Dancing With the Stars Earns Credibility with Injuries

Ask the casual reality show observer which show would end up with more foot and ankle injuries. I'm sure many would think Survivor, right? After all...malnourished on a remote area. Physical challenges abound. Catch your own food...sounds logical, right?

Turns out Dancing with the Stars has them beat by a landslide. Over the several seasons, Dancing with the Stars boasts the following:

• Misty May-Treanor: ruptured Achilles Tendon (after successfully winning an Olympic Gold unscathed)
• Susan Lucci: Sprained Ankle/Stress Fracture
• Lance Bass: Broken toe
• Jewel: Fractured tibia
• Kristi Yamaguchi: Ankle injury
• Brooke Burke: Injured foot
• Karina Smirnoff: Ankle sprain

Now compared to foot and ankle injuries from Survivor:

• (staring up and whistling)

So how can we explain this. Quite simply, actually. Dancing is a sport. It requires discipline, practice, and a high level of fitness. So like any sport, it's going to carry with it a wide variety of injuries. Couple that with taking celebrities who are not professional dancers and putting them through the rigor of training for the dance routines with their professional partners that they are not prepared for.

Look who are the most successful to date: Sports stars...Kristi Yamaguchi, Emmitt Smith, Apolo Anton Ono. And the favorites this year? Shawn Johnson (Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast) and Lawrence Taylor (Super Bowl Winner). As in all sports, conditioning and training still are the key to excellence.