Las Vegas Weekly

April 28, 2010 · 12:36 PM

DWTS photos: The Bachelor Jake Pavelka emotional in exit

By Robin Leach

Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke interview Chelsie Hightower and Jake Pavelka on Week 6 of Dancing With the Stars.

Photo: Adam Larkey/ABC TV

For the first time in Season 10 of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, Olympic golden boy Evan Lysacek found himself among the final three facing elimination on America’s most-watched TV show.

Seconds after our former Planet Hollywood headliner Pamela Anderson and partner Damian Whitewood were declared safe, it came down to Evan and partner Anna Trebunskaya, Reno 911 star Niecy Nash and Louis Van Amstel and The Bachelor star Jake Pavelka and his Las Vegas dance partner Chelsie Hightower as the final threesome.

TV viewers turned against Texas pilot Jake, and he had to pack his bags and return to the friendly skies -- hopefully from now on with his pants on -- after last week's reinterpretation of Tom Cruise’s sexy dance from Risky Business. Rival Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who choreographed scenes for our Le Reve at the Wynn, called it “a desperate ploy.” Jake was not only at the bottom of the week’s scoring, but also wound up last in the swing dance marathon voting Monday night.

So the sensational seven became the super six, and the race for the prized mirror disco-ball trophy gets hotter and tighter by the week.

Jake tearfully commented after his flight plan was cut short: “I am so unbelievably thankful that I had an opportunity to be part of this cast. This is the coolest thing. I can’t imagine what in life could top something like Dancing With the Stars.”

Then he turned to Chelsie and told her, “You are one of my best friends. I have loved every second of this, and I love you.” He then added how thankful he was to her “for being so great to my beautiful fiance Vienna.” Jake proposed to her during The Bachelor finale, and she was front row center during his Season 10 journey.

Up top of the leaderboard for now are Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Las Vegas partner Derek Hough, ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews and Maksim and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke.

Two questions for next week’s show: 1) Will Evan be able to skate safely back toward the top of the leaderboard in time to face frontrunners Nicole and Derek? And 2) will it come down to Niecy or Pamela being dropped from the lineup?

We’ll have that preview Monday right here at Vegas DeLuxe, but meantime enjoy all the photos from ABC’s Adam Larkey, including last night’s departure, guest singer Melissa Etheridge and flamenco guitarist Benise, with actor Sam Neill, star of ABC’s new series Happy Town, watching in the audience.

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.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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