ABC/CRAIG SJODINFrayed nerves and teary eyes are par for the course backstage at Dancing With the Stars...you know, when it comes to the contestants. But last night it was judge Carrie Ann Inaba who was visibly shaken after the show.
"That was a traumatic night!" she told us inside the DWTS studio. "I was shocked at Melissa and Mark. I saw some potential. I saw some sort of growth happening with her."
She's talking of course about teenage witch Melissa Joan Hart and partner Mark Ballas, who were one of two couples sent packing last night.
Carrie Ann also was still reeling from having to be the deciding vote on the other eliminee, snowboarder Louie Vito. "Why do I have to be the bad guy?!" she lamented.
Melissa herself was also shaken. "I'm bummed," she told us backstage. "You know, I'm more bummed that we didn't get to do the dance-off, 'cause I was really excited about it. Now I'm wearing all yellow and I just feel stupid."
We don't suppose the DWTS producers intentionally made the contestants dress up in silly bright costumes to further humiliate them? Naaah...
As for Louie, he admitted there is one thing he detests about DWTS:
"It's fun until you lose, and I hate losing."
Still, from the get-go, he wasn't exactly clearing a space on his mantel for that golden disco ball trophy.
"I wasn't even supposed to make it through the first show," Louie said. "So I already beat a lot of people's expectations. But you know, she [partner Chelsie Hightower] has her own expectations that you want to reach and achieve, so I don't want to let her down."
As for what's next, Carrie Ann put her money on Mya, who's "been the frontrunner the whole season." And she told us to keep any eye out for Joanna Krupa: "I'm kinda sensing there may be a little bit of a girlfight in the end." Meow!
When asked whom he favors, host Tom Bergeron said it best: "I like every single one of them equally. Of course it's not true, but that's the Hollywood answer."
Funny. Us too!
But you don't have to be all Hollywood. Spill how you really feel about who should go all the way (or go away) in the comments below...