ESPN.com - We rank athletes on 'Dancing': Nos. 28-22

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012
We rank athletes on 'Dancing': Nos. 28-22

By Lynn Hoppes and Kareem White

We're less than a week away from the start of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars," with four athletes -- Apolo Anton Ohno, Shawn Johnson, Emmitt Smith and Helio Castroneves -- vying for the mirror ball trophy. All four athletes have won the title, so it's up in the air who will capture this season.

Playbook is looking back at all the great athletes (and pseudo athletes) who have appeared on the show and will rank the 35 over the next five days. On Monday, we ranked Nos. 35-29. Today, it's Nos. 28 to 22.

No. 28 JERRY RICE


	Jerry Rice and professional partner Anna Trebunskaya.

SEASON: 2
THE SKINNY: The G.O.A.T. made a good run on "Dancing with the Stars" all the way to the finals, but it was mostly because of his popularity as an NFL player rather than his dancing skills. He and partner Anna Trebunskaya finished in the top three due to strong voter backing. One word gives an accurate description why Rice is so far down on the countdown: DanceCenter. Time.com described DanceCenter as "the worst 'Saturday Night Live' skit ever."

No. 27 TY MURRAY


	Ty Murray and professional partner Chelsie Hightower.

SEASON: 8
THE SKINNY: Murray lasted a lot longer than expected and defeated celebrities far more talented than he was, such as Lil' Kim. The overriding theme of the judges' comments toward Murray was that he "lacked dancing talent." He and partner Chelsie Hightower scored a 48 before being eliminated. "I've got a whole new respect for what these guys do," Murray said following his elimination. "It's so hard."

No. 26 LOUIE VITO


	Louie Vito and professional partner Chelsie Hightower.

SEASON: 9
THE SKINNY: Vito admitted it was his first time dancing; at times, it looked like it. He lost in a dance-off with Michael Irvin to be eliminated. To Vito’s credit, partner Chelsie Hightower told "Good Morning America" after the elimination, "With an athlete, you always have the work ethic there. Vito definitely improved a lot."

No. 25 MICHAEL IRVIN


	Michael Irvin and professional partner Anna Demidova.

SEASON: 9
THE SKINNY: Survive and advance was what Irvin did, staving off double elimination before eventually going home in Week 7. Fan voting kept Irvin and partner Anna Demidova around despite low scores week after week. "I'm happy that we had seven weeks," Irvin told "Good Morning America" after his elimination. "We had a good time. That's the best thing about this."

No. 24 KURT WARNER


	Kurt Warner and professional partner Anna Trebunskaya.

SEASON: 11
THE SKINNY: Warner was graceful and elegant in his dance moves but got a raw deal from the judges. Surprisingly, Warner moved better on the dance floor than he did on the football field. Warner was a crowd favorite, but it wasn't enough to keep him around. Warner told People magazine about his elimination in 2010, "It was unfair. We [he and partner Anna Trebunskaya] felt for a long time that we should have gotten better scores than we did, so we're disappointed."

No. 23 MARK CUBAN


	Mark Cuban and professional partner Kym Johnson.

SEASON: 5
THE SKINNY: Cuban overcame a few odds by participating on "Dancing with the Stars" less than 2 months after hip replacement surgery. His work ethic and competitive nature paid off, as he shed 34 pounds and was looking "high school skinny" during the competition. "There's a part of me that says, 'You know? Practicing six hours a day to do the mambo and the samba -- dances I've never heard of before?'" Cuban said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." "So there's a good side." It was later revealed that Cuban was trying to trade for Kobe Bryant during the taping of the show.

No. 22 FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.


	Floyd Mayweather and professional partner Karina Smirnoff.

SEASON: 5
THE SKINNY: Mayweather may have saved his best for last while on the show, but it was too little, too late. He had his best performance, scoring a 23 for his paso doble with partner Karina Smirnoff, just before elimination. It didn’t surprise anyone that Mayweather had good footwork or work ethic, but his focus wasn't there. "It was marvelous just being here, just to get to this plateau," Mayweather said after the show. "For all the fans that supported me, to everybody behind the scenes, I really appreciate it. We had a great time."

NEXT: Wednesday (15-21), Thursday (8-14), Friday (1-7).