Double elimination sends 2 'Dancing' stars home

Adam Taylor / ABC

By Ree Hines

For the last three weeks, any "Dancing With the Stars" duo unfortunate enough to land in the bottom two on results night had to go straight from the spotlight-of-shame to the dance floor for a last-minute ballroom battle to stay in the competition. That Dance Duel twist was panned by contestants and pros alike as "crazy" and "awful." But compared to Tuesday night's twist, well the Duel doesn't look so bad anymore.

That's because a rare double elimination meant that the bottom two didn't stand a chance, no matter what moves they could pull out in a pinch.

The first cut of the night wasn't exactly a surprise. After all, being in the bottom two is nothing new for Roshon Fegan. The Disney Channel star spent the past two weeks in back of the pack after viewer votes were tallied, and he relied on those tough Duels to keep him in the competition this long. But expected or not, the ballroom boot came at a bad time.

While there's never exactly a good time to go, Roshon left the floor following strong performances in Monday night's traditional and trio routines -- arguably his strongest in the competition.

Still, the 20-year-old didn't shed a tear when his time came. Instead he clung to partner Chelsie Hightower and simply said, "I'm definitely happy that I can add ballroom dancing to my dance moves."

What Roshon's exit lacked in big drama, the follow-up boot more than made up for it. In the end it came down to two celebs with very different dance floor reputations: this season's reigning "Dancing" queen Katherine Jenkins and this season's struggling star (at least as far as the judges have been concerned), Melissa Gilbert.

After a tense few moments, the results were revealed.

Though fan support carried the "Little House On the Prairie" star and her at-times controversial partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, this far, it didn't take them any farther. And once again, the blow came after the celeb put on peak performances. Heck, even head judge Len Goodman, who often gave Half-Pint a hard time, dubbed both of her last dances her "best so far."

"I can't even describe what a learning and growing experience this has been," Melissa said through heavy tears after learning her fate. "It's been a real blessing and a joy."

As for the star's partner, whose temper took the spotlight during recent rehearsals, she called him "an incredible teacher, an incredible friend."

Not so incredible? The fact that her elimination came on her birthday. The actress turned 48 on the same day she said so long to the ballroom bash.

With Roshon and Melissa out of the running, the competition is now down to just four celebrity contenders: singer Katherine, wide receiver Donald Driver, actor William Levy and TV host Maria Menounos -- aka season 14's new semifinalists.

Were you surprised by which couples got the ballroom boot on Tuesday night? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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