KEY POINTS:
Columnist and former sports radio host Martin Devlin became the third celebrity to exit Dancing with the Stars last night.
Devlin and dance partner Lauren de Boeck received the lowest score of the night, 18, for their paso doble, which was described as laboured and stompie by judge Craig Revel-Horwood, and "very stiff" by fellow-judge Paul Mercurio.
The couple joined Peter Urlich and Hayley Holt, who were voted off the show last week, and Geeling Ng and Brian Jones who were the first to exit.
Actor Miriama Smith and dance partner Jonny Williams got the show off to a sizzling start with their paso doble, which won unanimous praise from the judges.
Judge Brendan Cole described their performance as "extremely creative" while Revel-Horwood said it was "really, really brilliant". The couple scored 32 points.
The foxtrot by athlete Cory Hutchings and Rebecca Nicholson also won praise from all the judges and scored 29.
Mercurio said he really enjoyed it ..."you were dancing".
Entertainer Tina Cross and Aaron Gilmore won praise and high scores, 9 each, from three of the judges for their passionate paso doble, but Mercurio scored them 7, saying their performance had failed for him, but they ended up with 34 and topped the leader board.
Monty Betham, who was told last week he was "very heavy and apish", and partner Nerida Jantti scored 29 for their foxtrot.
Cole told Betham not to be afraid to let his feminine side come out on the floor, while Revel-Horwood told the former boxer and rugby league player that he had started the dance "looking like a nervous little three-year-old".
But the final performance, netballer Temepara George and Stefano Olivieri dancing the foxtrot, won praise from all the judges,
Revel-Horwood said it was "absolutely charming, the best of the evening". They won eight points each from Mercurio and Cole, and nine each from Revel-Horwood and Alison Leonard, for a score of 34 and equal top place on the leader board.
The verbal jousting between judges Cole and Revel-Horwood seemed to be absent last night, and the usually ascerbic Revel-Horwood was fairly kind to the contestants - "I must have taken a happy pill" he said.
- NZPA
