Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovolani cut from 'Dancing with the Stars'

Former supermodel Kathy Ireland and her professional partner Tony Dovolani became the third couple eliminated from Dancing with the Stars ninth season during last night's live results show broadcast of the ABC reality series.


Ireland and Dovolani were ousted during the second week of the competition based on a combination of their judges scores from Monday night's performance episode and home viewer votes cast immediately following the broadcast.

"There is so much to take away from this experience," said Ireland after her elimination.  "I wouldn't change a moment of it.  The fact that I got to learn how to dance from world champion Tony Dovolani, it's been so much fun, the entire experience."

Ireland and Dovolani performed a quickstep routine during Monday night's performance episode, for which they received a score of 18 out of 30 possible points -- placing them at the bottom of the judges' leaderboard.

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba described it as a "full presentation" and said the quickstep suited Ireland and Dovolani better than last week's salsa routine.


"What I find a little disturbing is that you're so reserved," added Inaba. 

"It still seems so carefully placed and you have to break through that because there's 14 [couples]competing.  We need you to stand out for something.  Your hold -- it was a little spacious, it was a spacious hold.  It could have been a little tighter.  She's tall, but that doesn't mean you couldn't get a little tighter Tony."

"I tried," replied Dovolani.

"I know," said Inaba.

After adding that "anybody could get close" to Ireland, judge Bruno Tonioli called Ireland "beautiful to look at" but not "engaging."


"You can't dance the quickstep two miles apart," he said.  "She's so good looking, bring her close to you.  Allow her to express herself, it's part of the job.  That's what you have to do."

Guest judge Baz Luhrmann -- who was filling in for regular Len Goodman -- agreed with Inaba and Tonioli that Ireland was both "elegant" and "beautiful."

"But the quickstep is an exciting dance," added Luhrmann.  "Len last week, he did say that thing of attacking in the dance, excitement in the dance.  Beautiful things there, but you really have to bring those qualities into that dance."

Prior to Ireland and Dovolani being eliminated during last night's broadcast, Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron revealed that actress Debi Mazar and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy were the other couple in the bottom two based on a combination of their judges scores from Monday night -- a 21 out of 30 for their tango -- and home viewer votes cast immediately following the broadcast.

"I am a little more shocked about Debi being in the [bottom two] because I thought you really delivered with your tango, with the drama," said Inaba when the bottom two were revealed.  "But it's just hard this point.  It's so early, I hate losing people."


Bergeron then revealed Ireland and Dovolani had been eliminated.

Two couples found themselves atop the judges' leaderboard this week -- as singer Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff scored a 27 for their quickstep while singer/actress Mya and Dmitry Chaplin also scored a 27 for their jive.  Hot on their heels were entertainer Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson, who received a 25 for their jive.

After that there was a mess in the middle, as the other 11 remaining couples were all within three points of each other.

In addition to Mazar and Chmerkovskiy, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo and Food Network host Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer -- who both performed a quickstep -- also received a 21 from the judges.

They were followed by actress Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough and retired NFL star Michael Irvin and professional newcomer Anna Demidova, who both had scores of 20 for their jive and quickstep, respectively.


UFC mixed martial arts fighter Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya's tango, actress Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas' jive, professional snowboarder Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower's jive, and former The Osbournes star Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel's tango all received a 19 from the judges.

Tied with Ireland and Dovolani at the bottom of the leaderboard were indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke, who received an 18 for their tango.

Dancing with the Stars' next ninth-season performance episode will air Monday, October 5 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC -- with each of the 13 remaining couples performing either the samba or rumba.

Then on Tuesday at 9PM ET/PT, another couple will be eliminated from the competition based on a combination of the judges' scores and home viewer votes.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio