Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Sherri Shepherdcan forgive, but she can't forget. The daytime talk show host is opening up about still feeling salty overher early eliminationfromDancing With the Starsseason 14 — and the role that a certainLittle House on the Prairiestar played in her unceremonious exit. "I don't know how I went home beforeMelissa GilbertfromLittle House on the Prairie," Shepherd grouses to her studio audience ina preview clipfrom Friday's episode ofSherri. "I'm telling you, I still can't let this one go." She continues: "Let me tell you what happened. Melissa Gilbert — I don't know what dance she was doing. Her partner was Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Melissa fell and she hit her head against Maks' leg, allegedly, and so she went to the doggone hospital but I got voted off. I kept going, 'How did she beat me from the ICU?!'" Gilbert did indeed sit out week 4 of the the long-running reality competition series' 14th season, which aired in 2012. The previous week, while dancing the paso doble on stage, Gilbert smashed her head into Chmerkovskiy's leg while he spun her on the ground. She finished out the dance but was rushed backstage and eventually taken to a hospital after complaining of dizziness. "You feel responsible for your partners,"Chmerkovskiy saidmoments after Gilbert was escorted out of the ballroom. "You start questioning are you doing the right things, is this necessary as part of choreography." It was a shock when the bottom two pairs then consisted of Shepherd and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy (Maks' brother), and Karina Smirnoff and Gavin DeGraw (who carried Gilbert to the ambulance from the backstage area). WhenShepherd was subsequently eliminated, she burst into tears, thanking the show for "letting me live a dream that I've always had… and I want to say to every person out there — that thing that scares you the most, that makes you say, 'I don't know if I can do it I'm scared,' run towards it, because it's so amazing on the other side.'" More than a decade later, Shepherd is joking that her gratitude for the opportunity has since burned off, leaving only resentment over what could have been. "When I tell y'all I was so mad at Melissa Gilbert," Shepherd says with a playful smile. "When she ran for the president of the Screen Actors Guild for the actors, I didn't vote. I didn't vote for Melissa. She even called me, she said, 'Sherri, can I count on your vote?' I said, 'Melissa, did you count on my vote onDancing With the Stars?'" Shepherd then clarifies, "Melissa, I'm good with you now. You're lucky and really sweet, and if you run again for president, you've got my vote, girl." Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to representatives for Gilbert for comment. Adam Taylor/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Shepherd's walk down memory lane toward herDancing With the Starsdays was prompted by this weeks' shocking elimination of Fifth Harmony star Lauren Jauregui from the current season. Jauregui was one of last week's highlights, and her week 3 cha-cha-cha to her own song, "Work From Home," with partner Brandon Armstrong scored the couple 18 points, tying them for last place with the celeb most fans expected to see sent packing, Andy Richter. Dancing With the Starsairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu. Watch theSherriclip above for more from Shepherd. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
