*It’s possibly the first time “Dancing With the Stars” has booted off a contestant via Skype. And Kim Zolciak’s forced departure after suffering a mini-stroke was reportedly something the reality star did not see coming.
A source tells Page Six that Zolciak, 37, was blindsided by Monday night’s decision forcing her to withdraw from the show after her doctor forbade her to fly from Atlanta to Los Angeles.
Page Six also reports that ABC may have already been a little salty with Kim based on an incident that happened more than a year ago:
According to an insider, the “Don’t Be Tardy” star bailed on the show last fall roughly two days before casting news was to be announced. Producers scrambled to find a last-minute replacement and eventually re-cast her for the current season.
The source suggests Monday’s ambush — when host Tom Bergeron told Zolciak during the live broadcast that she would not be allowed to return to the show because of the competition’s rules — was perhaps payback for ditching “DWTS” last fall.
The former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star was released from the hospital and resumed practice Saturday. However, she wasn’t cleared to fly in time for Monday’s show.
The source says Zolciak isn’t pleased that producers didn’t judge her rehearsal video. As pointed out in a 2014 article by the Los Angeles Times, similar exceptions were made for Melissa Rycroft in 2012 and Amy Purdy in 2014.
Zolciak and her dancing partner, Tony Dovolani, have begun campaigning for their return.
Watch Kim’s “DWTS” exit below:
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