Las Vegas Weekly

May 5, 2010 · 9:29 AM

Photos: Injured Pamela Anderson waltzes off DWTS, heads to Palms

By Robin Leach

Tom Bergeron, Brooke Burke, Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood on Dancing With the Stars on May 4, 2010.

Photo: Adam Larkey/ABC TV

It was a case of adding insult to injury last night on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars when our former Planet Hollywood headliner Pamela Anderson, with partner Damian Whitewood, was eliminated from America’s most-watched show. But she’ll hardly have time to rest before she packs to travel here to Las Vegas.

“I had the best time. I learned something new that I’ll take with me forever. Dancing With the Stars will add to everything I do in the future. I feel very blessed,” she emailed after the verdict.

Pam’s double-whammy night began when she was too injured from her cha-cha performance on Monday’s show, when she was Team Gaga with Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, to reprise the routine last night.

She admitted: “It’s a small injury, but if I dance on it tonight, it will be totally aggravated if I go forward.” Producers had dance pro and Las Vegas’ own Chelsie Hightower take over for her.

As it turned out, Pamela wasn’t moving on because when it came down to the final two couples, it was Pamela and Damian who were cut, while ESPN anchor Erin Andrews and our Le Reve choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy were safe. My prediction was correct in that they would be in the bottom three but got it wrong in thinking that Reno 911 star Niecy Nash, with Louis Van Amstel, would get the boot. TV viewers trounced Pamela’s fans!

Up at the top of the leaderboard, the battle rages on between Olympic figure skating champion Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya against Nicole and her Las Vegas partner Derek Hough.

Train performed two of their hits songs, “Hey, Soul Sister” and “Drops of Jupiter,” but it was the incredible, high-energy and power-packed performance by 18 of our Viva Elvis cast that had the audience on its feet. Priscilla Presley and guest stage director Melissa Rycroft, who celebrated here before and after her recent wedding to Tye Strickland, applauded the Cirque du Soleil acrobats and dancers from Aria at MGM’s CityCenter. Priscilla and Melissa were both competitors on previous DWTS seasons.

Pamela told hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke: “It was a great experience. It’s a little surreal that it’s all over with. I think we did pretty good. Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and being voted off didn’t really happen. I will really miss the rehearsals and the dancing and seeing the other competitors each week, but I will stay in touch with everybody. I’m going to take up surfing next. I’m always learning new things.”

Producers had sought Pamela since Season 1, but she’d never had the time to commit. Now she heads to the Palms on May 15 when Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and Palms owner George Maloof honor her during a celebration to introduce the 2010 Playmate of the Year at Rain. Grammy winner Robin Thicke is the host and performs along with the Playmate Dancers and the White Tie Affair.

Pamela isn’t the only DWTS celebrity headed to Las Vegas. Nicole is the guest host at Pure in Caesars Palace on Saturday night, and a red-carpet arrival is being planned now for her quick break from rehearsals in L.A.

Our thanks to ABC’s Adam Larkey for these great photos. We’ll be back Monday with our coverage of the fabulous five couples as they become the final four.

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.

Share This