Dancing with the Stars Spring 2008: The Seventh Elimination

This evening's elimination show of Dancing with the Stars sent yet another star packing, leaving only five contestants vying for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy. The show began as always with a recap of last night's action, including Cheryl's reaction to Cristian's injury: She said she heard a snap!

Len asked that Jason and Edyta perform their Quickstep as the evening's encore dance, and the pair obliged. Then, Tom and Samantha reviewed the judges' leaderboard. Len then announced that each of the couples could perform a single lift during each of their dances next week, due to apparent interest. Kristi and Mark were then the first couple saved to move on the the next round of the competition.

After the break, Jerry Rice, Len and Kenny Mayne presented another installment of their mini-series, Dance Center. Len said that Mario is a good dancer. Kenny called him Mario "McCheese". As for Shannon, Len called her "the all-American girl" and encouraged her to hug "a judge" instead of Tom, but not Bruno because there's "too much make-up". Cristian was praised by Kenny for his emotion", but Jerry said he resembled a horse in one clip. Def Leppard then took the stage performing their song Pour Some Sugar on Me, and were accompanied by three pairs of faux-leather clad pro dancers on the floor. (Sidenote: I've always wondered what they were saying in this song! A mystery solved courtesy of Dancing with the Stars!) Backstage, Samantha then interviewed Kristi and Mark and Jason and Edyta about their friendly battle for the top spot. Then the second half of Dance Center aired. Len said that a great advantage Kristi has is that she's used to dancing routines to music, and Kenny said that Marissa is probably one of the "loudest" competitors in history. Len called Jason "brilliant" and Jerry praised his "never give up attitude". After the conclusion of the hilarity, Mario and Karina were proclaimed safe.

Def Leppard performed again after the break, this time going with their hit Nine Lives. Then a segment detailing the contestants' weekly preparations aired.