| Dancing with the Stars began its tour at Seattle on | | | | some numbers were removed, while partners were |
| Tuesday, but one show favorite wasn't able to make | | | | changed. Tuesday also saw a new dress rehearsal |
| it to the show. Cheryl Burke, a two-time winner in | | | | for a made over show. |
| the celebrity dance competition, wasn't present at | | | | "We had a couple of moments when we ran onto |
| the show's opening night and on the Thursday show | | | | the floor at the wrong time, in the wrong place, in |
| in Sacramento , due to her abdominal pains. TV Guide | | | | the wrong direction," Karina Smirnoff, who filled in to |
| went on to interview the 23-year-old professional | | | | dance with Drew Lachey, Cheryl Burke's celebrity |
| dancer, who said that she was "cramping and in pain" | | | | partner and season 2 winner, revealed. |
| during the rehearsals and "couldn't even stand up | | | | However, despite the sudden changes, the show |
| straight." She then headed to the hospital, where she | | | | went smoothly with Cheetah Girl and Dancing with |
| was told that she may have a case of appendicitis. | | | | the Stars season 5 alum Sabrina Bryan giving an |
| On Wednesday, Burke headed home to San | | | | impressive performance despite having Derek Hough |
| Francisco to meet her family physician whose | | | | as her new partner. Hough was also filling in for |
| diagnosis was good. | | | | another ailing dancer, Mark Ballas, who unfortunately |
| "She does not have appendicitis," Susan Madore, | | | | had to cancel out on the show for the rest of the |
| Burke's publicist, confirmed to the Associated Press. | | | | Christmas season as he dislocated his left arm. |
| "They told her to take it easy for a couple of days." | | | | "At first it was weird to do the new numbers with |
| Burke's absence was indeed felt during the Dancing | | | | someone else," Bryan, who is dating Ballas, said of |
| with the Stars tour, as the program had to be | | | | her new partner. "And when Derek and I do the cha |
| rearranged. Choreographer Louis van Amstel even | | | | cha [the most memorable number she did with |
| deemed her sudden absence as a disaster. In fact, | | | | Ballas], it's just hard. |