Rick Fox & Cheryl Burke Discuss Their Shocking “Dancing With The Stars” Elimination

“Dancing with the Stars” continued its streak of shocking eliminations on Tuesday with the surprising dismissal of former NBA star Rick Fox and his two-time “dancing” champion pro partner, Cheryl Burke – something the couple didn’t see coming after earning their highest scores of the season the night before.

“Every week he just improved and became such a great dancer,” Cheryl told Access of her celebrity partner. “At least we went out on top though. [Rick] did an amazing quickstep last night that actually wowed the judges.”

The 6’ 7” former basketball star, who was dubbed “the jolly green giant” by judge Carrie Ann Inaba (after he donned an emerald green zoot suit for Monday’s performance), said he was aware the competition was getting stiffer and was happy to go out with scores over which the couple could be proud.

“At this point, three weeks left, knowing that [all of the contestants] are equally deserving of being here, it could be any of us,” Rick told Access. “So, I kind of settled into wanting to be here but also knowing that I could have to talk about not being here tonight.

“I’m glad we did a performance last night that was our best scores, and that we do get to come back in a few weeks.”

As for which couple will emerge as frontrunner on the hit reality show, Cheryl said the show has become too unpredictable to make that call.

“Oh gosh, it just keeps changing every week,” Cheryl told Access. “Everyone needs to bring up their game every single week because you just never know.”

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Rick, a former member of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, said being on the program was a joy, and that he appreciates what the show has done for his life.

“It’s been a transformational journey for me. It’s been amazing,” Rick said. “My relationship has transformed with my girlfriend, my daughter. It’s the most enjoyable time having [them] here and sharing this with me as well.”

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