diff --git a/proxy-skeleton/app/background.py b/proxy-skeleton/app/background.py
index ad9e305..14e04ce 100644
--- a/proxy-skeleton/app/background.py
+++ b/proxy-skeleton/app/background.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import time
 import requests
 from redis import Redis
 
-from .config import PROXY_POOL, SMARTPROXY_POOL, IP_CHECKER, MAX_PROXY_CHECKERS
+from .config import PROXY_POOL, SMARTPROXY_POOL, IP_CHECKER, MAX_PROXY_CHECKERS, SMARTPROXY_BV3HI_FIX
 from .pid import zombie_slayer
 from .redis_cycle import add_backend_cycler
 from .smartproxy import transform_smartproxy
@@ -46,10 +46,14 @@ def validate_proxies():
                 if pxy in SMARTPROXY_POOL:
                     smartproxy = True
                     r = requests.get(IP_CHECKER, proxies={'http': transform_smartproxy(pxy), 'https': transform_smartproxy(pxy)}, timeout=15)
-                    # r_test = requests.get(TEST_LARGE_FILE, proxies={'http': transform_smartproxy(pxy), 'https': transform_smartproxy(pxy)}, timeout=15)
+
+                    # TODO: remove when fixed
+                    r2 = requests.get(SMARTPROXY_BV3HI_FIX, proxies={'http': transform_smartproxy(pxy), 'https': transform_smartproxy(pxy)}, timeout=15)
+                    if r2.status_code != 200:
+                        logger.debug(f'PROXY BV3HI TEST failed - {pxy} - got code {r2.status_code}')
+                        return
                 else:
                     r = requests.get(IP_CHECKER, proxies={'http': pxy, 'https': pxy}, timeout=15)
-                    # r_test = requests.get(TEST_LARGE_FILE, proxies={'http': pxy, 'https': pxy}, timeout=15)
 
                 if r.status_code != 200:
                     logger.debug(f'PROXY TEST failed - {pxy} - got code {r.status_code}')
diff --git a/proxy-skeleton/app/config.py.example b/proxy-skeleton/app/config.py.example
index 67c57a6..07b1db4 100644
--- a/proxy-skeleton/app/config.py.example
+++ b/proxy-skeleton/app/config.py.example
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ PROXY_POOL = [
 SMARTPROXY_USER = 'example'
 SMARTPROXY_PASS = 'password'
 
+# Fix the 503 error on some SmartProxy hosts.
+# TODO: remove when fixed.
+SMARTPROXY_BV3HI_FIX = 'https://files.catbox.moe/c8p1q6.png'
+
 # Some domains just don't work through SmartProxy. Domains in this list are routed though
 # your proxies, not SmartProxy.
 BYPASS_SMARTPROXY_DOMAINS = [
diff --git a/proxy-skeleton/app/plugins/load_balancer.py b/proxy-skeleton/app/plugins/load_balancer.py
index 8e0ca02..c3e2f36 100644
--- a/proxy-skeleton/app/plugins/load_balancer.py
+++ b/proxy-skeleton/app/plugins/load_balancer.py
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@ class ProxyLoadBalancer(TcpUpstreamConnectionHandler, HttpProxyBasePlugin):
         self._metadata = [
             host, port, path, request.method,
         ]
+
         # Queue original request optionally with auth headers to upstream proxy
         if self._endpoint.has_credentials:
             assert self._endpoint.username and self._endpoint.password