Ryan Lochte interrupted after 'Dancing with the Stars' routine
— -- Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte was involved in an apparent incident Monday night during the season premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC.
Lochte, the second-to-last performer of the night, had just finished his performance with partner Cheryl Burke when something happened to cause the show to go quickly to a commercial.
As judge Carrie Ann Inaba was speaking to Lochte and Burke, Inaba appeared to be startled and then said, "Excuse me. Hey, back off. Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. Off, Off, excuse me," while putting her hand in front her face.
The crowd was booing the off-screen incident, which appeared to be a person or persons trying to rush the stage and approach the 32-year-old Lochte.
Shadows of people racing toward the stage could be seen on television. Host Tom Bergeron was heard off camera saying, "Wow, OK," before sending the show to what appeared to be an unplanned break. Behind Bergeron, both Lochte and Burke appeared flustered by the incident.
When the show came back from break, Bergeron said they had to go to break because they had a "little incident," and he thanked the show's security for its fast response.
An ABC entertainment reporter tweeted a photo of what he indicated showed two people involved in the disruption, who appeared to be in handcuffs.
A 12-time Olympic medalist, Lochte was banned for 10 months from domestic and international swimming competitions after an incident at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro during the Olympics turned into an international story. Lochte kept changing his story, from initially saying he was robbed at gunpoint to then recanting and apologizing.
The incident was briefly mentioned both by Bergeron and Lochte in a pre-performance taped segment. Lochte said during the piece that he was hoping to use "Dancing with the Stars" to show the world he had changed.
After the incident, Lochte told Bergeron he was doing "good," and Bergeron followed up by asking him, "When there is that strong emotion, what does it make you feel like?"
"So many feelings are going through my head right now," Lochte said. "A little hurt but, you know, I came out here and wanted to do something that I'm completely not comfortable with and I did, and I came out here with a big smile and I had the best dance partner."
The judges, multiple times, assured Lochte they were only there to "judge his ballroom dancing."
"I'm shocked," Burke, Lochte's partner, said on the telecast. "And I'm hurt for Ryan. Me and Ryan have gotten the pleasure to know each other, and he's an amazing guy. He's great. He's kind and he's just here working his butt off and trying to do what he's supposed to be doing, which is dancing.
"So I'm hoping people give him a chance."
Related Stories
ABC News Live