Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and his partner Karina Smirnoff were the seventh couple eliminated from Dancing with the Stars' fourth season during last night's live results show on ABC.

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"I do want to say thanks to all the fans, you've been awesome," Cyrus, best remembered for his unconventional "Bubba Chicken" jive and "Hillbilly Waltz," said upon learning he was the seventh celebrity participant eliminated.  "This has been a great experience."

On Monday night, Cyrus and Smirnoff performed a mamba as well as a foxtrot, receiving a combined score of 38 out of 60 from Dancing with the Stars' three judges, the lowest score received by any of the couples during the broadcast.  It also marked the fourth time out of eight performance episodes Cyrus and Smirnoff received the lowest scores from the judges.  Following their foxtrot, judge Bruno Tonioli was especially harsh with his criticism.

"You always are deliciously awful," Tonioli told Cyrus.  "I love him like anybody else... but this was terrible!  It was crap!  Oops! I'm sorry..." Needless to say, being called "crap" didn't sit too well with Cyrus. 

"Bruno calling me crap is the pot calling the kettle black," said Cyrus following the comments.  "We worked way too hard on it for it to be called crap.  I mean we worked really hard on it so you would think that he might appreciate that a little bit.  But what the heck."

Before it was revealed that Cyrus and Smirnoff were among the week's bottom two based on a combination of the judges' scores and viewers votes, Cyrus told Dancing with the Stars' co-host Samantha Harris there were no hard feelings and hinted it was because he was sensing his elimination.

"This is a celebration tonight.  I'm so happy to be here," he said.  "This is a celebration.  I conquered a fear.  I got out on this dance floor and I got to enjoy these fans.  You know, I'm not even supposed to be here now, so I'm just thanking God for all my blessings and just happy to be here and ready to go do [my post-elimination interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live later tonight]."

The elimination of Cyrus and Smirnoff leaves only four remaining couples -- and not coincidentally, they are the ones who have received the highest scores from the judges throughout Dancing with the Stars' fourth season run.  However the couple that joined Cyrus and Smirnoff in the bottom two based on a combination of the judges' scores and viewers votes was a bit of a surprise. 

Former N Sync singer Joey Fatone and partner Kym Johnson scored a 26 for their waltz and a 29 for their "pimped" mambo, giving them a combined score of 55 out of 60 and placing them once again among the leaders.  However viewer votes apparently weren't enough to keep them out of the bottom two, which is where they found themselves.

"You know what?  Just standing up they're just saying they're going to reveal one of the bottom two, we're just like, 'Oh my gosh.  Please don't let it be me,'" said Fatone.  "But like everybody says -- it's the truth -- we're having a great time out here.  Hopefully the fans vote.  So vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote!"

Perched atop the judges' leaderboard for a third time out of eight performance episodes were two-time Olympic gold medalist speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and partner Julianne Hough, who scored a 28 for their tango and a perfect 30 out of 30 for their Paso Doble, giving them a combined score of 58.  It was their second perfect 30 out of 30 of the season.

But even their Monday night performance wasn't without some controversy.  Following their tango, judge Carrie Ann Inaba said "10" aloud and held-up a sign with the corresponding number.  However the broadcast's on-screen graphics only displayed a "9," indicating that she had keyed a "9," not a "10," into her judging keypad.

Although it seemed pretty obvious that the score that Inaba had both said and held up with her paddle represented the score she had actually intended to give Ohno and Hough, Harris didn't see it that way.  "Carrie Ann held up the wrong paddle and said '10' when she actually meant '9,'" Harris began to tell the couple backstage before Inaba cut her off. 

"No!  That's not true!  No!  I gave them a 10!," Inaba shouted back from the the show's judges platform.  Because "10" was the score Inaba intended to give the couple, it's the score that stuck, with Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron attributing the discrepancy to a "rare computer error."

Scoring just behind the top two couples were professional boxer Laila Ali and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who received a 27 for their elegant waltz and a 26 for their jive, giving them a combined score of 53.  While the score placed them in the middle of the pack, Ali was still pleased since her performances were watched by her father Muhammad Ali, who was in the studio audience.

"My father enjoyed the performance," said Ali before adding she's a believer in fait and her abilities.  "I believe whatever's meant to be is going to happen.  I've been having fun, doing my best."

Ahead of Cyrus and Smirnoff but below the Top 3 couples were former Beverly Hills 90210 actor Ian Ziering and partner Cheryl Burke, who scored a 22 for their foxtrot and a 25 for their rumba, giving them a combined score of 47 out of 60.  However they were spared from being among the bottom two since they received enough viewer votes to counteract their low scores from the judges.

Dancing with the Stars' ninth performance episode -- which will serve as the fourth season's semifinal round -- will take place on Monday, May 14 on ABC from 8PM ET/PT to 9:30PM ET/PT, with the four remaining couples each being scored on both a ballroom and Latin routine.  On Tuesday, May 15 beginning at 9PM ET/PT, another couple will be eliminated from the competition based on a combination of the judges' scores and viewer votes.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio

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