Michael Irvin moves ahead in 'Dancing' competition

Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin won't be going for the gold on "Dancing with the Stars," but The Playmaker is coming back for another week.

Votes from viewers of ABC's popular dancing competition ensured that former Dallas Cowboys player Michael Irvin and his dancing partner Anna Demidova survived the latest cut, even though they had the lowest scores from the DWTS judges.

Coughlin and her professional partner, Alec Mazo, were eliminated Tuesday. The pair received a total score of 22 out of 30 from the show's judges for their paso doble Monday. After viewer votes were combined with the judges' scores, the 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist was eliminated from the show. Advertisement

"I guess I didn't show it, how much I loved it," said Coughlin, "but I really did, and I'm sorry."

Before Coughlin's dismissal, the show's 16 professional dancers honored the late Michael Jackson with a performance fusing classic ballroom and Latin styles set to "I Want You Back," "Man In The Mirror" and "Thriller." Jackson family members including Katherine, La Toya and Jermaine Jackson watched the tribute from the front row in the ballroom.

"He's just an inspiration to all of us," said professional dancer Mark Ballas.

The nine remaining celebrity contestants competing for the "Dancing with the Stars" mirrorball trophy are entertainer Donny Osmond, actress Melissa Joan Hart, model Joanna Krupa, professional snowboarder Louie Vito, singers Mya and Aaron Carter and TV personalities Mark Dacascos and Kelly Osbourne.