How Will Cheryl Burke And Cody Rigsby Still Compete On DWTS Despite Testing Positive For COVID?

The "Dancing with the Stars" world was rocked when dancer Cheryl Burke tested positive for COVID-19. She tearfully announced her diagnosis in an Instagram video on September 26. "I feel so bad for Cody [Rigsby]," she said. "I feel like I'm letting him down."

While Burke obviously could not appear on the show that week, the judges instead reviewed her rehearsal with Rigsby, a popular Peloton instructor, CNN reported. The pair scored 24 out of 40, with Derek Hough calling it "really, really good," while Carrie Ann Inaba — who tested positive for coronavirus in December — called it "lackluster." Rigsby did not appear live in the episode either "out of an abundance of caution," per host Tyra Banks. "However, this does not mean they're out of the competition," she added.

But this saga took a dramatic turn when Rigsby announced on Instagram that he too had tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time this year. "I right now have really mild symptoms," he said before listing his symptoms, which include congestion, a cough, and a slight headache. "But in comparison to when I had COVID earlier this year, it is night and day," he added, attributing his more mild symptoms to the vaccine.

So with one team taken out by COVID-19, what is the show going to do? Here's what they announced.

According to Us Weekly, Cheryl Burke and Cody Rigsby will be participating in "Dancing With the Stars" in a fashion reminiscent of the pandemic's early days: virtually. Burke and Rigsby will dance and record their routine remotely and separately. Per the outlet, Burke appeared on "Good Morning America" on October 1 to show off how she transformed her living room for the occasion. "Look at that," she said. "I've turned our living room into a ballroom."

After Monday's episode, Burke and Rigsby spoke with Us Weekly and other outlets through Zoom, speculating on how the competition may move forward. Burke was determined to persevere, refusing to let COVID-19 stop her. "We still have to do a cha cha, obviously, and we need to represent the challenge which is cha cha content," she said. "But there's a lot where we are using the whole floor, like, the whole ballroom for sure." She continued, "I'm gonna be the ultimate 'Dance Mom' right over here [from home]. I'm really good at it, it comes naturally." Good luck to Cheryl and Cody!