DWTS: Natalie Coughlin voted off, MJ paid tribute

The 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist headed home Tuesday night after scoring lowest marks from the judges’ panel and insufficient fan support.

Swimming champ sank
Natalie and her pro dancing partner Alec earned praise from the judges for their paso doble Monday, but the pair scored the lowest overall points and became the latest casualty of the ninth season of the ABC dance-off.

The pair received a total score of 22 out of 30 from the show's judges for their Monday night’s performance. The duo got eliminated from the show after viewer votes were combined with the judges' scores.

Natalie said she believes her ouster came because she did not show enough enthusiasm for the show.

“I love this so much and I guess I didn’t show it — how much I loved it — but I really did and I’m sorry,” she said after learning her fate.

“I just want to tell you I’m very proud of you, you did a great job,” Alec said hugging a dejected Natalie. “Don’t worry. This is not the end of it. You’re going to be awesome in everything that you do.”

What shocked the show Judge?
Before Natalie’s ouster was announced, Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was shocked to see the swimming champ in the bottom two alongside Aaron Carter and his partner, Karina Smirnoff.

“I’m very disappointed,” Carrie Ann said of Natalie, who has had high scores all season long. “Audience! Vote people! You’ve always had this incredible ability to mix strength and flexibility as well as fluidity, which is very unique. I’m very disappointed to see you there.”

Tribute to King of Pop
Besides the elimination of Natalie, the show on Tuesday night also featured performance by singer Norah Jones and a special tribute to the King of Pop.

The show's 16 professional dancers honored the late pop icon with a performance fusing classic ballroom and Latin styles set to "I Want You Back," "Man In The Mirror" and "Thriller".

Jackson family members including Katherine, La Toya and Jermaine Jackson were present in the ballroom, sitting in the front row to watch the tribute.

List of remaining DWTS contestants
After the elimination of Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo, the number of DWTS dancing couples comes down to 9.

Below is the list of remaining nine 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
Mark Decascos and Lacey Schwimmer
Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas
Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova
Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough
Mya and Dmitry Chaplin
Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel
Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson
Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower