Dancing with the Stars: Pro Daniella Karagach Out with COVID

DANCING WITH THE STARS - “Premiere Party” – “Dancing with the Stars” returns for a star-studded season 31 featuring 16 new celebrities who are ready to hit the ballroom floor for their first live performance, MONDAY, SEPT. 19 (8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT), on Disney+. (ABC/Eric McCandless) JOSEPH BAENA, DANI KARAGACH — *(ABC/Eric McCandless) JOSEPH BAENA, DANI KARAGACH*

Not even two weeks into the Dancing with the Stars season 31 season, and a dancer is out after testing positive for COVID-19.

Pro Daniella Karagach will miss tonight’s show after testing positive. Paired with Joseph Baena, Daniella will be temporarily replaced by troupe member Alexis Warr. Dance competition aficionados saw her most recently win So You Think You Can Dance season 17 over on FOX.

Deadline reports that those who were in close contact to Daniella will be masked on tonight’s show, which will stream on Disney+ at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

A spokesperson for the pro dancer says that she is “completely asymptomatic and is self-quarantining. Everyone who has been in close contact with her has tested negative.” Danielle is married to Pasha Pashkov, who is paired this season with Teresa Giudice. Pasha is testing negative today, but maybe not tomorrow, so watch for news about further positive COVID cases.

There were already signs that COVID had been spreading on set. At least four cases of Covid were reported after the show’s Sept. 19 premiere. A DWTS spokesperson told Deadline that four people on the crew tested positive, but work in “completely different departments that do not have in person contact with each other, based on our pod system.”

“Contact tracing was immediately conducted,” the spokesperson continued. “All close contacts were notified and put on an increased testing cadence. No close contact of the four positive production employees has since tested positive.”

Last season also had its share of COVID troubles. Cheryl Burke and her partner Cody Rigsby both tested positive for the virus and had to perform one of their numbers via Zoom and from seperate locals. That proves producers will do all they possibly can to keep celebrities in the competition, even after they become ill.

Danielle and Joseph (a personal trainer and body bodybuilder, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger) received 23 out of 40 points for their Jive during last week’s premiere. For this week’s Elvis theme, Joseph is set to perform a Viennese Waltz to “If I Can Dream.”