-results-scores-hines-ward"]http://atlanta.sbnation.com/georgia-bul ... hines-ward[/url]

If the middle age old lady pity vote and "Cheers" fan club don't pull a surprise for Kirstie then Chelsea is going to be very tough to beat.

Vote for Hines before 11am today (up to 5 times):

[url="http://vote.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/vote"]http://vote.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-wi ... stars/vote[/url]

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Hines' dance partner rushed to hospital on a stretcher

Kirstie Alley is 60 years old. Unless she plans to live to 120, then 60 isn't middle age.