Melissa Rycroft Wardrobe Malfunction: Another Slip of the Nip on DWTS

Melissa Rycroft is the latest "Dancing With The Stars" contestant to have a wardrobe malfunction. But, according to TMZ - and much to the disappointment of the show's male fans - the Melissa Rycroft wardrobe malfunction was not caught on tape.

Allegedly, Melissa Rycroft's "nip slip" happened toward the end of her dance routine with partner Tony Dovolani (a routine for which the couple received a perfect score). TMZ reports that Rycroft can be heard saying, "My boob came out!" at the end of the routine, but, as previously mentioned, the alleged Melissa Rycroft wardrobe malfunction was not documented on camera.

As noted above, the Melissa Rycroft wardrobe malfunction is not the first such incident on "Dancing With The Stars. In fact, just last month one of the show's other contestants, Lil' Kim, had a highly-publicized wardrobe malfunction. It happened when she and her partner, the dashing Derrick Hough, were performing a snappy version of the jive set to Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock."

But Lil Kim was saved from embarrassment by "Dancing With The Stars" host Tom Bergeron, who shielded Lil' Kim's exposed breasts from the camera ("I don't know why this happens a lot of the time, but ... the girls were tryin' to come out," said Lil' Kim of the incident when interviewed after the show). This allowed Lil' Kim to make the necessary adjustments and proceed with the routine. East Coast viewers were able to view some of the incident, but viewers on the other side of the country were not so privileged, as the shows producers saw fit to edit out the Lil' Kim wardrobe malfunction before the show was broadcast on the West Coast.

The more cynical among us might question whether wardrobe malfunctions on "Dancing With The Stars "are staged by the show's producers as a way to get publicity and thus boost the show's ratings. If so, it would be a rather ingenious way for the show to tap in to the coveted 18-44 male demographic.

More than likely, though, the frequency of wardrobe malfunctions among the female contestants on "Dancing With The Stars" has more to do with the barely-there outfits that they frequently wear while strutting their stuff onstage.

Sources:

Melissa Rycroft - Peek-a-boob With the Stars, TMZ.com

DWTS' Derek Hough Teases Lil' Kim About Wardrobe Malfunction, Us magazine.com, April 14, 2009