This was posted on Rodney Ho's AJC Radio & TV Talk blog on Monday, October 17, 2016

Georgia Tech grad and recently retired Detroit Lions player Calvin Johnson has surprised his former teammates and many a skeptic to make it into the top 8 on "Dancing With the Stars."

He has now outlasted five others. The latest departure on Latin night: Amber Rose. The model with the ample booty is simply a so-so dancer with limitations. She did not get into her cha-cha and ended up with the lowest scores of the night. She finished with 7s across the board, which at this point in the competition is pretty darn low.

Her elimination was expected. She outlasted Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, who tonight showed he wasn't particularly adept at the salsa. The fact his partner is Cheryl Burke is helping him out for sure.

Interestingly, some lesser known names have survived because they are simply good dancers including country singer Jana Kramer (perfect scores tonight) and Indy driver James Hinchcliffe (38 out of 40). Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez remains a favorite to potentially take the mirror-ball trophy. And Terra Jole, despite a relative off night, is a true dark horse.

Johnson has been mostly middle of the pack to date but finished tied for third best score tonight. His Argentine tango garnered his first 9s in the competition from the three regular judges and a gentleman's 10 from guest judge Pitbull. He brought power and control to the dance. Over the weeks, he has steadily gained more confidence in his dance skills.

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