ABC/Eric McCandless(LOS ANGELES) — Former Texas Governor Rick Perry was sent packing from Dancing with the Stars Tuesday night after just three weeks of competition.
During his time on the show, the 66-year-old former longtime governor, who twice unsuccessfully sought the Republican Party’s nomination for president, turned in ebullient routines that pleased the audience but which judges found lacking in polish, artistry and technical ability.
After he learned his fate Perry hugged his pro partner, Emma Slater, then said he participated on the show to highlight veterans’ issues, and invited viewers to find a veterans cause to support.
“My daughter’s getting married October 15th and I can promise you I will look good on the dance floor for her,” Perry said, referring to the instruction he had received on the show.
Perry was among six celebrities who found themselves in jeopardy Monday night after a first-ever face-off episode that had the contenders and their pro partners dancing against each other in sets of two, with each contestant in the matchup performing the same style of dance to different songs.
The winners of the individual matchups earned immunity from elimination. The politician ended up in jeopardy after losing his paso doble battle with rapper Vanilla Ice.
Backstage after getting the boot, Perry was asked by ABC Radio if him being voted off early meant bad things for the Republican nominee in the presidential race.
Perry said, “I think you might be making a little bit of a stretch connecting those two. Donald Trump will be elected president on his skill of talking about how to get this country back on track economically, militarily and security-wise. It ain’t got a thing to do with my dancing.”
Slater told ABC Radio that perhaps Perry’s fans were preoccupied Monday night.
“Had it maybe not been a political debate on that same night, there would have been more, you know, people wanting to see Rick in the show, watching at that time.”
Tuesday night’s show featured a replay of each of Monday’s night’s routines, plus live performances from Florida Georgia Line and Fitz and The Tantrums. With regular co-host Erin Andrews absent from the show due to a death in her boyfriend’s family, pro dancer and two-time Dancing mirror ball champion Kym Johnson Herjavec filled in as co-host alongside Tom Bergeron.
Eleven couples return to compete Monday on ABC.
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