'Dancing With the Stars': Ralph Macchio Has His Last Dance

Bob D'Amico/ABC News(LOS ANGELES) -- Actor Ralph Macchio and partner Karina Smirnoff started off strong in the competition, but were voted off ABC's Dancing With the Stars Tuesday.

Macchio's performance suffered recently when he developed a painful knee cyst that forced him to miss hours of practice. His partner has also had her own brush with trouble: during one of their performances, she tripped on Macchio's costume and fell.

After Tuesday's decision was announced, Macchio said: "I will never forget how the fans have driven us through every week. It inspired me…"

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

'Dancing with the Stars': Chelsea Kane Takes the Lead

ABC, Inc.(LOS ANGELES) -- Actress Chelsea Kane and partner Mark Ballas grabbed the lead on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars Monday night after a two-dance performance gave the couple a total combined judges’ score of 55 out of a possible 60.

Kane and Ballas received perfect scores of 10 from two of the judges for a waltz that Judge Bruno Tonioli described as being of “the highest quality.”

Actor Ralph Macchio hit the dance floor with partner Karina Smirnoff despite suffering a minor leg injury.  An MRI revealed nothing serious, but the injury affected the actor's scores and he finds himself at the bottom of the pack with a total combined score of 46 out of 60.

The evening featured a planned individual performance and an “instant dance” challenge that required the couples to dance to a song they only learned of 20 minutes before hitting the dance floor.

Another couple will be voted off Tuesday night on the Dancing with the Stars results show, which begins at 9 p.m. Eastern.  The show will also feature musical performances by Adele, former Dancing with the Stars contestant Michael Bolton, and Australian singer Delta Goodrem.

Preceding the results show at 8 p.m. ET will be a one-hour live special recapping the best results show dance and musical performances over the last five years.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

'Dancing with the Stars': Ralph Macchio, Hines Ward Share Lead

ABC, Inc.(LOS ANGELES) -- Actor Ralph Macchio and NFL star Hines Ward each grabbed a share of the lead on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars Monday night, with both celebrities and their pro partners receiving perfect scores of 10 from two judges.

The two couples are tied with a total combined judges’ score of 66 out of a possible 80.  The higher total scores reflect the combination of individual dance marks and a team competition held Monday night.

Macchio and partner Karina Smirnoff received a 10 from guest judge and professional dance champion Donnie Burns.  Burns told the couple their roarin' '20s-inspired quickstep “rocked.”  Ward and partner Kym Johnson earned a perfect 10 from judge Bruno Tonioli for what he called a “killer tango.”

Romeo and partner Chelsie Hightower find themselves tied at the bottom of the pack with Kirstie Alley and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Another couple will be voted off Tuesday night on the Dancing with the Stars results show, which begins at 9 p.m. ET.

The show will also feature musical performances by Nicki Minaj and James Blunt.  Minaj will perform her song "Moment 4 Life," and Blunt will perform his new single, "I'll Be Your Man."  The show will also feature a tribute to James Brown starring Wayne Brady.

Preceding the results show at 8 p.m. ET will be a one-hour live special recapping the season’s best dances, featuring exclusive backstage footage.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Ralph Macchio Prepares Passionate Paso Doble on Monday's 'DWTS'

ABC, Inc.(LOS ANGELES) -- Ralph Macchio will bring passion to Monday's Dancing with the Stars. The celebrities will dance to "guilty pleasure" songs that they like but are ashamed to admit they do. Coming off a samba that landed him in a three-way tie at the bottom of the leader board last week, Macchio will be performing the paso doble, and he says he'll bring some of the heat his performances have been criticized for lacking. He says, "There's a masculine, passionate, dominate kind of element to this dance. And there's a sexiness to it in that it's such a strong male character."

Prior to Dancing with the Stars, Macchio was best known for his role in three Karate Kid films. When asked if he would ever work in the first film's iconic "crane kick" into one of his routines, Macchio said maybe, but only if he manages to stick around for a while: "I feel that if Daniel Larusso ever did that move at the beginning of the movie, it would have not resonated because he hadn't earned the journey of why it pays off," says Macchio.  "So I feel if I get to earn the journey of going the distance, then it might make sense to satisfy all the people's requests."

