'Dancing With the Stars' Fans Send Well Wishes to Jeannie Mai Amid Hospitalization

Allison Schonter

11/02/2020 10:30 am EST

Dancing With the Stars fans are wishing celebrity competitor Jeannie Mai a speedy recovery after she was forced to leave the competition early. Mai, who has taken the dance stage throughout Season 29 alongside her pro dancing partner Brandon Armstrong, exited the series ahead of Week 8 after being hospitalized with a potentially life-threatening inflammatory condition called epiglottis.

Confirming the news in a statement to Good Morning America Monday morning, The Real host said that her "doctors discovered a health concern with my throat which requires immediate attention and surgery." As a result, she said that she was "heartbroken that my DWTS journey has to end here," adding that throughout her time on the competition, she has "pushed myself to new limits physically and mentally, and I am so proud of how far we've come." Armstrong, meanwhile, said that he and Mai "are devastated by the news that we're gonna have to cut this season short" and thanked "all the fans that have helped get us this far and we are praying for a speedy recovery from Jeannie."

News of Mai's departure shocked Dancing With the Stars fans who have been rooting for her to take home the Mirrorball Trophy since Week 1. Across social media, as they look forward to Monday night's all-new episode, fans were quick to send their well wishes to Mai. Scroll down to see how fans are reacting to the news.

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Mai and Armstrong were slated to perform the Charleston to "Shout" by The Islay Brothers. Due to Mai's hospitalization, they will no longer be competing in the series.

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Viewers tuning in to Monday's night's all-new episode will still get to see Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev jiving along to "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen. Skai Jackson and Alan Bersten, meanwhile, are slated to take the stage to perform a salsa to "Work It" by Missy Elliott.

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According to Gold Derby, Justina Machado and Sasha Farber will perform a samba to "Magalenha" by Sergio Mendes. AJ McLean and Cheryl Burke's routine is said to be a rumba to "Way Down We Go" by KALEO.

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Nelly and Daniella Karagach are set to perform a rumba to "Nobody Knows" by The Tony Rich Project. Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson will dance a Viennese waltz to Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber's "Stuck with U."

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Rounding out the performances, Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko will also perform a Viennese waltz, taking the stage to "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley. Johnny Weir and Britt Stewart, meanwhile, are slated to perform a foxtrot to "Wonder" by Shawn Mendes.

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Monday's episode is also set to bring back relay groups, in which the remaining couples are split into three relay groups — cha-cha, samba or Viennese waltz — and will perform one at a time during their respective relays. One judge is assigned to each group and will rank the couples within that group for bonus points, which will then be added to their individual scores and the live votes. Despite Mai's exit from the competition, the relays are scheduled to go on, with one group having two couples instead of three.

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Due to Mai's forced exit, Monday night's episode will not feature the promised, and dreaded, double elimination. Instead, Dancing With the Stars confirmed that "tonight's show will feature the eight remaining couples and a single elimination."

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