Dancing with the Stars eliminated Michael Waltrip and his professional dance partner Emma Slater during Monday night's live nineteenth-season broadcast on ABC.

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The professional race car driver and Emma became the seventh couple eliminated from the competition based on the combination of the Dancing with the Stars judges' scores they had received during last week's performance show and the home viewer votes that were cast immediately following that episode.

"It was a chance to do something that was more emotional than it was physical. To get to experience the wonderful cast, the folks that we danced with, and to get to know Emma's heart and who she is as a a person, I just grew so much emotionally. And I'm a better person because of my time here, and I'm happy that I got to be here. I'm sad I have to go," Michael said following his ouster.

"I'm sorry, I'm so emotional. He's made me a better person and this season has been amazing... You meet these people and they have the biggest heart and you just want to be like that. He's touched me in a way that I'll be a better person for the rest of my life, and I want to thank [Michael] for that," Emma explained in tears.

Comedian Tommy Chong and partner Peta Murgatroyd were the other couple still in danger of elimination prior to Michael and Emma's ouster, however, they were not necessarily one of the bottom-two couples based on the judges' scores and America's votes.

Last week, Michael and Emma had finished in eighth -- and last -- place on the judges' leaderboard with 56 out of 80 possible points. Tommy and Peta had landed in sixth place, racking in four more points than Michael and Emma.

Monday night's "Dynamic Duos" theme featured the remaining seven couples performing an individual routine paying tribute to famous couples throughout history. Afterward, all couples competed in a dance-off except for the pair who received the highest score from the first round. The top-scoring couple won immunity from elimination and got to sit out of the dance-off.

For the dance-off, two couples went head-to-head. The higher-scoring couple of the night got to select which pair they'd like to compete against, and then that selected couple was able to pick the dance style they'd be performing. The winner of each dance-off received three additional bonus points.

Actress and Pretty Little Liars star Janel Parrish and partner Val Chmerkovskiy topped the night's leaderboard in first place and won immunity after earning a perfect total score of 43 out of 43 points from Dancing with the Stars judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, and Bruno Tonioli.

Janel and Val danced a contemporary routine inspired by Romeo and Juliet which received 40 out of 40 possible points from the judges. They received the highest score in the first round, so they automatically earned three extra points without having to compete in the dance-off.

Actor and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro and partner Witney Carson finished in second place on Monday night's judging leaderboard with 41 total points.

Alfonso and Witney performed an individual cha cha routine as Batman and Robin which earned 38 points, and then the pair won their jive dance-off via a 4-0 vote against actress and Back to the Future star Lea Thompson and partner Artem Chigvintsev -- adding three more points to their original score.

YouTube fashionista Bethany Mota and partner Derek Hough claimed third place on the leaderboard with 40 total points.

Bethany and Derek earned 37 points for their Lucille Ball and Ricky Ricardo-inspired salsa routine. The couple also won their cha cha dance-off against Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson and partner Mark Ballas via a 2-2 vote, racking in three additional points. Because of the tie, Len got to make the call as the show's head judge and he picked Bethany and Derek to win.

Fourth place on the judges' leaderboard went to Sadie and Mark with 38 total points. They danced a contemporary routine as the Biblical characters Adam and Eve worthy of 38 points. The pair lost their dance-off.

Lea and Artem finished in fifth place on the leaderboard with 32 points after taking the stage with a jazz routine as Bonnie and Clyde. They lost their dance-off.

Tommy and Peta landed in sixth place with 29 total points. In addition to winning their rumba dance-off against Michael and Emma via a 4-0 vote from the judges, the pair received 26 points for their paso doble routine. Tommy and Peta dressed as Johnny Cash and Jewel Cash for their individual performance.

Michael and Emma finished in seventh -- and last -- place on Monday night's judging leaderboard with only 25 total points. The couple received 25 points for their Tarzan and Jane foxtrot performance, and they also lost their dance-off.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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