Seles, Jillette Booted From 'DWS'
Tennis ace and magician are first celebrities to dance their way off the show.
March 26, 2008 — -- The tennis ace and magician who came up short Tuesday night were the first stars sent home in the new, sixth season of "Dancing with the Stars."
Former No. 1 tennis player Monica Seles and Las Vegas illusionist and comedian Penn Jillette failed to wow the judges and the audience and were given the boot on the show's first-ever double elimination.
"I never had to shimmy, shake my bootie on the tennis court in a gold sequin dress," Seles said on "Good Morning America" today. "But that was what was so great about being on the show."
Her fox trot performance flopped last week and on Monday the pair earned a mere 15 for its follow-up dance. Despite being ousted so early from the show, Seles said she enjoyed her stint and working with her professional partner Jonathan Roberts.
"I've got an amazing partner in Jonathan," she said. "We had an absolute blast. On the tennis court I never had makeup or had my hair done. I never had a chance to go to my prom. I got to live out my fantasy."
Roberts said Seles was worried about performing on the show because she had no previous dance experience.
"When I first met Monica, she came in and said, 'I'm tone deaf and I've never done any sort of music choreography before.' I'm like, 'Uh-oh, for me.' I enjoyed dancing with Monica," Roberts said. "I saw her transform from never having danced before into shimmying and shaking all over the floor. I was proud of her."
Seles and Roberts weren't the only pair who two-stepped off the stage last night. Jillette and his partner Kym Johnson didn't rally enough votes to stay in the game, despite his attempt to impress the audience with theatrics.
Jillette earned a 16 last week for his cha-cha, and his quickstep this week failed to impress the judges. After his elimination, Jillette joked that he and his professional partner would continue to rehearse daily and planned to perform in the parking lot.
"It's very odd to be doing this the best way you can with somebody and not be able to see them. You know, Kym's here," the ponytailed 6-foot, 6-inch-tall magician joked as he pointed to his chest on "GMA" today.
