Dancing with the Stars, pro Derek Hough hospitalized

E! News reports that professional dancer  Derek Hough, who is paired with Shannon Elizabeth on this season’s Dancing with the Stars, was carted off on a stretcher from the set by ambulance following a neck injury Tuesday.

An ABC spokeperson confirms that Hough was injured.  The injury occurred while rehearsing a routine with his sister Julianne and fellow Dancing pro Mark Ballas.

The network says he he appears to have only sustained a strained neck and was taken away on a gurney as a precaution and sent to a nearby hospital for tests.

The 22-year-old Hough, in his second season on Dancing with the Stars, will not dance as part of the professionals’ showcase on Tuesday night’s elimination show. So how is that going to work for Shannon Elizabeth wasn’t divulged. However, Hough is expected back for next Monday’s dance-off round.

Derek made his Dancing debut last season quite successfully with celebrity partner Jennie Garth, guiding the pair to a fourth-place finish.