Supermodel Paulina Porizkova and her partner Alec Mazo were the first couple eliminated from Dancing with the Stars' fourth season during last night's live results show on ABC.
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"I feel like the kid on the playground that's made by their parents to go home and they're not ready yet, like, 'Wait! I like this! I want to keep playing,'" said Porizkova upon learning she was the first celebrity participant eliminated. "I've had such a wonderful time, and I'm predictably bummed to be going home."
The 11 couples competing on Dancing with the Stars were judged for the fourth season's first results show based on two performances: Dancing with the Stars special two-hour premiere on Monday, March 19 as well as another two-hour special on Monday, March 26. While Porizkova and Mazo were in the middle of the pack based on the judges' scores -- a 40 out of 60 possible points -- that ranking was combined with viewer vote ranking, and together the combined total wasn't good enough to keep them competing.
"There are 10 other fantastic couples up there and one of us had to go," said Porizkova. "I guess my fan base were my family and they're just not extensive enough."
In addition to Porizkova and Mazo, 2004 Miss USA winner Shandi Finnessey and her partner Brian Fortuna were also in the bottom two based on a combination of the judges' scores -- a 39 out of 60 -- and viewer votes.
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The judges' favorite couple based on the first two performances was Muhammad Ali's daughter and professional boxer Laila Ali and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who scored 50 out of a possible 60 points. During the Tuesday night broadcast, Dancing with the Stars co-host Samantha Harris asked Ali if she was concerned about peaking too early in the competition.
"I'm not worried about that. I'm just glad that the fans voted and liked our performances," said Ali. "We have to take it week by week... you never know what's going to happen next week. I'm just happy to still be here to do my thing."
Despite ranking at the bottom of the judges' scoring, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and his partner Karina Smirnoff and former NBA star Clyde Drexler and his partner Elena Grineko (tied for last with 34 out of 60 points) both managed to survive to dance another week (unlike the judges' marks, Dancing with the Stars does not reveal each week's full set of viewer vote rankings.) They were followed closely by former Entertainment Tonight, Extra and Leeza host Leeza Gibbons and her partner Tony Dovolani with a 36 as well as former Cheers star John Ratzenberger and his partner Edyta Sliwinska with a 38. Finnessey and Fortuna placed next with a 39, followed by the eliminated pair of Porizkova and Mazo with a 40.
Along with Ali and Chmerkovskiy, Dancing with the Stars' early fourth season leaders are former model Heather Mills and partner Jonathan Roberts, who scored a 42 from the judges; former Beverly Hills 90210 actor Ian Ziering and partner Cheryl Burke, who scored a 43; two-time Olympic gold medalist speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and partner Julianne Hough, who scored a 47; and former N Sync singer Joey Fatone and partner Kym Johnson, who scored a 48.
Dancing with the Stars' third performance episode will take place on Monday, April 2 on ABC from 8PM ET/PT to 9:45PM ET/PT, with half the couples dancing a "leg-pumping jive" and the other half dancing a "torrid tango." On Tuesday, April 3 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