DWTS: Cody & Cheryl Talk Long-Haul COVID-19 Symptoms & Effects
Cheryl Burke and Cody Rigsby are revealing how their former positive COVID-19 diagnosis is affecting their routines on Dancing With The Stars season 30. The dancing pro tested positive for COVID on September 27, just one day before the live taping of the second week of the competition. Though Cody was still testing negative at the time, ABC allowed the duo to still compete by having the judges score Cheryl and Cody's last rehearsal footage. Cody previously mentioned he never thought that video would see the light of day, and he was embarrassed because he wasn't performing to his highest degree, nor was he dressed for the occasion. Nonetheless, the couple got to see another day for Britney Week, a theme Cody was looking forward to. Unfortunately, Cody tested positive for COVID on October 2, forcing the pair to turn their living rooms into a ballroom dance floor, and learn their respective routines via Zoom. Cheryl and Cody performed an impressive routine only seeing each other through the computer screen while battling the virus, but the judges showed them no mercy in their scoring.
Now that Cody and Cheryl have both tested negative and have been cleared by medical staff to return to the ballroom, Cody faces challenges of boosting up his scores and competing with his always healthy cast mates. On Monday's Halloween-themed episode, which honored some of the best horror films, Cheryl and Cody paid tribute to American Psycho by dancing a cha-cha to "There Will Be Blood" by Kim Petras. The judges seemed to be throughly impressed and gave them 9's across the board. Their 36 out of 40 score was their highest total of the season thus far.
Cody and Cheryl might be healthy on paper, but they're most definitely still feeling the long term effects of the virus in their lungs. In a new interview with Screen Rant after the show, Cody admits rehearsals are the hardest. "For the most part, we're good, but yesterday we were doing back to back to back rehearsals of this number and we had to go straight into it and I just remember both of us being like, 'Oh My God,' and so like I can't breathe. It's hard," Cody said. As for Cheryl, she compares the fast-paced routines to feeling like she's "dying." The dancing pro thinks they'll likely continue to feel this way until they can actually give their bodies "a solid month of rest." Until then, they feel like they're on the edge, but are able to deal with it for the majority of the time.
In terms of their high score, Cody feels like he got his redemption. "It feels great," Cody said. "We've been working hard and it feels good." The Peloton instructor continued to explain that they really soaked in the judges critiques and notes last week and applied it to this week's performance. Cody added that this week's scores is a reflection of their hard work paying off.
Though their scores don't show it, Cody and Cheryl have been impressive these past few weeks learning routines in unusual settings with little to no rehearsal. Additionally, they're dealing with a smaller lung capacity than the other contestants and empathy isn't written into their scores. Nonetheless, Cody has a strong fanbase behind him giving him the fan votes he needs to continue on Dancing With The Stars.