Judges on the popular TV ballroom competition gave the "Family Matters" star the ax after dancing a rumba in a duel against Disney actor Roshon Fegan when the pair ended in the bottom two following Monday's performance episode.

The recently introduced dance duel finale gives the show's judges the power to determine which of the lowest-scoring two celebrity contestants ultimately goes home. Dancers are judged by a combination of judges' scores and audience voting.

On Monday, the panel of three judges had criticized White for having stiff arms while dancing to the "Downton Abbey" theme with his professional partner Kym Johnson.

White said he was surprised to make it to the seventh week of "Dancing."

"I really only thought I'd last about three dances in this competition," he said. "I wanted to get three good dances off. That's what I told my mama."

The season has been a rocky one for White, who early on was the subject of media reports alleging he was disrespectful to partner Johnson.

White, who denied bad blood between him and his partner said Tuesday, "I've made incredible friends. The fans have been incredible."

Actress Melissa Gilbert, who received the lowest score Monday night was visibly relieved to avoid having to dance for her life in the duel. Judge Bruno Tonioli had called her tango with partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy "messy" while Carrie Ann Inaba said it was like "Cirque du Soleil went terribly wrong."

Television host and personality Maria Menounos and her partner Derek Hough opened Tuesday's show with a repeat performance of the paso doble that earned them the season's first perfect score Monday night.

The pair offered an alternate ending to their vampire themed dance, which ended Monday with a fanged Menounos sucking the life from Hough. Tuesday, Hough killed Menounos with a wooden stake.

Singer Gavin DeGraw, himself a competitor until being eliminated two weeks ago, returned to perform the title track from his current album "Sweeter."

Dancing With the Stars" is among the top-rated TV shows in the U.S. pairing B-list celebrities, sports stars and singers with professional dancers performing sambas, waltzes and other dances across a ballroom floor.

Six stars continue to compete, including NFL star Donald Driver, heartthrob actor William Levy and British singer Katherine Jenkins.

(Reporting by Sabrina Ford; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

• A Permanent Economic Emergency