Mark Dacascos & Michael Irvin Eliminated On ‘Dancing’

“Dancing With the Stars” said goodbye to two of their most athletic dancers on Tuesday night – former pro-football player Michael Irvin and Food Network host and martial arts champion Mark Dacascos.

Michael Irvin was eliminated first, forcing his professional partner, Anna Demidova, out of the competition.

“Last night was a great night and to see the audience here standing up… it’s a way of saying they appreciate your hard work,” Michael said as he learned the news.

Anna, who competed for the first time with a celeb on the show this season, said she loved working with the athlete.

“It’s been a great experience and I want to say thank you to Michael for being such a wonderful partner, such a hard worker,” she said.

The next two couples with the lowest scores (made up of viewer votes and judges’ marks) were Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff,and Mark and his partner, Lacey Schwimmer, who was well enough after a few nights off to return to the competition. The two couples were forced to dance for the judges who ultimately chose to keep the pop star.

Despite a tough week – Mark had three different partners due to Lacey’s bout with the flu – Mark was anything but a poor sport when he learned of his elimination.

“It’s one of the greatest experiences of my life,” the gracious competitor said. “It’s certainly much harder than it looks on television. It’s a lot easier to watch it than do it, but the bond that you create with the dancers, my dancer, the other celebs, it’s pretty special.”

Next Monday the remaining contenders will dance for a place in the semi-finals.