Tavis Smiley gets the boot on 'Dancing with the Stars'

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Tavis Smiley and his professional dance partner Sharna Burgess were eliminated from Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles Tuesday night.

"I do not live a life of regret, No. 1," Smiley said upon learning his fate. "No. 2, the art of dance, I absolutely love, but like anything in life, it takes time to perfect it. And, if you're on a book tour and you only have eight or 10 hours a week to do it... I don't care what it is, you have to spend time at your vocation perfecting it. So, it's been a wonderful experience. I wish everyone all the best. I loved it."

Olympic athlete Lolo Jones was the first celebrity cast-off for Season 19 last week.

Still in the running for the coveted mirrorball trophy are Tommy Chong, Randy Couture, Michael Waltrip, Betsey Johnson, Jonathan Bennett, Bethany Mota, Janel Parrish, Alfonso Ribeiro, Sadie Robertson, Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Lea Thompson.

The show kicked off the season Sept. 15, with Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returning as co-hosts and former DWTS pro Julianne Hough joining the judges' panel with fellow experts Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.