Joey Fatone explains his pant-splitting 'Dancing With the Stars' wardrobe malfunction

Joey Fatone made instant impact with his guest appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" Monday night, splitting his pants on live TV while performing an impressive split off the stage to kick off the show.

You had to be looking really hard at the video (OK, it's at the 2 minute, 38 second mark), because Fatone continued with the routine after the split, sprinting past the camera and taking his seat as a guest judge for Boy Band/Girl Group night.

But it was a substantial wardrobe malfunction, Fatone admitted to USA TODAY after the show while wearing a replacement pair of cut-off sweat pants.

"I literally ripped the pants from the front to the back," said Fatone. "And then I just sat in the judge's chair and said, 'Oh well, you didn’t notice it."

Sean Spicer eliminated: Why he left 'Dancing With the Stars' just in time

But we did. So did host Tom Bergeron, who had the best view in the house. He spotted the incident, and then proceeded to tease Fatone about it throughout the show.

Fatone told us that he had not counted on excessive movement during the show when he put on the snug tuxedo capri pants that "fit on the waist."

"But I didn’t think I’d be dancing with them," said Fatone. Nor did he expect to be leaping about. But he got inspired by the return to "DWTS," where he was the Season 4 runner-up.

"Then I decided to do a split off the stairs," said Fatone. "That was a dumb idea because I went, 'I’m going to rip these pants. It’s going to happen.' "

It did happen.

That's ballroom dancing on live TV, folks.

Fatone recalled that during his first ever performance on the show, he had a badly placed microphone attached to his back, which came lose during his premiere dance.

"I ripped, pulled it out, and just kept on going," he said. "Every time I get on this stage it's something."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Dancing With the Stars': Joey Fatone explains wardrobe malfunction