Las Vegas Weekly

May 6, 2009 · 9:46 AM

DWTS shocker, as one Vegas pro stays and another goes

By Robin Leach

The bottom two couples: Lil' Kim and Derek Hough and Chelsie Hightower and Ty Murray.

Photo: ABC TV

It was the most shocking and unexpected upset of Season 8 of ABC’s top-rated Dancing With the Stars, but it proves that “King of the Cowboys Ty Murray” -- and his wife, singer Jewel -- has millions of rodeo cowboy fans voting for him!

Although Ty and his pro partner, Las Vegas beauty Chelsie Hightower, came into last night’s show with the lowest overall score -- 46 out of 60 -- it was rival rapper Lil’ Kim and Las Vegas Academy partner Derek Hough who were thrown off the wild ride. As the results show got underway last night, Lil’ Kim and Derek had 52 points. Click HERE for our as-it-happened report on the scoring from Monday night.

At home, though, TV viewers rebelled, and when their votes were combined with the judges’ scores, even host Tom Bergeron admitted, “This was a real shock.” As he announced the decision, most of the studio audience booed again! Chief judge Len Goodman told the rap star he was stunned because she’d been one of the best dancers to ever appear on the eight seasons of the show. And Derek, the reigning pro champion, said that she is one of his favorite celebrity dance partners: “She’s an amazing person, an amazing soul, an amazing spirit and an amazing dancer.”

Lil’ Kim kept smiling as she was axed from the show, saying: “This is one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am so happy to have brought people to the show who had never watched it before.” Here are the official ABC photos from last night’s results show.

Lil’ Kim and Derek had been heavily favored to be in the final four. Now Ty will be back next Monday for the semifinals competing against the front-runners Melissa Rycroft and Gilles Marini, followed closely by Shawn Johnson.

If the viewer votes continue in this magnitude, Ty could eliminate Shawn next week and then force a real finals showdown against Melissa and Gilles.

Nobody knows anymore. Nobody can predict anymore. Nobody can guess anymore. If the Ty Murray rodeo vote turns into a stampede, he could wrestle all the competition in a grand slam to the ground! Maybe the bronco-busting cowboy could wind up “King of the Disco Ball” and surprise everybody yet again.

We’ll be back next Monday with the semifinal results shortly after the live broadcast to the East Coast.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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