Kim Fields Stunned By ‘DWTS’ Elimination, Admits She Didn’t See It Coming
Kim Fields has learned a harsh fact of life: she is done on Dancing With the Stars. The former Facts of Life and Real Housewives of Atlanta star was one of two eliminated contestants on the sixth week of the ABC celebrity ballroom competition according to ABC News, but this star clearly did not see it coming.
In the first double elimination of the season, Fields and her pro partner, Sasha Farber, were eliminated from the competition along with NFL star Von Miller and his partner, Witney Carson. It was clear from the look on Fields’ face that she did not see the elimination coming, and when host Tom Bergeron asked her about it, Kim admitted she was stunned.
“Not at all, didn’t see this coming, but I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” Kim said.
Kim Fields’ elimination from Dancing With the Stars came just an hour after she performed her best routine of the entire season. Fields and Farber scored a trio of 9s for their “electrifying” samba, so their ousting was especially disappointing. Unfortunately, Fields and Farber’s scores for their highly-praised dance didn’t factor into this week’s elimination, as the scores and viewer votes from last week were what determined which two couples would go home.
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During her six-week run on the show, Kim Fields paid homage to her Facts of Life character, Tootie Ramsey. Kim told People that while the idea of a Facts of Life foxtrot was admittedly unconventional, she wanted the dance to be “a big thank you note to the fans” of the ’80s sitcom.
“The idea of foxtrotting to the Facts of Life theme song sounds like complete oil and water and yet it works incredibly well,” Kim said. “Sasha is an incredible choreographer and visionary and he’s doing everything he can to make sure I’m connecting with what my story is and revisiting my childhood.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BD1qCAxrpZv/?taken-by=sashafarber1&hl=en
For her final DWTS dance, Kim danced to the Jackson 5 classic “ABC,” and it turned out to be her best dance of the entire competition. Ahead of the dance, the actress revealed that she had been childhood friends with Janet Jackson and had even worked with Jermaine Jackson on an episode of The Facts of Life.
Tootie and Penny! RT @SEAN_THE_OMEGA: Kim Fields & Janet Jackson https://t.co/wMdYssCEti
— ? Ed ????? ? (@eddluxe) December 16, 2015
The DWTS judges raved about Kim’s samba to the Jackson 5 hit. Bruno Tonioli called the dance “electrifying,” while grumpy judge Len Goodman gave Fields his highest approval.
“It’s as simple as ABC. That was your best dance. Well done,” Goodman told Fields.
Kim Fields’ highly-praised final dance was fueled by last week’s disappointment after she felt the judges didn’t score her fairly for her Hairspray-themed dance. Longtime judge Carrie Ann Inaba admitted that she loves when DWTS contestants get angry at the judges because they come out and bring their A-game.
“Tonight you killed that routine,” Inaba said.
After the dance, an emotional Kim Fields said she had to “dig down deep” to bring it all to the dance floor.
“I’m a competitor. And this means a lot,” Kim said. “And we are dedicated week in and week out. So when you feel like you’ve got to go above and beyond, you’ve got to dig down deep.”
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After her elimination, Kim Fields posted to social media to thank fans for their support during her time on DWTS. Fields called her time on the show “an absolutely amazing experience that I will treasure.”
Wow. Well, @DancingABC was an absolutely amazing experience that I will treasure. Only the beginning… Thank you for all of your support.
— Kim Fields (@KimVFields) May 3, 2016
While she was clearly surprised by her elimination, ahead of her final dance — a team dance with the other three female contestants — Fields posted an emotional thank you to the Dancing With the Stars troupe dancers who helped her with her dances, as well as her partner Sasha Farber. Kim’s teary post almost seemed like a goodbye, despite the fact that she had just come off of her best dance of the season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE7VYvRzOH9/?taken-by=kimfieldsofficial&hl=en
Take a look at the video below to see Kim Fields and Sasha Farber’s Jackson 5 samba.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu1ZzE2fyjs
[Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images]