"It was insanity" - Dancing With the Stars' Cheryl Burke details shocking protests and drama during her season with Ryan Lochte

Cheryl Burke recalled the intense moment protesters stormed the stage during her season with Olympian Ryan Lochte on Dancing With the Stars, describing it as one of the most alarming experiences in her career. Reflecting on the live episode that took place in 2016, Burke said,

“We thought they had guns and they were gonna blow our heads off. It was insanity.”

The incident occurred while Burke and Lochte were performing on the show’s 23rd season, which drew controversy due to the swimmer’s involvement in the “Lochtegate” scandal following the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Cheryl Burke recalls on-stage protest during Ryan Lochte’s controversial Dancing With the Stars season

Protesters rush the stage during live broadcast

The incident happened during a live episode in September 2016 after Burke and Lochte completed their foxtrot to Michael Bublé’s Call Me Irresponsible. Moments later, two men wearing anti-Lochte shirts ran onto the ballroom floor, while several others stood nearby.

The event was cut from the live broadcast but captured in available footage showing Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba shouting “Excuse me!” as the protesters approached Lochte before being tackled by security.

Burke told how the incident escalated in such a quick manner that she mentioned that during the live show, she had not witnessed their security guard "tackle somebody so quickly." After the event, the two protesters were identified as Barzeen Soroudi and Sam Sotoodeh, who were arrested on the spot and charged with misdemeanors.

After their arrest, Soroudi spoke about why they decided to go that way, stating that they disagreed with the Walt Disney Company "choosing Lochte to represent Americans," referring to Lochte's behavior at the Rio Olympics.

“Yes, he did receive gold medals, but what he did in Rio did not represent Americans well,” he said.

Fallout from the “Lochtegate” scandal

The demonstrations were a result of the uproar around Lochte’s behavior at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Lochte and three of his teammates got themselves into a mess at a gas station in Rio.

Going on to say he was robbed at gunpoint, Lochte was quickly contradicted by Brazilian officials who declared that the athletes had damaged the place and were meeting with security guards carrying weapons.

As a result, Lochte was suspended from Team USA for 10 months and charged in Brazil, though the charges were dropped five years later. Reflecting on her initial pairing with the Olympian, Burke recalled thinking,

“‘Oh great, I’m getting another controversial figure, and is this guy just going to be lazy?’”

However, she also said Lochte turned out to be “such a sweet man.”

The controversy surrounding Lochte’s past and his appearance on the show continued to attract public attention throughout the season. Despite the initial shock of the protest, both he and Burke remained in the competition and advanced several rounds before their eventual elimination.

Aftermath and response from the show

In the aftermath of the protest, Burke expressed concern for the safety of everyone involved, saying she was still trying to process "everything that happened last night" and that her heart was aching for Ryan and his family.

“No one deserves that sort of behavior directed at them. We all need to love each other and not be bullies or cowards,” she added.

Lochte and Burke ended up being ranked seventh on the 23rd season of Dancing With the Stars. The mirrorball trophy of that season went to gymnast Laurie Hernandez and pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy.

As reported, the couple agreed to a civil settlement after Soroudi and Sotoodeh were charged with misdemeanors and refused to plead guilty in January 2017. They were alleged to have made the payment to the production company of the show to dodge going to jail.

Stay tuned for more updates.