Andy Dick Cha-Chas Past First 'Stars' Cut

The love letters continued to pour in from the Dancing with the Stars judges Monday after Andy Dick showed a racy side in a prom-inspired cha-cha that ended with him tearing open his shirt.

Alas, the exuberant delight expressed by the judges didn't translate into a high numbers and the 18 points they awarded him placed the Joliet native -- and one-time homecoming king -- near the bottom of the pack when it came to scores.

But viewers weren't ready to send Andy packing just yet, and he survived the first elimination round Tuesday thanks to their votes. It was country singer Wynonna Judd who got the boot.

Andy admitted in a taped interview prior to the live dance Monday that he struggled with the steps this week, and -- similar to his debut three weeks ago -- had a bit of a tearful breakdown trying to accomplish the routine.

At one point, dancing partner Sharna Burgess asked him, "Why are you stressing on me?"

"Because I'm afraid and you're yelling at me and going, 'You have got to do it faster and stop thinking about it.' And I have to think or I am going to rip your head off accidentally."

But if you can't dance the cha-cha, do the next best thing: Distract them with a little humor, choose an impossible-to-resist song -- Rod Stewart's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy -- and dress Sharna up in a leather catsuit.

The judges weren't necessarily fooled but they gave the comedic actor credit for being totally committed to the effort.

Bruno Tonioli: "Oh, yes, let it all hang out. It is like revenge of the nerds, and, yes, you should have the girl. I'm telling you: timing a bit off (but) entertainment value fully on." 

Carrie Ann Inaba: "The only way to win is to try, and you try with your full heart and soul. ... It gives you this x-factor I've never seen before. You do need to work on cha-cha timing, because I didn't see it, but everything that was there was totally entertaining."

Len Goodman: "You know, Andy, you're like a sneeze. You know it's coming and there's nothing you can do about it. ... You're not a great dancer, and you know that, (boos from the audience) but what you do is you make me feel good. I feel better after watching you than I did before you danced." 

Want to read more?

'Wacko' Andy Dick Sees Better Scores This Week on 'Dancing'

Dick's Stilted 'Dancing' Debut Still Wins Fans

Joliet Native Andy Dick Joins 'Dancing' Lineup

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