After receiving the judges' lowest score for the fourth week in a row, America's votes weren't enough to save former NBA star Clyde Drexler and his partner Elena Grineko, as they were the fourth couple eliminated from Dancing with the Stars' fourth season during last night's live results show on ABC.
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"It's been a great experience. I want to thank my partner Elena for teaching me all these wonderful ballroom dance moves. I want to thank the fans who voted and kept us in the competition... Lord knows they were keeping us here! I want to thank the judges for their constructive criticism -- sometimes a little cruel, but very nice -- it's been a wonderful experience," said Drexler upon learning she was the fourth celebrity participant eliminated.
While Drexler and Grineko had received the judges' lowest score for the last four weeks of the competition, Tuesday night's live results show marked the first time they were among the bottom-two when the judges' scores were combined with viewer votes. During Monday night's performance episode, the judges awarded Drexler and Grineko a 13 out of 30 possible points for their rumba. Seven couples remain in the competition.
"I've gotten to know each and every one of them. I love them. They're fantastic contestants. I look forward to watching the rest of the show and good luck to each and every one of you," said Drexler. "You've got to remember these guys put their heart and soul into it each and every week. Most of the celebrities... we're not like American Idol. We're not aspiring to be the next greatest dancer... we're just doing the best we can do as celebrities."
Last week's performance episode saw former N Sync singer Joey Fatone and partner Kym Johnson awarded the first 10 of the season by judge Carrie Ann Inaba based on the pair's Paso Doble, and their total score from the judges was a 28. This week, two-time Olympic gold medalist speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and partner Julianne Hough scored a perfect 10 from all three of the Dancing with the Stars' judges for their samba, making them the first pair to score a 30 this season. It was the seventeenth time in Dancing with the Stars' history that a couple received a perfect 30 out of 30 from the judges.
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 Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough perform their "perfect 10" samba Monday night's Dancing with the Stars broadcast (Photo credit ABC/Carol Kaelson) |
Based on the judges' scores, Ohno and Hough were followed closely by professional boxer Laila Ali and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy with a 28; Fatone and Johnson with a 25; former Beverly Hills 90210 actor Ian Ziering and partner Cheryl Burke with a 24; and former model Heather Mills and partner Jonathan Roberts with a 21. Mills and Roberts score would have been higher, however Mills fell in the final moments of their routine on Monday night. Possibly a contributing factor with voters, Mills and Roberts were in the bottom-two this week with Drexler and Grineko.
"I put the wrong foot on Jonathan's chest because it splits here and you naturally want to put that leg up and I went, 'Oh no...'" explained Mills as to why she fell. "I'm always falling over. I fall over in the street all the time so I'm used to it. I just jump straight back up."
Rounding out the bottom based on the judges' scores were former Cheers star John Ratzenberger and his partner Edyta Sliwinska with an 18 and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and his partner Karina Smirnoff with a 17.
Dancing with the Stars' sixth performance episode will take place on Monday, April 23 on ABC from 8PM ET/PT to 9:30PM ET/PT, with all the couples swing dancing as well as participating in their first group routines of the season. On Tuesday, April 24 beginning at 9PM ET/PT, another couple will be eliminated from the competition based on a combination of the judges' scores and viewer votes.
(Photo credit ABC/Carol Kaelson)
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio