Overview

• Jeanette Biedermann is sidelined with a severe flu and high fever, as confirmed by her doctor, who advised against her participation in the February 28 show.
• Reality-TV star Leyla Lahouar is also unable to perform due to a respiratory infection, leaving her and her dance partner Sergiu Maruster out of the debut live performance.
• Both contestants have expressed disappointment at missing the first competitive episode but are optimistic about returning for the following week's show.
• The first live episode of 'Let's Dance' will now feature only 12 of the original 14 celebrity-professional dance pairs, with one pair still expected to be eliminated.
• The 18th season of the popular dance competition began with a pairing 'Kennenlernshow' on February 21, where contestants were matched with their professional partners.