RECAP: Ron Artest Booted From Dancing With The Stars

With personalities ranging from the controversy-stirring (Chaz Bono and Nancy Grace) to the humble yet determined (Ricki Lake and David Arquette), the lucky thirteenth season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars promises some noteworthy highlights. The dancing got off to an overall rocky start on Monday night, meaning anyone could feasibly be sent home on Tuesday’s elimination episode. Ultimately, the surprise wasn’t that big: Ron Artest, who received the lowest scores from the judges, also received the fewest number of votes from television viewers.

Artest, a professional basketball player and rapper who has changed his name to “Metta World Peace,” was sent home after it was revealed that he and his professional dancing partner Peta Murgatroyd were in the bottom three along with Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke and Grace and Tristan MacManus. As a final farewell, Artest and Murgatroyd danced in shimmery glory to Sheryl Crow‘s “The First Cut is the Deepest.”

The hour-long elimination episode really only needed about five minutes to suspensefully send Artest packing, so Dancing with the Stars spent some extra time showing the contestants’ interactions backstage and featured a performance by beloved jazz singer Harry Connick, Jr., who let it slip that he is rooting for Bono. Connick performed “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,” the title song from his Broadway show opening in November.