Elaine Hendrix Misses DWTS Halloween Night With Rib Injury

Elaine Hendrix, 54, was hospitalized and missed Dancing With the Stars Halloween Night on Oct. 28 after suffering a rib injury during rehearsal, producers and the actress said. Hendrix was taken to the emergency room in an ambulance the morning of the live episode after telling her partner, Alan Bersten, that she could not breathe and that a muscle under her ribs felt twisted. She posted a video from a hospital bed saying, "I couldn't move," and that doctors advised a day or two of rest before she could return.

Cohost Alfonso Ribeiro informed viewers at the top of the episode that Hendrix and Bersten were absent because Hendrix was being assessed at the hospital and that viewers could still vote for the pair. Under the show’s rules, judges scored footage from the duo’s last full rehearsal in place of a live performance. The Argentine tango rehearsal earned them a total of 32 out of 40, with all regular judges and guest judge Cheryl Burke awarding 8s.

Judges and colleagues offered public support during the broadcast. Derek Hough called Hendrix "a born performer" and praised the rehearsal recording as "so impressive." Carrie Ann Inaba said she was "brokenhearted" for Hendrix and...