Regarding the Karate Kid remake that starred Will Smith's son, Jaden, Macchio says Will Smith called him as a courtesy before the film was made and the two even discussed a cameo for Macchio.  However, he declined, saying "I don't necessarily want to see Daniel Larusso as a man unless it was a well-written story that made sense." 

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio 

Ralph Macchio Continues to Lead on 'Dancing with the Stars'

ABC/ADAM LARKEY(LOS ANGELES) -- Ralph Macchio and partner Karina Smirnoff didn't receive the best judges’ scores of the night on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, but Monday’s numbers, when combined with last week’s marks, placed the couple on top of the competition going into Tuesday’s first elimination “results” show.

Macchio and Smirnoff lead with a combined total of 45 out of a possible 60, while Pittsburgh Steelers star Hines Ward and partner Kym Johnson sit in second, with a total score of 44 out of 60.  Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are in third place.

Radio personality “Psycho” Mike Catherwood and Lacey Schwimmer remain at the bottom of the pack with a two-week total of 30 points out of a possible 60.  Judge Bruno Tonioli said Catherwood “looked like a fly stuck on fly paper" during his jive performance Monday.

The stars danced either a jive or a quickstep Monday night.  Hines Ward, WWE star Chris Jericho and singer Romeo, and their respective partners, delivered the best performances of the night.

The judges’ scores from both weeks will be combined with viewer votes to determine who will be eliminated Tuesday night on the season's first Dancing with the Stars results show at 9 p.m. Eastern.  Singer Chris Brown is scheduled to perform.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Tom Bergeron Surprised by Ralph Macchio's 'Dancing with the Stars' Debut

ABC, Inc.(LOS ANGELES) -- ABC's Dancing with the Stars will air its second performance show of the young season on Monday night. On Tuesday, the first elimination will take place. So far, host Tom Bergeron likes what he sees from the cast, especially Ralph Macchio. He says of Macchio's debut performance last week, "You know those segments we do before they dance live, a little bit of a sense of the training they've gone through in the past few weeks? You would have thought that Ralph was somehow the love child of Woody Allen and Larry David. And then suddenly he's Fred Astaire on live TV. It was really quite an amazing moment and he emerged as the high scorer."

Bergeron says the current cast represents a change from previous seasons. He says Dancing with the Stars has drawn criticism in the past for casting what Bergeron calls a "ringer" -- someone who appears to be overqualified for the competition -- or a celebrity who creates controversy, like Bristol Palin did last season. Bergeron says you won't find celebrities on the show who fit either description this time around.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

'DWTS' Season 12 Premiere: Ralph Macchio Leads the Pack

ABC, Inc.(LOS ANGELES) -- What do a star football player, a champion boxer, actresses and an actor, a TV talk show host, a radio host, a supermodel, a rapper-slash-entertainer and a WWE wrestler all have in common? Monday night, they were all competitors on the season 12 premiere of Dancing With the Stars.

But not all of the stars shone.

Radio host "Psycho" Mike Catherwood and Lacey Schwimmer earned the night's lowest score of the 11 couples, getting 13 points out of a possible 30 from the judges for their foxtrot. TV talk show host and author Wendy Williams earned a 14 out of a possible 30 points for her cha-cha with partner Tony Dovolani.

"I know you've got personality. Show it to me!" Judge Bruno Tonioli told Williams after her performance.

The top score -- 24 out of 30 points -- went to Ralph Macchio, the 1980s heartthrob who starred in the hit movie Karate Kid, and his professional partner, Karina Smirnoff. Judge Bruno Toniolo said Macchio had "great showmanship," while judge Carrie Ann Inaba called the performance "an amazing surprise."

Actress Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy earned a 23, the second-highest score of the night, for their cha-cha.

The stars will dance again on March 28. One couple will be voted off during the results show on March 29.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio