Lysacek falls - on head and in 'DWTS' standings
It was the dancing equivalent of taking a spill in the freestyle.
Naperville's Olympic figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek took a nasty fall - both in practice and in the standings Monday night on ABC's "Dancing With The Stars."
After spending weeks in first or second place, he and partner Anna Trebunskaya plummeted almost to the bottom of the pack with a samba that was trashed by the judges.
Lysacek fought through yet another injury. A few weeks ago, he broke two toes in practice; rehearsing for Monday's show, he was doing a flip and conked his head upon landing. This prompted a trip to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with a "very mild" concussion.
He kept his sense of humor when discussing his recent injuries. After he'd seen the doctor, he told his worried partner "They're just admitting me to the psych ward now."
But the judges showed no sympathy for the wounded warrior, giving Lysacek and Trebunskaya 21 of a possible 30 points, easily the pair's worst score yet.
Judge Bruno Tonioli said something about his "very, very good lyrical lines," but they "didn't work for this dance."
Carrie Ann Inaba offered this philosophical musing: "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but tonight you lost."
Occasionally crabby judge Len Goodman characterized Lysacek's samba as "carnival" and "ballet," noting, "It was your worst dance."
For the first time on the show, host Tom Bergeron was compelled to give Lysacek some encouragement.
"I enjoyed it, whatever it was you did," Bergeron said.
The swing dance group competition was no help, either. Lysacek and Trebunskaya were tapped out in the early going, adding only six points to their tally for an overall total of 27, just 2 points ahead of "The Bachelor" star Jake Pavelka.
Once again, Pussycat Doll lead singer Nicole Scherzinger came out on top with 36 points after winning the swing dance competition.
One couple will be bounced voted off the show tonight by a combination of the votes of the judges and the public.