On Villain's Week of Dancing With The Stars, AJ McLean got to live his dream when he danced a Psycho-themed ballroom tango. “Ever since I could walk," AJ said, "I’ve loved to play dress up. I love makeup. I love gore. It’s in me. It’s part of me… Classic movie monsters.” He became one of his favorite villains, Norman Bates. Coming off of three 9’s the week before, AJ was poised to impress again. But AJ had an immediate wardrobe malfunction when his wig flew off before he could even turn around and face the cameras. Luckily, his performance didn’t suffer. The judges gave him one 8 and two 9’s. But when it comes to wardrobe mishaps, AJ’s certainly not alone. We’re taking a look back at some of the most memorable DWTS costume crumbles.
DWTS Costume Designers, Daniela Gschwendtner and Steven Lee, do some honest to goodness magic in creating incredible, perfectly fit, and functioning costumes week after week. But because it is such an overwhelming task, there’s no time for test runs. In an interview with TV Insider, Steven Lee said that the dancers put on their costumes for the first time “literally two hours before the show.” And thanks to that time crunch, we’ve been given the gift of some glorious wardrobe malfunctions over the years.
Joe Amabile’s “Tragic Mike”
Joe, who fans may remember as Grocery Store Joe from season 14 of The Bachelorette, and his pro-partner, Jenna Johnson, were joined by another Bachelorette alum, Jordan Kimball and danced a Magic Mike themed salsa three-way. When the two men went to rip off their white shirts from beneath their overalls, sadly, Jordan’s tear away shirt didn’t exactly tear away. He had to finish the performance with the shirt swinging around his waist. As Bruno put it, it was less Magic Mike, and more “tragic Mike.”
Sharna Burgess’s “Nip Slip”
While dancing a tango with her celeb partner, NFL pro Antonio Brown, the Australian dance pro had a bit of a nip slip. Sharna reached her hands above her head, and unfortunately, her top did not come with her. As her nipple became visible, producers quickly cut to a DWTS logo. When they cut back to the dance, it was over. Tom Bergeron stepped in front of the pro so she could adjust her costume before judging, and everyone had a good giggle.
Melissa Rycroft’s “Full Boob”
Former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft hopped up on the judge’s table at the end of a particularly fantastic samba danced with pro partner, Tony Dovolani. When she hopped off the table, it was a good thing her back was to the camera because apparently her entire boob popped out of her costume. As she turns back to face judging she looks mortified and can be heard saying, “my boob popped out!” Out or in, it didn’t matter in the end. It was a practically perfect performance earning her 10’s across the board.
Monique Coleman’s “Full Moon”
High School Musical star, Monique Coleman was dancing a very impressive jive with pro partner Louis van Amstel when one of her heels got caught in her skirt, pulling it down and exposing her booty. But Monique handled it like a true professional. She simply pulled her skirt back up without missing a step. She scored straight 9’s despite the skirt snag.
Lil Kim’s “Nip Slip?”
Kimberly “Lil Kim” Jones and Derek Hough danced such a phenomenal jive that both Carrie Ann and Bruno jumped from the seats and pulled Lil Kim in for a kiss and a hug of congratulations. When Lil Kim rejoined Derek, Tom jumped in front of her, trying to tell her some part of her boob was exposed. Though Tom Bergeron made a big deal out of it, no one else seemed to notice or care. Maybe Tom was looking a little too closely at Lil Kim’s boobs?
Vanessa Lachey’s “So Long Skirt”
Vanessa Lachey and pro partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy were dancing a quickstep when Maksim accidentally stepped on Vanessa’s skirt, pulling the whole thing right off. But Vanessa, ever the professional, kept dancing. In fact, their performance was so seamless, one of the judges couldn’t tell if the skirt mishap was intentional or not. It wasn’t, but Vanessa didn’t let it stop her. The duo went home with straight 9’s that night.
Chelsie Hightower’s “I’m good”
Tom Bergeron’s eagle eyes were out and ready to spot another nip slip the night pro dancer Chelsie Hightower and celeb partner Roshon Fegan danced so vigorously that her strap kept coming down. She fixed it each time, but as the pair approached the judges it slipped again and Tom Bergeron was right there, ready to help her. She brushed him off, telling him, "I'm good."
Kirstie Alley’s “Shoe Fell Off”
Kirstie Alley was spun into a seated position by pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. But somehow during that spin, her shoe came off. So she stayed in the seated position and got her shoe back on before rising to finish her performance. After, when Maksim tried to make a joke, Kirstie was not in the joking mode. She admitted it was funny, but insisted it wasn’t right. “I’m supposed to be acting like a swan and I’m putting my shoe back on,” she cried. It didn’t help that the actress had taken a tumble the week before.
Lindsay Arnold’s “Broken Shoe”
While dancing the Charleston with her former pro NFL player partner, DeMarcus Ware, Lindsay Arnold’s shoe broke. Miraculously, the professional dancer simply clenched her toes tight and kept the shoe from coming completely off. She finished the performance and the judges loved it. Now that’s how you deal with a shoe malfunction.
While no one wants a wardrobe malfunction, it’s clear that these Dancing With the Stars celebs and dancers know how to deal with them. What isn’t so clear is why Tom Bergeron was always so quick to point out every possible nip slip! Just what exactly was he looking at all those years? Eyes up, Tom!
Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8pm EST on ABC.
Source: TV Insider, Joya128 on YouTube, NickSwift, PopCulture