No Crown This Time: Espinoza Eliminated From 'Dancing With the Stars'

Victor Espinoza and Karina Smirnoff perform Monday night on "Dancing with the Stars." (Photo courtesy of Dancing with the Stars)
After three dances and a little more than one week, Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza was eliminated from ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Tuesday night.
First to perform on week one of Season 21 last week, Espinoza and his professional dance partner, Karina Smirnoff, kicked the show off with a dance to Flo Rida's "GDFR.”
There may not have been much (if any) salsa on Victor’s part, but he showed that he's got the hip action going on and seemed to genuinely have a fun time dancing – he even managed to throw a couple of his race-winning riding moves in there. The couple earned 5s across the board for a total of 15 out of a potential 30 points.
Without shoes, Karina is four to five inches taller than Victor and, with her famous heels on, she's eight to nine inches taller. The height difference definitely posed a major challenge in ballroom dancing, but one that the pair was determined to work around to continue on in the competition.
 ESPINOZA'S AND SMIRNOFF'S SALSA

Video courtesy of Dancing with the Stars
The theme for week two was “Hometown Glory,” and the couples were tasked with dancing two numbers – one Monday and one Tuesday.
That’s two different dance styles, two different songs and one week to learn both routines – not an easy task.
The songs that each duo danced to were songs that remind them of the places that shaped who they are today. The celebrities picked Monday’s tunes and professionals picked Tuesday’s.
On Monday night, #TeamEspinoff (as they are commonly referred to on social media) celebrated Victor’s hometown of Hidalgo, Mexico, by dancing the jive to “La Bamba.” They earned 17 points for their fun, energetic and lively performance.
How did the judges feel about Victor and Karina’s jive?
After her comments last week about Victor being “adorable” and “the Latin lover of the group,” it was no surprise that this week Carrie Ann blabbed that she wanted to just judge him on “enthusiasm and cuteness” and give him 10s – she was smitten.
Last week, Julianne was shocked with Victor’s ability to move his hips and not be a stiff moving contestant like she expected, exclaiming that “big things come in small packages.”
This week, she declared their dance “the most festive and fun jive” she’s ever seen and that he was off time, but that “dance is supposed to make you feel something and that was so fun.”
Once again, Bruno wasn't quite sure what to make of their dance. This week he dubbed their dance “La Bamba gone bananas” and compared Victor to a jumping bean since his feet never seem to touch the ground. He certainly appreciated the laugh they gave him, but he wasn't sold on Victor’s dancing and wasn’t sure how to judge them.
ESPINOZA'S AND SMIRNOFF'S JIVE

Video courtesy of Dancing with the Stars 
The twosome was fun to watch; they were visually loud and extremely entertaining, plus Victor’s positive attitude and bubbly personality had fans enamored.
What made Monday even better for #TeamEspinoff was that they made it through the first round of elimination as Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Chaka Khan and professional dancer Keo Motsepe were the first couple eliminated from the show.
Tuesday night ,Team Espinoff danced the Rumba, Karina’s favorite dance - the dance of love – to Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire.” Victor pulled a typical “Dancing with the Stars” male move by dancing with his shirt unbuttoned and the crowd roared. It was a beautiful dance and the best of the three they had done. The judges complimented him on they way he handled Karina and the dance. 
ESPINOZA AND SMIRNOFF'S RUMBA

Video courtesy of Dancing with the Stars
They scored 20 out of a potential 30 points for their dance, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep them from getting eliminated at the end of the show, which was based upon scores and viewer votes from Monday’s dance.
Feel like you haven’t seen enough of Victor’s dance skills? Check out this video of him giving a whole new meaning to the nae nae in the paddock at Del Mar.
ESPINOZA DOES THE NAE NAE

Video courtesy of “Dancing with the Stars”