Shaky Start to Ryan Lochte’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Debut
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is now participating in ¨Dancing with the Stars¨
12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte was rushed by protesters on stage after his performance on ABC’s television series “Dancing with the Stars” last Monday night. Lochte has recently made the bold decision to transition his athletic ability from the swimming pool to dancing on national T.V. However, Lochte’s presence on such a large stage has upset many people. This controversy has arisen due to Lochte’s scandalous activity during the Olympic games in Rio, Brazil. These past 2016 Olympics, Lochte and a few fellow swimmers falsely claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint at a gas station in Rio. This became a highly controversial incident, drawing lots of disapproval towards Lochte for disrespecting the city of Rio, and overshadowing the competition and achievements of all the Olympic athletes. Now, Lochte has decided to join the popular television series ¨Dancing with the Stars¨ in what seems to be an attempt to carve a better public opinion of himself. But this move has not sat well with many members of the public. While Lochte was receiving his post-performance critiques from the judges, two protesters wearing anti-Lochte shirts rushed onto the stage.
Watch a video of the incident here
The protesters were tackled and escorted out almost immediately. We can also see from the video that there were four women seated in the balcony wearing anti-Lochte shirts, cheering in support of the protesters. They, too, were told to leave, much to the audience’s pleasure. The actual incident was not captured on live television, because the camera stayed focused on the judge Carrie Ann Inaba. After a brief commercial break, Lochte was asked by the host how he felt after the incident and said, ¨So many things are going through my head right now. I am a little hurt.¨ Lochte later told CNN he felt heartbroken. However, Lochte was given plenty of moral support from his dancing partner Cheryl Burke, and fellow celebrity dancers Vanilla Ice and Calvin Johnson Jr. It has since been confirmed that security has greatly increased on the show. During commercial breaks and set changes guards are positioned around the dance floor. There is also a security guard seated in front of Lochte’s mom and girlfriend. ¨Dancing with the Stars” warned the audience that inappropriate behavior or attire that violates the dress code (Anti-Lochte shirts), will not be allowed. Lochte did admit to contemplating quitting after the incident, but has been reported to be feeling much better, thanks in part to the support of fellow competitors and Dancing with the Stars staff. While he will continue competition on the show, it is unclear what we will see in the coming weeks in terms of protest for Lochte on both the show and publicly. The controversy with Ryan Lochte´s actions in Rio and his situation on ¨Dancing with the Stars¨ is still ongoing and developing.
Read more here:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/12/entertainment/ryan-lochte-dancing-with-the-stars/