Tamar Braxton was rushed to the hospital Monday night with pneumonia and missed her first Dancing with the Stars performance, but she returned for her joint number with Nick Carter -- surprising everyone in the ballroom.
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"There was a moment right before she came out, a minute before we had to perform, and Val came to me and said, 'Listen, everything else aside, I need you to be a leading man tonight and protect her and take care of her,'" Carter told People after Monday's show.
The choreography required Carter and Braxton to dance alone without the pros for a full 30 seconds.
"She was unstable," the Backstreet Boys member continued. "I really had to put her first and assume that responsibility and make sure that she was taken care of."
"That was my most proud moment of the entire season," Burgess added. "Nick took care of Tamar. In the very beginning when Tamar didn't do a part of the choreography, he just went right along with her. He was a true leading man, and I'm proud of them."
On top of Braxton's close encounter with a Dancing with the Stars disqualification -- just as Kim Zolciak was forced to withdraw from the competition due to missing a performance show after suffering a mini stroke -- Alexa PenaVega revealed she previously struggled with Bulimia for years.
PenaVega then got eliminated at the end of the show instead of her husband Carlos PenaVega. Both contestants bawled when they stood next to each other in the bottom two, and Carlos even confessed afterwards he hoped he'd be the one going home instead of her.
It was a "hell of an emotional night," Burgess told People, adding that Braxton was struggling long before Monday's dress rehearsal.
"It was so insane. I'd be lying if I said I didn't see her getting more and more sick throughout the week," Burgess admitted. "She was losing her voice and wasn't allowed to speak at one point. She was fighting it so hard because she wanted to be here, but it finally came to a halt for her today and she had to go to the hospital."
Burgess couldn't believe Braxton was able to come back and dance, as she complimented the talk show host and singer for her strength.
"She wants to be a part of the show and take it all the way to the end. Her dedication is incredible. She's my Superwoman," Burgess noted.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
