The third double-elimination night of 'Dancing With the Stars' sent both NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and 'Iron Chef America's' Mark Dacascos packing in week seven of the reality dance competition series. Dacascos and partner Lacey Schwimmer (recovered from the flu) tried to save his spot in a "knock-off" dance against Aaron Carter and his partner Karina Smirnoff, but the former teen singer proved to be unbeatable.
AOL was backstage to speak with the eliminated couples (except for poor Schwimmer, who had a relapse) and the survivors. Also, Mark Ballas -- who performed new single 'Move' (available on iTunes) with music partner Derek Hough -- shared his predictions on which teams will make it into the finals.
Mark, how do you feel?Mark: It's bittersweet. I'm happy that Lacey came back and we got to dance one last time. But it's like being at a party and the host asks you to leave even though the party is still going on.
What's next for you?
Mark: I'm doing a film in January. It's called 'Song of the Knife.' It'll be my first action film in years.
Do you have a leading lady?
Mark: We haven't cast her yet.
How much leaner have you gotten since doing this show?
Mark: I've lost about seven pounds. My wife, Julie, likes me with a little more weight. If I can keep the muscle, she'll be happy.
Do you think she'll cook a lot for you?
Mark: She's from Texas and she's gone to culinary school. [Laughs] I'm dead meat!
What have you learned from doing this show?
Mark: When I see these dancers move, I don't just see one move. I see all the years they've put into this. It makes me so emotional. These people are so good. They inspire me to do better. Life takes discipline -- they have it.
Michael , how do you feel?Michael: I feel great. You get emotional because you're going to miss people. Look at the people who are staying ... those people can dance! We made it to week 7; that's the Super Bowl for me. It was a wonderful experience.
What are your plans for the future?
Michael: I'm going to let Anna [Demidova] get some sleep! She's probably exhausted.
What will you miss most about being here?
Michael: The people. When I retired from football I was asked this. I'm going to miss the people here.
Anna, what will you miss about Michael?
Anna: I'll miss dancing and just being around Michael; if I come back next season, I don't know what kind of partner I'll get. Michael and I got along so well.
Michael: You take away firsts in life. I was her first partner. Someday she'll think, "Oh, that Michael!" I'm just thankful I was her first.
Kelly, how do you feel that you've made it this far?Kelly: I called my Mom; she was screaming. "We're so [expletive] proud!" She was so honest with me. She said if I put the effort in I could [go far]. I thought I'd last till week 3. Being here still is unbelievable.
Were you shocked that Aaron and Karina were in the bottom three and they got the second highest score?
Kelly: Yes! People may think because they're doing so well, they don't have to call and vote for them.
Derek, how could Aaron and Karina -- who got such a high score -- be in the bottom three?Derek: Everyone from this point is strong. We're just happy to be past the double-elimination.
Joanna: Yes. The "knock-off" dance is even more nerve-wracking.
Derek: There's less pressure now.
What's the plan for next week?
Derek: We have two cool dances -- the quick step and a futuristic paso doble. We're going to put a totally different spin on it. There's pressure now, but there's excitement, too.
Joanna: When I started, I thought if I lasted until week 3 it would be OK, so it's not like the "model curse" when you leave on the first week.
Joanna, what did you think of Derek and Mark's performance?
Joanna: I thought they were amazing. I was getting my makeup done [when they were pre-taping it], but I asked, "Can we wait?" I went to my trailer to watch. They got the crowd riled up. It's funny -- Derek didn't want to watch himself [when it aired].
Derek: I can't.
Joanna: He's so cute! I'm his groupie!
Karina, how shocking was it to learn you and Aaron were in the bottom three?Karina: It's so unpredictable. It's OK. We were ready. We rehearsed our "knock-off" dance on Monday night.
How's Aaron?
Karina: He's shaking. I told him better to be ready and not need it rather than not be ready and to need it. I thought Mark was amazing in the "knock-off" dance. But I didn't let Aaron watch.
Does Aaron take the judges' comments personally?
Karina: I told him this is a show. You only have to take the constructive criticism. He's very emotional. I told him it was okay that we were in the bottom three.
Mya and Dmitry, Carrie Ann Inaba said that fellow judge Len Goodman was "officially smoking crack" after he made negative comments about your dance; how do you feel about that?Mya: I didn't even really hear it. I thought, "Did she just say what we think she did?"
Dmitry: Maybe she said something else ...
What's Len looking for in a dance?
Dmitry: He's very technical. Len is a traditional guy. He comes from the world of ballroom.
Mya: Len did like our Argentine tango. The other two judges were very critical of it.
Did having an extra couple in the group dance help or hurt you?
Mya: Both. Two people in the group -- Michael and Mark -- had travel schedules. We were up against time. The advantage was that we had could focus on symmetry because we had an even number of couples.
Kym, did having only three couples in the group dance give you an edge?Kym: I think it was an advantage. Fewer cooks in the kitchen.
Donny: Our three professionals worked so well together.
Is it fair to compare one group's paso doble with another's tango?
Kym: Yes. They're both strong, fiery dances. I think their paso doble was excellent, too, but we rocked it.
What's up for next week?
Kym: We have a Viennese waltz, which is lovely and dynamic. And we have an '80s inspired paso doble.
Donny: We're talking glam rock. She has designed an outfit for me that is going to knock your socks off.
Kym, you're Broadway bound?
Kym: Yes! I'm doing 'Burn The Floor' with Maks [Chemerkovskiy] starting November 27. I'm so excited. I'll be making my Broadway debut. I actually work-shopped this show in 1998 in London. It was always a dream for this show to be on Broadway.
Donny: I'm excited that I'm dancing with a Broadway star!
Mark Ballas, what was singing on the show like?Mark: It was great. We wanted the performance to be explosive. We put the guitars down tonight. We wanted to create a great performance.
Who do you think is going to win season 9?
Mark: I think Donny/Kym, Mya/Dmitry and Joanna/Derek will go to the finals. Joanna is killing it. She's killing it! She and Derek have great chemistry. If you're going on talent, she's your girl. I've got my fingers crossed for them and I'm rooting for Donny [and Kym], too.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
who said these guys were stars, they are just football players