DWTS: supermodel Kathy Ireland exits

The former ‘Sports Illustrated’ swimsuit cover girl scored the lowest vote from home-based viewers and only 18 out of 30 from the judges for her performance on Monday, Sept. 28, night.

Ireland leaves early, but gains experience
The 46-year-old onetime supermodel Ireland and her professional dancing partner Tony Dovolani had tied ex-congressman Tom DeLay with 18 points on Monday night but eventually got eliminated the following night.

The lifestyle expert and entrepreneur Ireland, who runs her own billion dollar brand marketing company, Kathy Ireland Worldwide, got booted after just two weeks of competition, but said she learned quite a bit, Access Hollywood reports.

“There is so much to take away from this experience,” Ireland said. “I wouldn’t change a moment of it. The fact that I got to learn how to dance from world champion Tony Dovolani, it’s been so much — the entire experience.”

DWTS’ third elimination
Ireland and Dovolani are the third couple to be eliminated from season 9 Tuesday night. Before this, Macy Gray and her professional dancing partner Jonathan Roberts as well as Ashley Hamilton and his pro partner Edyta Sliwinska were eliminated from the show.

During Tuesday’s results show, two other pairs -- Louie Vito and his dancing partner Chelsie Hightower as well as Debi Mazar and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy -- had joined Ireland and Dovolani on the bottom three. Chelsie and Debi had scored 19 and 21 out of 30 respectively but both were declared "safe".

Minutes after the DWTS’ results, Ireland talked to People saying: “I wouldn’t change a minute of it. To be able to work with Tony the past six weeks has changed my life forever. I can do so many things I never thought I could do. I feel like the biggest winner because I got him as my teacher.”

“I was not ready to go because I was having so much fun,” People quoted Dovolani as saying backstage. “I always walked into practice with a smile on my face because I knew she was ready to work. I’ve grown to love her family and she happens to really like mine, too. I’ve gained such an incredible friend.”

List of remaining DWTS contestants
After the elimination of Ireland, the number of DWTS’s participants comes down to 13.

Below is the list of remaining thirteen celebrity contestants and their professional dancing partners who will hit the dance floor with their performances when “DWTS” continues next week on ABC:

Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff
Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo
Mark Decascos and Lacey Schwimmer
Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke
Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas
Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova
Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough
Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya
Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Mya and Dmitry Chaplin
Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel
Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson
Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower