Tyra Banks revealed Bristowe's injury live on Tuesday's episode.
Kaitlyn Bristowe almost didn't make it to the ballroom this week. Dancing With the Stars host Tyra Banks revealed on Tuesday's episode that the former Bachelorette had suffered an injury, and there was a possibility she wouldn't be performing.
"The rest of our cast is ready to light up the ballroom with the exception of one. Just before we went live, Kaitlyn Bristowe was dealing with an ankle injury. So we got to ask, will she pull though?" Banks asked as video played of Bristowe being checked out by a doctor. "We'll find out later. We'll find out live."
The Off the Vine podcast host's boyfriend, Jason Tartick, took to Twitter to ask fans to vote for her in the meantime.
"It’s been a hell of a grind for @kaitlynbristowe today - any and all votes help! Text “Kaitlyn” to 21523 up to 10x," he wrote.
About an hour later, however, Bristowe's partner, Artem Chigvintsev, appeared, revealing that she would be dancing on Tuesday. "Good news, she's feeling a lot better and she will be dancing tonight," he said.
Bristowe was ready to dance. "I tell myself all the time, 'I'm resilient, this is a dream, I'll dance through anything.' As long as I was cleared to do it, I was happy to do it," she told Banks before her Foxtrot to "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack.
The judges were impressed, to say the least. "If that's how you dance with an injury, I would love to see it without one," Carrie Ann Inaba raved. "There was one little mistake, but, more, please."
"It was beautiful graceful, and effortless. Well done. Really good," Derek Hough added.
Bruno Tonioli wrapped up the judges' comments: "The way you filled the space. It was like a ballerina. It had a classical ballet quality which I absolutely adore. Well done!"
The pair earned a score of 22/30.
Bristowe was seemingly ready to compete just hours before her injury, as she posted videos of herself in the makeup trailer on her Instagram Story. She and Chigvintsev slayed their performance on the season 29 premiere last week, delivering a lively, show-stopping Cha Cha to "Stupid Love" by Lady Gaga. They earned a total score of 20/30 from the judges.
"I thought it was spicy," Bristowe told ET of her dance after the show. "Anyone who knows me, knows I am not safe. I am not a safe person. I kind of tried to do my own thing, but it gives us room for improvement."
"It is good, trust me," Chigvintsev reasoned. "You don't want to get the best score the first week... There is nowhere to step [up]."
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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