Grabbing the dancing competition by the horns. On Dancing With the Stars‘ Monday, March 20, season 24 premiere, champion bull rider Bonner Bolton opens up about his frightening recent injury, as seen in Us Weekly‘s exclusive sneak peek.
The ABC ballroom show’s preview clip features dance pro Sharna Burgess getting to know her partner, Bolton, on a ranch in Texas. “I’m Bonner Bolton, I’m 29 years old and I’m a professional bull rider,” he tells her. Burgess replies, “So you ride bulls for a living, so you’re a little bit crazy.” And Bolton adds, “Yeah, you could say that.”
Bolton tells the camera, “Bull riding’s a lot like dancing, you know? Your partner’s a lot bigger, though.”
When Burgess, 31, asks what made him want to compete on DWTS, Bolton replies, “I had a bad injury about a year ago, I broke my neck and I was paralyzed the day it happened. So I’ve overcome a lot and just want to inspire other people to not give up.”
The bull rider’s injury occurred when he landed on his head while dismounting a bull in January 2016. He told Us in April 2016 that his recovery involved “doing a lot of work in the pool and in the hot tub specifically, to regain my strength back and my mobility, and it seems to be coming back really strong.”
Watch the clip above to see why Burgess claims she’s not “blushing” after chatting with Bolton. Dancing With the Stars returns to ABC Monday, March 20, at 8 p.m. ET.
