Kurt Warner on 'Dancing With the Stars' Exit
Ex-QB headed home after judges scored him near the bottom of the final five.
Nov. 10, 2010 — -- Football legend Kurt Warner, who was eliminated from "Dancing With the Stars" Tuesday night, told "Good Morning America" he was proud to be the last athlete standing this season.
"I was pleasantly surprised at how well we did," Warner said of his performance with professional partner Anna Trebunskaya.
The former NFL quarterback and Superbowl MVP stepped outside his comfort zone when he traded the field for the dance floor.
"I played football for so long that it became natural, it became something I was good at," Warner said. "['Dancing With the Stars'] was such a huge challenge. It was more difficult than I thought it would be."
Warner agreed that many of the skills required of athletes probably translated to the dance floor.
"Commitment to your craft, willingness to work, footwork is always a big part of athletics. ... Those things lended themselves to the dances," he said.
Warner's professional partner, Anna Trebunskaya, who has been paired with a host of athletes on the show, including Olympic skater Evan Lysacek and another football star Jerry Rice, said she was impressed by Warner's performing abilities.
"The problem for athletes ... they're not really performers, don't really know how to externalize how they're feeling," Trebunskaya said on "GMA." "[Warner] went out there every single week, had a blast, and made everybody enjoy it."
The judges praised Warner for coming out and having fun, but he received nothing but eights for the two dances in his final week, landing him second from the bottom, only ahead of Bristol Palin.
Fellow competitors Jennifer Grey and Brandy tied for first place, with Brandy winning the ballroom dance round and Grey taking home the crown for the instant dance.
Before his departure, Warner received a standing ovation and a chant of "MVP" from the audience. He exchanged hugs with his competitors and noted, "I learned a long time ago that life isn't always about winning and losing competitions. It's about relationships."
Final Four 'Dancing With the Stars' Celebrity Contenders:
Brandy
Brandy is a platinum-selling R&B and pop singer, actress, songwriter, and record/television producer. In 1994, at the age of 15, Brandy released her eponymous debut album, which sold more than 6 million copies. Following a major success with "The Boy Is Mine," a duet with singer Monica that spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B performance by a duo or group. The accompanying album, "Never Say Never," in 1998 sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. A series of hit CDs followed, including "Full Moon," "Afrodisiac" and "Human," bringing the star's sales to more than 30 million records to date.
Jennifer Grey
A beloved actress of both film and television, Jennifer Grey is best known for her starring roles in the iconic movies "Dirty Dancing" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Grey starred as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the award-winning, box office hit "Dirty Dancing," which is widely considered one of the best dance movies of all time. Some of Grey's other films include Ben Affleck's "Bounce," "Red Dawn" and "The Cotton Club." Grey starred in the television sitcom "It's Like, You Know …" and has made memorable television appearances on such shows as "Friends," "John From Cincinnati," "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and an upcoming episode of the medical drama "House." She has also starred in various television movies, including "A Case for Murder," CBS's "The West Side Waltz" and a Lifetime original movie "Road to Christmas." Jennifer is the daughter of Tony and Academy Award winner Joel Grey, and resides in Los Angeles with her husband, actor-director Clark Gregg, and daughter.
Kyle Massey
Kyle Orlando Massey stars as Cory Baxter in Disney Channel's No. 1 hit sitcom, "Cory in the House," Disney Channel's first spinoff. He originated the role of Cory in Disney's "That's So Raven," the first show in Disney's history to produce more than 100 episodes. For his work on the Disney shows, he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In addition to appearing in numerous commercials, he starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie, "Life is Ruff." He has a recurring role on the animated series "American Dragon: Jake Long" and sings the main title theme songs on "Cory in the House," "Yin! Yang! Yo!" and performed the title track for Walt Disney Pictures' "Underdog." Currently, Kyle is starring as the voice of Milo on the Disney Channel's upcoming animated series "Fish Hooks." Kyle's prowess in golf won him first place in the National Minority Junior Golf Tournament in 2003. He also placed third in a recent White House Golf Tournament. Together with his brother, Christopher, Kyle has worked on projects to benefit the charity organization Feed the Children and traveled to Africa for the network prime-time television special "Eyes on Kenya." They have also performed their rap music in "Heroes Among Us: the 2009 Hero Awards" and in MyNetworkTV's "The Spirit of Christmas." Currently, they are co-hosting and starring in the comedy series "World's Funniest Moments."
Bristol Palin
Bristol Palin, former first daughter of Alaska, entered the national spotlight when her mother, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was selected to be John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential election. Bristol Palin traveled the country, alongside her mother, father and siblings, on the campaign trail. After giving birth to her son Tripp, and becoming a single teen mother in 2008, Palin became a spokeswoman for the prevention of teen pregnancy and other teen issues. As an advocate, Palin wanted to share her story with other teens who may one day face a similar situation. Palin also acts as teen ambassador for the Candie's Foundation to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy. As part of her campaign, Palin recently guest-starred as herself on an episode of ABC Family's teenage drama "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." Palin resides in Alaska with her son and family.