Dancing Double Faults Seles, Jillette

Monica Seles had probably never been called for so many foot faults in her life.  

Trailing all comers on the judges' leader board, the nine-time Grand Slam winner became one of the first to be eliminated from the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars after her dancing debut left much to be desired from a critical standpoint. 

Tossing up tennis metaphors aplenty, judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli praised the 34-year-old athlete for attacking the dance floor with a can-do attitude (minus the grunts, thank goodness). 

They also rightly admitted, however, that the requisite form and technique were not there, and the nearly 40 million people who tuned in to this season's first three performance shows apparently agreed. 

After only earning a combined 30 for two dances in two weeks, Seles maintained the demeanor of a champion, despite having to give her concession speech in a skimpy gold mambo costume rather than tennis whites. 

"I'm a huge fan of dance now, and I look forward to continuing," Seles, who returned to tennis in 1995 following a two-year absence after she was stabbed on the court by a crazed Steffi Graf fan, said graciously. She is currently working on a memoir due out in 2009.

Also a victim of DWTS' first-ever double elimination was Penn Jillette, who could only maintain the illusion for so long. 

Compared to Shrek when he first took the floor for a cha-cha, the more boisterous half of the longtime Las Vegas comedy-magic act Penn & Teller couldn't hide his lack of grace with smoke and mirrors. 

"I want to be clear, we are not giving up," the 6-foot-6-inch 52-year-old assured the audience, pointing to partner Kym Johnson. "We're going to rehearse all week, and we will be back there [performing] in the parking lot."

But even though two had to go, DWTS finally managed to assemble this season 12 contestants who, if not all equally talented, at least looked as if they were happy to be there and were willing to give it the old school try. 

So while Jillette may have figuratively stunk, he literally danced circles around past why-bother contestants such as Clyde Drexler and Master P. 

As did Adam Carolla, safe for another week despite a really rough showing with the judges, who were especially hard on the former Man Show host last week after what seemed to be a perfectly respectable beginners' foxtrot. 

"You've got your work cut out for you," Goodman commented to reigning two-time champion Julianne Hough, who choreographed a mambo this week that at least got the judges laughing. 

And you certainly can't accuse Steve Guttenberg of not wanting to be there. The bizarrely enthusiastic actor may have only scored a combined 34 (tied for third-lowest with Carolla), but, hey, to this Police Academy star, "The best thing about this show is, it makes the world a better place." 

Ultimately, it was Chilean actor Cristián de la Fuente who narrowly avoided the firing squad.

The Latin heartthrob will have to kick it up a notch if he wants to compete against this season's male frontrunners, R&B singer Mario and Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor, both of whom dance as if they've been peppering their workouts with panache all along. 

But despite the obvious appeal coming from that corner, the guys still have to get past ice queen Kristi Yamaguchi, who scored the series' first week-one 27 on her foxtrot and then equaled that total with Monday's mambo. 

All deserved praise aside, however, is anyone particularly surprised that the Olympic gold-medalist figure skater is a great dancer? 

Also in the mix is American Pie hottie Shannon Elizabeth, who already has improved from one week to the next (with an honorable mention going to her flowing silver quickstep outfit for Best Performance by a Gown), and, very interestingly, Priscilla Presley, who tied Elizabeth for fifth place with a 45. 

At 62 years old, the Naked Gun star and former queen to the King is beyond impressive and has already surpassed Jane Seymour, 57, as the competition's most talented competitor "of a certain age." 

And then there's fourth-place Marlee Matlin, who likewise has easily topped Heather Mills in the can-barely-believe-your eyes category. The Oscar-winning actress, deaf since she was a baby, earned a 22 on her cha-cha with first-time DWTS pro Fabian Sanchez, and then only a heavy dash of mambo in their quickstep prevented her from earning higher than a 24 on Monday's performance show. 

"I’m blown away by your musicality," Inaba raved. "I think you've got the potential to go a long way in this competition," Goodman added.

Still with a long way to go is Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur, who suffered from some so-so choreography on partner Tony Dovolani's part in week one but then rebounded with a spry quickstep last night, good enough for a combined 39 from both dances. 

The inaugural elimination of the season also featured a performance by the fraternal rockers the Jonas Brothers, while Australian pop star Kylie Minogue is the scheduled musical guest for next week, when the show returns to its usual format of one ouster at a time.