The "All My Children" actress and her professional partner, Tony Dovolani, were eliminated Wednesday from ABC's popular dancing competition. The pair received the judges' lowest score - 24 out of 30 - for their paso doble routine Monday. After viewer votes were combined with the judges' scores, the Daytime Emmy-winning soap star was dismissed.
"It was definitely worth it," Lucci said, grabbing the microphone after her ouster. "I just have to say, I have had the most incredible experience here. I leave with a life experience, something I will never forget. I feel so, so much gratitude for the opportunity to have had this particular experience in my lifetime."
For the first time in the competition, the dancers were split into two groups on Monday's performance show. Lucci headed Team Cha-Cha with actor Cody Linley and singer Lance Bass, scoring a 20 from the judges. Former football star Warren Sapp led Team Paso Doble with TV personality Brooke Burke and Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene, nabbing a score of 29.
Carrie Ann Inaba called Team Cha-Cha's out-of-sync routine "brutal." The judges asked Team Paso Doble to perform an encore of their high-energy number at the beginning of Wednesday's results show. The scores for the team routines were combined with the partner dance scores and viewer votes to determine that Lucci would be sent back to Pine Valley.
Burke, Bass, Greene, Linley and Sapp will continue in the competition. Previously dismissed celebrities include: actress Cloris Leachman; singer Toni Braxton; chef Rocco DiSpirito; reality TV star Kim Kardashian; actor Ted McGinley and comedian Jeffrey Ross. Olympian Misty May-Treanor dropped out of the competition after rupturing her tendon.
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