Ginger Zee Injured Just Before Dancing with the Stars Finale—Will She Be Able to Perform?

Ginger may be out of the competition.

By Lauren Piester May 22, 2016 10:51 PMTags
Ginger ZeeNoam Galai/Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald

Could Ginger Zee not even make it to the finale of Dancing with the Stars

ABC News' chief meteorologist, who has been one of this season's biggest frontrunners, suffered an injury to her pelvis this week that might prevent her from performing tomorrow night, and therefore could mean her DWTS journey is prematurely over.

Zee, who gave birth to a baby boy, Adrian, in December, was forced to stop rehearsing for this week's dances with partner Val Chmerkovskiy after consulting with a physical therapist. She is currently just watching rehearsals while troupe member Jenna Johnson takes her place on the dance floor. 

"I couldn't even do two of my dress rehearsal runs today," Zee told the DWTS cameras, "because for one, I can't even do some of the moves. I'm not allowed to. So Jenna stood in for me, and I was able to kind of watch. I'm not there. I'm not even close to where I need to be to perform." 

After a rehearsal last week, Zee felt a spasm in her lower back, but continued to rehearse anyway, according to ABC News."By Wednesday, I went to see a physical therapist for the show, and she said my pelvis was forward and an inch off," Zee said. "I came back the next day, and [my pelvis] was backward and an inch the other way. My pelvis was just moving all over." 

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"My pelvis is very loose and unstable...because I just had a baby," Zee explained. "I was crying not just from pain but I was more fearful and more frustrated because at this point in the competition, every single minute counts. Especially for a non dancer, repetition is everything. It gives you confidence...and without the ability to do that, it's scary." 

Zee told ABC News that she will still try to perform Monday night. If she doesn't, she would have to drop out of the competition. 

"It's not like I'm taking a risk that I'm going to injure my back for the rest of my life," she said. "I'm planning to [perform], so we're going to do everything we can to rest." 

Zee is joined in the final three by ANTM winner Nyle DiMarco and MMA fighter Paige VanZant, and if she is able, she will be performing a contemporary number and a freestyle in tomorrow night's performance finale. 

However, she won't know if she can dance until the show actually starts. 

Zee is not the only injured contestant this season. Nyle DiMarco had to get stitches during the first week of rehearsals, and Jodie Sweetin injured her ankle back in April, but managed to perform despite the injury. 

Hopefully, rest is all that Ginger needs before she can give it her all in the ballroom one last time! 

Dancing with the Stars' season 22 finale airs this Monday at 8 p.m. and Tuesday at 9 p.m. on ABC. 

Watch: Ginger Zee and Val Have Work to Do on "DWTS"
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