Val Chmerkovskiy and his dance troupe partner, Emma Slater, experienced a slip and fall while filming the Sports Illustrated runway show in Miami on Saturday. The 40-year-old Ukrainian-American entertainer, who was hospitalized in March, and Slater, 37, were just seconds into their one-on-one choreography when Chmerkovskiy slid on the stage's wet surface due to drizzly conditions. He tumbled onto his backside, with Slater falling with him a moment later.
Because the production was pre-filmed, the troupe was able to repeat and perfect the sequence later. A source told Daily Mail that the show, which will begin streaming on Hulu on June 9, was nearly called off because of the inclement weather. However, once the drizzle stopped, the show was able to proceed.
Following the incident, Slater took to Instagram Stories on Sunday to ask, 'Did anybody see that fall last night? You know what I'm talking about.' For the high-profile appearance, Chmerkovskiy wore slim-fitting black pants and a sheer black shirt left open to reveal his chiseled abs. He was joined by his wife Jenna Johnson, as well as Britt Stewart and Hailey Bills, who wore coordinating bejeweled two-piece outfits. The women were clad in matching bra tops and fringed hot shorts covered in crystals.
The dance crew was asked by Sports Illustrated for their 'Swim Week hot take' during the annual star-studded event. 'My swim week hot take? Bring back Speedos,' Chmerkovskiy said in a clip shared on social media. For her part, Slater answered, 'Hot take: I wanna do this every year.' She added a tidbit about her dance costume, confessing, 'I love a onesie. I thought I was really going to like the two pieces, but I'm really digging the onesie.'
Johnson, 32, shared an image with her husband via Instagram Stories ahead of rehearsal. The runway show comes three months after Chmerkovskiy was forced to miss a Dancing With The Stars live tour show in Peoria, Illinois. In early March, he was hospitalized for vertigo treatment, as he revealed in an Instagram video at the time. 'My apologies to all the fans that came out to see us today in Peoria. Thank you to my fellow castmates for rallying,' he wrote along with a photo of him in his hospital bed. He added, 'Little bump in the road. I'll be good to go ASAP. It takes quite literally me not being able to stand on my feet to keep me off that stage. Unfortunately, I just couldn't make it tonight.' While speaking to the camera, Chmerkovskiy explained, 'I've just been having vertigo for the past couple of days.' He added about his symptoms, 'Once that little crystal in your equilibrium goes out, it's really hard to get it back in. I'm just spinning everywhere.'
