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Ousted Mario Talks!

Mario says farewell to Dancing, but it's not the last time you'll see him on the show

By Marc Malkin May 07, 2008 10:00 PMTags
Mario, Karina Smirnoff, Dancing with the StarsABC/KELSEY McNEAL
I'm gonna miss my Tuesday mornings with Mario.

As you probably know, the R&B crooner was voted off Dancing With the Stars last night along with his dancing partner, Karina Smirnoff.

Read on for our—sigh!—final chat in which he reveals who he thinks should win and a whole lot more.

What was your first reaction when you had been eliminated?
I was like, "Wow! Me?" I was surprised that somebody else didn’t go. I feel like Cristián [de la Fuente] was a little inadequate, because he didn’t have his other arm to perform with...I’m still in shock.

Who do you think should win now?
I want to see Marissa take it home. She has a lot of personality. Give that trophy to Marissa. Dancing is not the easiest thing for her to do, and she still comes out there and performs every week. So if you’re going to kick me off, at least give it to somebody who works hard to live up to the judges' expectations.

How much are you going to miss Len?
After the show, Len and I had a powwow for the first time ever. While you’re on the show talking to the judges is not cool. What are you going to say, “Why did you say that about me?” He said I had a lot of potential and he really enjoyed me the most on the show. He was just being hard on me, because he felt like I could have gone all the way.

Additional reporting by Laura Lane