LOS ANGELES – Where's a scandal-ridden star to go?
Ryan Lochte, on the heels of the 2016 Summer Olympics, decided that the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom was best. Lochte had just been dropped by major sponsors and suspended by USA Swimming over spinning a story to police and media about being robbed at gunpoint in the games' host city of Rio de Janeiro.
Referred to colloquially as "Lochtegate," the scandal unfurled after the swimmer and three of his teammates claimed they had been the subjects of a stick-up at a gas station in Brazil. As plotholes began to emerge, and Rio police refuted the account, Lochte admitted that he had been heavily intoxicated and had "over-exaggerated" the story.
Blistered ankles. Teased hair. My weekend on 'Dancing with the Stars'
One month later, he hit the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom floor alongside professional dance partner Cheryl Burke. Save for one unexpected on-air protest, his stint on the show went off without much hitch, giving Lochte the chance to do a bit of image rehab and learn a two-step along the way.
