Skating with the Stars eliminated rocker Vince Neil and professional partner Jennifer Wester during an injury-plagued live Monday night broadcast on ABC.
ADVERTISEMENT
Neil and Wester became the second couple ousted from the competition based on the combination of the Skating with the Stars judges' scores they received during the show and the votes home viewers cast following last Monday night's episode.
"It was a lot of fun. It was really a great experience just to re-learn something I knew so long ago and there's some great skaters here, and I'm really happy for everybody. And the judges were nice to me!" Neil said following his elimination.
Neil and Wester had finished in a tie for fourth and last place with The Real Housewives of New York City and Bethenny's Getting Married? star Bethenny Frankel and partner Ethan Burgess on Monday night's judging leaderboard. Both pairs received a combined score of 36 out of 60 possible points from Skating with the Stars judges Johnny Weir, Laurieann Gibson and Dick Button.
Frankel and Burgess were the other couple still in danger of elimination prior to Neil and Wester's ouster, however the Skating with the Stars host Vernon Kay stated the skaters' combined scores were revealed in no particular order -- meaning the pair may not have necessarily been in the bottom two.
ADVERTISEMENT
Each skating pair was required to convey a convincing love story via a "romantic" ice dance that featured a jump in which they would land on one foot. The routine was eligible to receive up to 60 possible points from the judges -- 30 points for technical merit and an additional 30 points for artistic impression.
Monday night's broadcast was impacted by injuries to not one but two of the five remaining teams. Professional partner Brooke Castile's finger was cut to the bone when her partner Olympic gold-medal skier Jonny Moseley accidentally skated over her hand during a rehearsal earlier in the day, however she was still able to skate after being taken to the hospital and receiving several stitches.
In addition, Disney Channel star Brandon Mychal Smith and partner Keauna McLaughlin were unable to skate at all, as Smith was also rushed to the hospital earlier in the day due to an unspecified illness. The judges scored Smith and McLaughlin's previously recorded practice rehearsal video to compensate for their inability to perform during the live broadcast.
Neil and Wester earned 16 out of 30 possible points for their technical merit score this week and received 20 out of 30 possible points for their artistic impression score.
Frankel and Burgess earned 17 points for their technicality and an additional 19 points for their artistry.
ADVERTISEMENT
Moseley and Castile topped the leaderboard in first place after their performance earned them a total of 51 points. They earned 24 points for the technical aspect to their ice dance and received 27 points for its artistic value.
Actress Rebecca Budig and partner Fred Palascak had finished in second place with a total of 50 points on the leaderboard after receiving 25 points for their technical score and an additional 25 points for their artistic performance this week.
Smith and McLaughlin received 18 points for their technical score and an additional 21 points for their ice dance's artistic impression -- giving them a combined score of 39 points that left them in third place on the judges' leaderboard.
Skating with the Stars' next episode will air on Monday, December 13 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski