Backstage Report: Floyd Mayweather Knocked Out

The Scoop on Which 'Dancing With the Stars' Couple Wanted to Split Up and Those Controversial Lifts

October 17 -- Professional boxer Floyd 'Pretty Boy' Mayweather and his partner Karina Smirnoff were voted off 'Dancing With The Stars' after failing to impress the judges -- and the voters -- after scoring only 23 points (out of 30) after dancing the Paso Doble. The boxer and the ballerina spoke with AOL TV's Michael Maloney shortly after getting the news.

How do you feel?
Mayweather: We went out swinging. Karina's amazing. She approaches dancing the way I approach boxing -- with hard work and giving it your all.
Smirnoff: I'm sad we're going, but I couldn't have been happier with Floyd. I wouldn't have had anyone else.
Mayweather: In the beginning, she said she wanted someone else and I said I wanted someone else.
Smirnoff: (to Mayweather) No, you didn't! You said that?
Mayweather: It was before I met you! I said, "That's Mario Lopez' girlfriend. I don't want to dance with anyone else's girlfriend!"
Are you Mario Lopez' girlfriend?
Smirnoff: [Laughs] No!

While Mayweather (who is set to fight Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on December 8) and Smirnoff said goodbye to 'Dancing,' co-host Samantha Harris returned to the series this week from her maternity leave. "I am thrilled beyond words to be back," Harris said. "And it's great to know that I have a beautiful baby [daughter Josselyn Sydney] waiting for me at home when I get there."

The biggest buzz this week wasn't Mayweather's dismissal or Harris' return, but judge Carrie Ann Inaba's harsh criticism of many couples -- including Jane Seymour and her partner Tony Dovolani -- for performing 'lifts' during their routines. Seymour and Dovolani, knowing such a move was against the rules, politely and firmly begged to differ with the judge's assertion. "Tony made sure we wouldn't do anything wrong," Seymour maintained. "In ballroom, [a limb] has to be off the ground for quite some time before it's illegal anyway."

As the evening went on and more couples violated the lifting rule (or didn't violate it, depending on your criteria), Inaba's stance on the edict appeared to change. "[Her stance got] wider and wider," punned a deadpan Dovolani. "Yes, and they didn't [appear] to take points off [from others]," added Seymour.

Marie Osmond and Jonathan Roberts weren't accused of doing a lift. "We put magnets down on the floor and kept Marie's feet stuck to them," quipped Roberts. "And I've got the bruises to prove it," chuckled Osmond, adding, "We kept our feet on the floor."

Osmond was unaware that her brother Donny, who's doing commentary on 'Dancing' for 'Entertainment Tonight,' has picked his sibling to win the competition. "He better," quipped Roberts. Added a smiling Marie: "He's scared of me."

As the competition continues, unlikely dancers can find themselves in danger of being voted off the program. Co-host Tom Bergeron agreed that it was a stunner that 'Spice Girl' Melanie Brown and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (aka 'Mel and Maks') were in the bottom two along with Mayweather and Smirnoff. "I heard the gasp from the judges when that happened," said Bergeron. "I was really stunned. We have the strongest group of female celebrity dancers that we've ever had."

Brown earned a few backhanded compliments from the judges for looking so elegant during her routine with Chmerkovskiy. "For a truck driver, you look very feminine," quipped Chmerkovskiy, half-mocking the judges' remarks. "I scrub up well," Brown laughed, taking it all in stride. "We had fun tonight. We floated and glided."

Chmerkovskiy and Brown are competitive, but they didn't mind offering up advice for their competitors. "Have fun," he said. Added Brown: "Otherwise, you get too stressed out and you don't enjoy it. Then, the dance is over and you say, 'Why didn't I smile more?'"

The saved dancing duo is headed to England tomorrow so that Brown can shoot a Spice Girls video. Might Chmerkovskiy wind up in it? "It's just the Spice Girls," lamented Brown. "But if we had a guy in it, we'd be all over [Maks]."



Also saved for next week's show are Mark Cuban and his partner Kym Johnson. "I think we did a really, really good dance this week," Johnson said. "I'm just upset we didn't get such great scores [from the judges]." Why didn't the judges offer them a higher grade? "Who knows?" said Cuban. "I haven't figured it out."

Sabrina Bryan and her partner Mark Ballas supported Bergeron's observation about top female celebrities by scoring the season's first perfect score of 30 for their 'lift-less' routine. "It's so amazing that we did so well with the dance that's been the hardest for me," said Bryan. "To get that feedback from the judges was unreal."

Did earning a perfect score give the duo a feeling of security going into the results show? "There's never a guarantee," noted Ballas. "Of course, the judges matter, but it's really about the viewers at home -- the people who take the time to tune in and support the dancers."

Jennie Garth won the vote for most audience support. Not only was her husband Peter Facinelli and former Beverly Hills, 90210 pal Ian Ziering (one of last season's celebrity dancers) present to cheer for Garth, Andrea Bowen ('Desperate Housewives') was also there.

"Jennie and I did a movie together called 'Girl, Positive' for Lifetime," said Bowen, who brought her mom Peggy to the show. "I'm rooting for Jennie, but everyone is so good. This season has so many dancers at a higher level."

Speaking of hitting a higher level, Bowen says she's been hearing favorable buzz on this season's 'Desperate Housewives.' "That's been really nice," she enthused. "People have been saying that we're coming back to our first season. That couldn't be a better compliment."

Helio Castroneves and his partner Julianne Hough were thrilled to learn that they're the couple that AOL voters want to see win the mirrored globe trophy. "Thank you, AOL!" cheered Hough. "That's nice," said Castroneves. That helps us to keep working as hard as we possibly can."

Fans enjoyed the pairing of Hough and last season's champion Apolo Anton Ohno, but the winning Hough arguably has appealing chemistry with Castroneves, too. "It's a match made in heaven," exclaimed Hough. "We have a casting director that sizes people up with looks and personalities. I'm so lucky to be paired with Helio."

It's a mutual admiration society as far as the racecar driver is concerned. "I'm so glad they chose Julianne [for me]," Castroneves said. "She's a champion and a great person."

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