Aaron Carter 'a Little Shocked' to be Voted Off 'Dancing With the Stars'

Nov. 11, 2009— -- Pop star Aaron Carter said he was "a little shocked" to be voted off "Dancing With the Stars" last night.

Despite earning high scores from the judges, Carter and partner Karina Smirnoff were eliminated in week eight of the competition.

"I'm very proud of myself," Carter said on "Good Morning America" today. "It's been a great experience. I've learned so many different things throughout the competition. ... Now I can actually brag that I know all these different kinds of style of dance."

Judge Len Goodman had a message for Carter after his elimination.

"I think you're an inspiration to all young people that anything is possible," Goodman said. "If you were my son, I would be so proud of you, but more importantly, you be proud of yourself because you've been great."

Carter had his emotional highs and lows during the season, and Smirnoff said she admired how real he was throughout.

"It's just so refreshing to see real emotions on TV," she said. "Aaron was real from the get-go. ... When you get bad scores, it's normal to be sad, because you put in the hard work."

The flu has been making the rounds in the ballroom this season, and both Carter and Smirnoff were sick last week.

"We were both actually battling the flu," Smirnoff said. "We still had fun [in rehearsals], even though we were wearing masks."

This week on "Dancing With the Stars," Carter and Smirnoff danced the Foxtrot and the Samba.

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said Carter was "truly a great performer."

Leading the way in week eight were Mya and partner Dmitri Chaplin. The two other stars who remain in the competition are Donny Osmond, Joanna Krupa and Kelly Osbourne.

'Dancing With the Stars' Season 9 Results

In week seven, Dallas Cowboy great Michael Irvin and "Iron Chef" host Mark Dacascos were each sent home in a second double elimination on "Dancing With the Stars."

The stars said they enjoyed their time on the show and were impressed by the talent of the remaining competitors.

"At this point, when you look at the five people who are left … these are great dancers," Irvin said on "GMA." "I'm happy that we had seven weeks. We had a good time. That's the best thing about this."

Dacascos faced additional challenges because his partner, Lacey Schwimmer, was sick for much of the week.

"Forty-eight hours prior to Monday night's show, I didn't have a dance [routine]," he said.

In the first double elimination, Melissa Joan Hart and professional snowboarder Louie Vito hung up their dancing shoes.

"We had a great time," Hart told "Good Morning America." "It's kind of interesting that we all go off together."

Hart said appearing on the show was a dream come true, and that her young sons were also proud of her.

"They were loving it," she said.

Vito, who had never danced, said that his snowboarding experience helped him in the ballroom.

"The flips definitely helped … other than that I was lost out there half the time," he said. "It was a whole new world for sure."

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Swimmer Natalie Coughlin and professional dance partner Alec Mazo were eliminated in week five after judges and viewers gave them a mediocre grade for their Pasodoble.

"I'm sad it's over," Coughlin told "Good Morning America." "I definitely wasn't a dancer coming into this. I enjoyed it so much. It's been a wonderful experience."

Coughlin's loss came during in an emotional episode of "DWTS," as the show's 16 professional dancers gathered for a group dance as a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, several of whom's family members were in attendance.

During week four on "Dancing With the Stars," ultimate fighting champ Chuck Liddell was voted off.

Kathy Ireland, Debi Mazer, Macy Grey and Ashley Hamilton have also already been voted off the show. Tom DeLay bowed out after suffering an injury.

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