The medical bills at Dancing With the Stars may not be as high this upcoming season as they have been in the past.
Producers of the hit reality-competition show have finally implemented safety measures that they hope will reduce the curse number of injuries that have plagued many of their celebrity contestants.
"There's a rule now that we're not allowed to train for more than five hours a day for the first two weeks," professional hoofer Cheryl Burke told me last night at the Anna Faris-hosted Malibu-Reef Check event in Beverly Hills.
And there's more…
"After every two hours, you have to have a 30-minute break," Burke said. "And we have to have one full day off a week."
If you remember last season, things over at DWTS started to look more like an emergency room rather than a fun-loving reality show. Among the bruised and battered were singer Jewel, who dropped out when doctors diagnosed her with fractured tibia in both legs. The singer was replaced by E! reality star Holly Madison.
Access Hollywood host Nancy O'Dell also left before the competition began because of a torn meniscus that required surgery. Jilted Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft took her place.
Sex and the City star Gilles Marini first hurt his groin and then ended up under the knife for a shoulder injury. Apple computer guru Steve Wozniak found himself wobbling around in a cast because of a foot fracture.
Even Steve-O, who made a career of torturing and mutilating his body in Jackass, waltzed away with nerve damage in his back.
The list could go on and on and on...
Burke praised the producers for the changes, but thinks the five hour daily limit at the onset of training doesn't go far enough.
"I think it should be a four hours," she said. "Your body still needs to get into it."
Training for season nine, which premieres Sept. 21 on ABC, begins in less than two weeks.
What does Cheryl think of Paula Abdul joining Dancing? Come back here later to find out.
________
A story about Dancing With the Stars? That's reason enough to take another look at some nearly-naked photos of Gilles Marini.