Judges say Michael Irvin hasn’t improved on Dancing with the Stars, but he’ll be back next week

by Sarah Blaskovich

Dancing with the Stars is just tough for Michael Irvin. One of the “compliments” he received from the judges on Monday night was from Bruno Tonioli: “You're like the economy -- every week, it's supposed to be getting better, but it doesn't.”

<p>“Only in America can you dance like we were just dancing, with a beautiful woman, and have a beautiful wife in the audience, right there in the front row, clapping like, 'yeah, great job, great job!'” Irvin said.</p>

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“Only in America can you dance like we were just dancing, with a beautiful woman, and have a beautiful wife in the audience, right there in the front row, clapping like, 'yeah, great job, great job!'” Irvin said.

He was praised by Carrie Ann Inaba for being a wonderful partner as he and Anna Demidova danced the difficult bolero, but that didn't mean they liked his performance. But somebody did, because Irvin was voted safe on Tuesday night. Irvin told host Samantha Harris that he was stunned he wasn't in the bottom two again this week after tying snowboarder Louie Vito for last place. (Vito and his cute partner were also later pronounced safe. More spoilers at the end.)

Irvin's dance with Demidova was heartfelt and passionate, but Irvin's lack of technique continues to force him to the bottom of the pack. The slow-paced bolero was choreographed so Irvin struck continuous poses -- a great way to fill time so he didn't have to do difficult steps, though the judges caught on to his “ergonomic” moves.

It's clear Irvin is hard on himself in the dance studio, and the fact that he's not improving visibly affects him. “We're happy; we'll keep working,” he said sheepishly after hearing that he had earned a 16. He gave it a positive spin: That's two more points than last week's performance.

A big surprise on Monday night was Melissa Joan Hart's charleston. In weeks past, Hart was underwhelming, positioned as the hardworking actress who didn't seem to have much natural grace. But her silly flapper-style dance allowed some of her awkward lines to shine, and her big facial expressions gave us a fun-loving dancer that was enjoyable to watch. She tied Mya with 28 points, a giant jump in score for Hart and a very normal score for natural diva Mya.

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Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya couldn't rope their way into another week.

In the end, after two hip-shaking performances from Shakira, gentle giant Chuck Liddell was sent home. “You are my bear and you are my hippo … but you made me so proud,” said Liddell's partner, Anna Trebunskaya. Aww.

Check back next week for the first group dance, where celebrities will be performing the hustle in addition to one partner dance.

The hosts also unveiled that Lantana resident Jake Pavelka will be ABC's next Bachelor. Read more about him on Pegasus News here.