Dancing with the Stars eliminated Gavin DeGraw and professional partner Karina Smirnoff during Tuesday night's fourth live fourteenth-season results show on ABC.
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The singer and Smirnoff became the fourth couple ousted from the competition after Dancing with the Stars judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli opted to save fellow couple Jaleel White and partner Kym Johnson instead following a new dance-off format in which both pairs -- who were the bottom two couples based on the combination of the judges' scores they received during Monday night's performance show and the home viewer votes that were cast afterwards -- were required to perform different cha cha routines simultaneously in a dance duel in the hopes of impressing the judges and being saved from elimination as a result.
Dancing with the Stars' judges based their decision to eliminate DeGraw and Smirnoff instead of White -- who is an actor best known for his role on ABC's sitcom Family Matters -- and Johnson solely on the quality of their cha cha performances they saw during last night's results show. Goodman, Inaba and Tonioli unanimously voted to keep White and Johnson in the competition, claiming their dance was better overall.
"So far, it's been amazing just being part of the show. My family got to have a great time. We've reunited in a lot of ways. I've got family all over the country, so this gave us something to talk about," DeGraw said following his ouster when Dancing with the Stars co-host Brooke Burke asked him what had been the best part of his experience.
"And Karina Smirnoff of course, having a great mentor. And getting to reach out and know all these amazing people who are part of the show. It's been awesome."
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DeGraw and Smirnoff finished in ninth -- and last -- place at the bottom of Monday night's judging leaderboard after they danced a samba routine which received only 19 out of 30 possible points from the judges. The performance show had featured the competition's nine remaining couples performing Latin routines.
Fellow bottom two couple White and Johnson finished in sixth place on the leaderboard after they danced the samba which received 24 points from the judges.
Opera singer Katherine Jenkins and partner Mark Ballas and actor and telenovela star William Levy and partner Cheryl Burke finished tied for first place on the leaderboard after they each performed an Argentine tango routine which received 29 points from the judges.
Second place also represented a tie between NFL player Donald Driver and partner Peta Murgatroyd and Entertainment reporter and Extra host Maria Menounos and partner Derek Hough. Driver and Murgatroyd performed an Argentine tango which received 27 points from the judges, while Menounos and Hough danced the salsa which also earned 27 points.
Disney Channel star Roshon Fegan and partner Chelsie Hightower finished in fifth place after they earned 26 points for their salsa performance.
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Singer Gladys Knight and partner Tristan MacManus performed a samba routine which earned 22 points from the judges, leaving them in seventh place on Monday night's leaderboard.
Former Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy followed closely behind Knight and MacManus in eighth place with 21 points after dancing a salsa routine.
Dancing with the Stars' next performance show will air on Monday, April 23 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski