Keyshawn Johnson was the first contestant sent home on Season 17 of Dancing With the Stars on Monday, Sept. 23, but he's leaving with a smile on his face. The 41-year-old former NFL player said he was proud of what he accomplished with dancing pro partner Sharna Burgess in the first two weeks of ABC's reality ballroom dance competition show.
"For a guy that's never even bobbed his head in a car, I think the fact that I could have the experience to dance and learn what dancing is all about, and Sharna teaching me is something amazing to me," Johnson said after his elimination. "I don't really care at this point about whether we win or lose. It's just the fact that I had the opportunity to learn from her. I think she's an amazing choreographer and her time will come. I wish I could have done more to help her out."
The elimination was decided by combining scores of judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli from Monday's performances along with viewers' votes. Johnson had the lowest total.
"I've come to realize I had an amazing time," Johnson told reporters after the show (via Zap2It). "It's been a great experience, and I think about the millions of people out there who would really like to have this experience and learn dance and learn what ballroom dancing is all about."
And Johnson said he would gladly do it all over again. "It's like if I had to stand in line again to sign up for it, I'd be the first one in line," he shared.
Going into week three, the competition standings are as follows: Amber Riley and Derek Hough (51 points), Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff (50 points), Elizabeth Berkley Lauren and Val Chmerkovskiy (49 points), Christina Milian and Mark Ballas (47 points), Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke (47 points), Brant Daugherty and Peta Murgatroyd (45 points), Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani (45 points), Snooki and Sasha Farber (43 points), Valerie Harper and Tristan MacManus (40 points), Bill Engvall and Emma Slater (39 points) and Bill Nye and Tyne Stecklein (31 points).
