'Dancing With The Stars' Season 13, Episode 11 Results Recap

I don’t say this with any joy, but “Dancing with the Stars” finally got one right this season.

The hammer came down Tuesday night, and it came down upon a contestant who’s let popularity and energy carry him through five weeks in which he’s floundered near the Leader Board’s basement.

So long, Carson Kressley.

"This has been pure joy for me and I hope I could make people smile and laugh and have a great time," Carson said after learning the news.

"It was great being here," he added.

What, who’d you think I meant?

Oh. You mean that other guy who’s let popularity and energy carry him through five weeks in which he’s floundered near the Leader Board’s basement. Well, this week, he honestly danced well enough that he wouldn’t have deserved it. In fact this week, it came down to Kym Johnson and David Arquette, Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy or Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya. While it will certainly leave “Dancing With The Stars” a little less colorful with Kressley, think about the other two pairs.

It would’ve been a shame seeing Arquette and Johnson leave. While his acting annoys me, Arquette does seem genuinely into this and really wanting to improve and discover new sides of himself along the way. It’s fun watching him get better and better with each week that his confidence doubles.

As for Solo and Maks? Well, that’s a different story. These two apparently bicker it up during rehearsals, but while critiques have been encouraging but a little cold toward Solo, the pair always keeps the dances themselves entertaining.

And let’s face, Solo’s the easiest on the eyes of the remaining celebrities. With a lean body like that, her naturally quick learning curve and her professional athlete’s natural athleticism and coordination, Solo on paper should be running away with this thing. And if she ever does pull it completely together before the axe falls upon her again, Ricki Lake and J.R. Martinez – who, by the way, once more sits atop the Leader Board – could have company.

But that’s a big “if.”

Kressley, meanwhile? Well . . .

Week after week, there’s nobody happier to get on the floor. He and Trebunskaya had “BFF” chemistry between them that made them about like two kids at a slumber party. Unfortunately, there’s been a genuine double standard among the three judges. They’ve treated Bono’s critiques with kid gloves in which week after week until this one – when he actually danced – they praised his “heart” and “courage” while glossing over or outright ignoring that he’s done more walking around Trebunskaya’s dancing than actual dancing of his own.

Not so, Kressley. All three made no bones about what they considered his lacking technique, despite his and Trebunskaya’s dances being surefire crowd-pleasers.

In fact, Bruno’s critique of the pair’s Week Five jive to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” pretty much sums up what the trio have thought of them the whole way.