While on the road to recuperating from the fresh groin injury Alfonso Ribeiro acquired in a dress rehearsal back in October, another injury, apparently more threatening, may compel the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" pin-up to renounce "Dancing with the Stars" for good. Ribeiro, who is considered the one to beat in the competition, obtained an inopportune back injury during a dance rehearsal just days before the semis of the show.
In turn, the 43 year-old competitor remains under medical assessment. TMZ, via Daily Mail, reported that Ribeiro is vulnerable to a potential long term back injury, and the popular paparazzi show thinks that it's all on the Carlton Dance he pulled off. While he recreated the famous routine from the 1990s series "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" in a run through, Ribeiro pulled a groin muscle. US Weekly reported that the producers grew worried that more dancing activity can inflict permanent damage. Despite the injury, a passionate Ribeiro continued on dancing and he even got a perfect score for the said dance routine.
"On the dance floor, we give it our all and we hold nothing back and we do everything we can to deliver the best performance that we can regardless of whether we're in pain or not," Ribeiro told E! News.
In a separate interview, he revealed that he is "doing a lot of treatment every week," saying, "We've got a great therapist here. I've got a doctor that I go to. I'm doing everything I can just to maintain and try to keep it going. It's a lot of work and it's tiresome, but as long as we keep going, I'm OK."
At the moment, it is still difficult to figure out if Ribeiro will be able to step into the "DWTS" dance floor once more with partner Witney Carson, who has been rehearsing with a stand-in recently, to go for the championship. On Nov. 16, Ribeiro thanked his fans by tweeting and assuring them that he is doing his best to be able to return and continue with the competition.
"Hey #TeamWitfonso thanks 4 all the love. I'm working really hard to be able to dance Monday. Keep the prayers coming. Love you all," Ribeiro posted.
His wife, Angela, who is pregnant with their second child, has been all-out in supporting him and Carson all throughout the competition. She is even very hard at updating fans on her husband's condition.
One of her tweets reads, "Went to rehearsal to help massage my hubby's back during breaks. He's much better today, thankfully. #TeamWitfonso."
"Dancing With the Stars" Season 19 is down to five finalists and it would be very unfortunate to see the ABC hit show's considered frontrunner to depart from the contest. For the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy, Ribeiro, should he be able to join in, will be up against Sadie Robertson, Bethany Mota, Janel Parrish, and Tommy Chong in the semi-finals.
