The 12-time Olympic medallist is the most high-profile celebrity on the 23rd season of Dancing With the Stars, which has been a popular venue for those seeking a comeback or trying to change their image.
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Bergeron described the incident as “really unnerving” on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday.
Ryan Lochte continued his journey from Olympic gold medalist to victim to fake victim/huge idiot to reality dance competition contestant by doing the foxtrot last night on Dancing with the Stars. Fans of the show immediately took to the internet to rip on Lochte for his recent falsified accounts of being robbed at gunpoint in Brazil, and showed no mercy at all for the swimmer. “GMA” aired video that wasn’t shown during the live broadcast of one of the men being tackled on stage by security.
At the end of the video, dancer Derek Hough ran into the audience where three other protesters wearing anti-Lochte T-shirts were sitting.
The Los Angeles Police Department said that the two men, Sam Sotoodeh and Barzeen Soroudi, were detained by private security and arrested on suspicion of trespassing.
As we previously reported, show producers have eyed increased security for Ryan Lochte following the incident.
According to U.S. media reports, the men were protesting the fact that Lochte, who one of them described as “a liar”, was being treated as a “star”.
Lochte told Bergeron that “so many feelings are going through my head right now”.
His dance partner, Cheryl Burke, added, “I’ was just shocked”.
“I want the world to know, I want America to know, that we don’t take what he did lightly”, Soroudi said. “A little hurt, but I came out here, and I 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 have the best dance partner”. Brazilian authorities said Lochte and several other men damaged the gas station bathroom and urinated in public, which led to the incident.
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In the aftermath, Lochte lost all four of his sponsors and was suspended from us swimming competition for 10 months.
