In a Dancing with the Stars season that has been somewhat lacking in the crazy-drama department, Petra Nemcova’s elimination this week counts as noteworthy. The model had tied for the bottom spot during the week 5 performances, but many viewers were shocked to see her go. Why did it happen?

Fame Matters
Simply put, most people didn’t know Petra Nemcova before the Dancing with the Stars season began. A few fashionistas may have known Petra’s modeling career, but the woman was hardly a household name. Petra did get news coverage following her survival of the 2004 tsunami, but otherwise, she was an unknown.

And Dancing with the Stars fans are not kind to unknowns.

The Dancing Was… Meh
In her five weeks of performances, Petra gave us one really good dance… and four mediocre ones. It’s hard to get too excited about a star that only rarely manages to shine. Petra’s waltz, which she based on the hope felt when helping others, was beautiful and meaningful. Her incredible looks and kindness shone through, all perfectly suited to the waltz.

This wasn’t the case for Petra’s other dances. She looked almost lost during the jive. Petra couldn’t frown convincingly during her paso doble. And her final quickstep was too stiff. None of these were terrible performances, but they were also forgettable.

Not Enough Shirtless Dmitry
Although Dmitry Chaplin is known for rivaling Maks Chmerkovskiy when it comes to baring all, the professional remained annoying clothed for most of this DWTS season. Would voters have felt more inspired to call in if they had seen just a little more of that lovely chest?

The frequent exhibition of Petra didn’t make up for it. While the lady is definitely lovely, I can’t imagine that the many women watching Dancing with the Stars got anything out of Petra in sparkly underwear.

Kendra, the Unstoppable
Based on scores and just about every poll I saw on Tuesday, it should have been Kendra Wilkinson going home in week 5. But Petra went instead.

Why? Apparently, a whole bunch of people (who choose not to vote in online opinion polls) are voting for the reality star. Kendra is a much more well-known personality, but her popularity in Dancing with the Stars so far has been surprising. She has managed to survive two weeks at the bottom and even had a lower cumulative score than Petra.

Can Kendra be stopped? Probably. But Petra Nemcova was not the one to do it.

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Should Petra have been eliminated in week 5? Who will be next? Why do you think Petra didn’t get the votes she needed? Leave a comment below!

(Image courtesy of ABC)

Laurel Brown

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include ChuckModern FamilySupernaturalMad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.