By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Monday, May 2, 2016
The ABCs of "Dancing With the Stars" worked against Marietta's Kim Fields, who was eliminated Monday night despite a strong samba to the Jackson 5 song "ABC."
When host Tom Bergeron asked her if she saw it coming, she said: "Not at all, didn't see this coming, but I'm very grateful for this opportunity."
Despite her strongest dance to date, she faced a double elimination and a strong set of remaining celebrities.
Bruno Tonioli: "She was glowing in every sense of the word. Plugged in. Effervescent."
Carrie Ann Inaba: "You killed that routine from top to bottom."
Len Goodman: "It's as simple as ABC. That was your best dance. Well done!"
The judges gave her the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast member her best score to date: 9s across the board.
But it wasn't enough. She and NFL player Von Miller were cut. She finished tied for seventh.
Both averaged a 22.9 among the three regular judges over seven dances, which tied for last among the eight dancers.
Kim was a good dancer and showed plenty of verve and dedication. But in a very competitive season, the mirror-ball trophy will go to somebody else.
The six remaining dancers are Boyz II Men star Wanya Morris, NFL player Antonia Brown, deaf model Nyle DeMarco, "Full House" star Jodie Sweetin, ABC meteorologist Ginger Zee and UFC fighter Paige VanZant. Paige and Ginger both received the first across-the-board perfect scores of the season in a competition where there is no clear favorite to win.
