Fighter Chuck Liddell put on his puffy sleeves and got in touch with his feminine side Monday on "Dancing With the Stars."
It wasn't pretty, garnering a 17 out of 30.
It was Latin night, billed as "the sexiest night of the season." And the 39-year-old mixed martial arts star reached deep into the wardrobe to get into character.
The six-foot-two knockout artist wore a rust-coloured ensemble, complete with fringed shirt and multi-coloured frilly puff sleeves -- the kind of outfit that would have probably been greeted with a beatdown had it been offered to him in his fighting career.
In trying to get into the samba mood, Liddell -- who is partial to black nail polish on his toes -- was even shown having a pedicure with his daughter.
"I never describe myself as feminine, but the samba is about as close as I'm going to get," the former UFC light-heavyweight champion known as The Iceman said prior to dancing.
Liddell launched himself across the dance floor on his knees towards partner Anna Trebunskaya, his puffy arms flailing. He quickly rid himself of the sleeves, aimed a kick at the judges' table and got busy.
"At least it was entertaining," said a grinning Iceman.
"You thoroughly entertained me," said head judge Len Goodman.
"I can really see the huge amount of work that went into this. It still is like a samba from `Zombietown' but `Zombietown' is a hit, if they do the musical, this will be in it," said over-the-top judge Bruno Tonioli, referring to the movie `Zombieland.'
"It was a little rough. Samba may not be your best dance but I did enjoy it and it was a lot of fun," said judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
Backstage, hostess Samantha Harris asked if Liddell would ever strike fear into his opponents' hearts again after the frilly sleeves.
"I think I can still do that. I just don't think I'm ever going to live it down," replied Liddell, who tied with actress Debi Mazar.
Despite the positive comments, Liddell was near the bottom of the standings when the dust settled. Only NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and former politician Tom DeLay fared worse with the judges.
Irvin, who has run hot and cold on the show, got a chilly score of 14 for his samba.
"Sometimes you dance like a tank. No rhythm whatsoever," said Tonioli.
DeLay, ignoring stress fractures in both feet, opted to keep dancing. "What's a little pain when you can party?" he joked.
His grit was rewarded with a miserly 15.
There are 13 couples left going into Tuesday's results show. The celebrities' fate is determined by the judges and fan voting.
Previously eliminated were former model Kathy Ireland, actor Ashley Hamilton and singer Macy Gray.
Singer Mya, who tied Aaron Carter for the lead last week, earned two 10s -- the first of the season -- to lead the way with a score of 27 for a slinky rumba with partner Dmitry Chaplin.
"You were the embodiment of the supreme seduction. You put all of America in the mood for love," said Tonioli.
"Be still my beating heart. It had chemistry, it had romance," said Goodman, who nevertheless awarded a seven after complaining the routine was too full of tricks.
Olympic champion swimmer Natalie Coughlin also scored big (26) with her rumba.
"I knew you could fly but you've gone stratospheric tonight. Sexy beast," said Tonioli.
Carter was not as successful this week with his rumba, earning a 21.
Goodman, who had the week off last week, was more severe than the other two judges in several cases.
Snowboarder Louie Vito got props for his rumba from Tonioli -- "That's how to play a girl" -- but was slagged for lack of finesse by Goodman. He earned a 20.
"Iron Chef America" host Mark Dacascos opened the show and was shellacked for his rumba, which garnered an 18.
"It was kind of uncomfortable to watch and you move better than that," said Inaba.
The judges wanted more from Mazar's samba. Said Goodman: "It was like cooking. You had all the ingredients but it lacked the flavour." Mazar, in the bottom two last week, got 17 including a five from Goodman.
Inbetween the dancing, there were some strange moments on Monday's show.
Tonioli called singer Donna Osmond's rumba "a bit airy-fairy" and promptly got a mock kiss from the G-rated performer.
"I don't think they're going to let me back in Utah any more," said Osmond, who got a grade of 21.
The show took an even odder turn when Paula Adbul, sitting in the front row, told Inaba: "I think Carrie Ann, you and I should start making out."
"Dancing with the Stars" airs in Canada on CTV and 'A.'
