"Dancing with the Stars": Vanilla Ice, "Babyface" Axed; Sasha Farber Proposes to Emma Slater

Sasha Farber proposes to fellow pro dancer Emma Slater; ABC/Eric McCandless(LOS ANGELES) — In the first double-elimination of the season, rapper Vanilla Ice and music producer Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds were voted off Dancing with the Stars Tuesday. But before the two learned their fate, pro dancer Sasha Farber stole the spotlight by proposing to girlfriend and fellow dance pro Emma Slater during the live broadcast.

The proposal came after the two performed a short dance. Co-host Tom Bergeron approached the pair and told Farber that he thought he would make a good host so he was turning the show over to him. That’s when Farber said “I love you so much” to Slater, got down on one knee and popped the question.

Slater appeared stunned and said “yes,” after which the entire cast ran out onto the dance floor to hug and congratulate the couple. Farber slipped a ring on Slater’s finger during the hubbub.

The first elimination of the night — Edmonds — was announced at the show’s halfway point. The music super producer acknowledged that he made mistakes during his performance Monday night and thanked fans for their support.

“I got a chance to come out and dance for my mom….I did the foxtrot, I did the jive, I did the Argentine tango. I don’t know what that was I did last night but I had an amazing time,” he said, also commending his pro partner Allison Holker for teaching him “so many things.”

Vanilla Ice found out he was eliminated at the end of the show. He called his time on the show “a magical experience,” adding, “Dancing makes you happy and it’s just a happy experience. I’m honored to be here.”

The rapper said he appreciated his fans, then, pointing to his pro partner Witney Carson, said, “I appreciate her more than anything.”

At the end of Monday night’s performance show, Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez had topped the leader board with 30 points — earning not only the first 10s of the season but the season’s first perfect score. Vanilla Ice, born Robert Van Winkle, was fourth from the bottom and Edmonds brought up the rear with 18. 

Monday night’s show featured live performances from Zara Larsson, the band DNCE and pro dancer Derek Hough, who played drums and danced in a dramatic routine that earned him a standing ovation from the ballroom audience.

Backstage, Vanilla Ice said he was “not at all” bummed to go home. “I’m relieved and I’m leaving on a happy note. This has been a great experience. Listen, I did Ice Ice Baby. I’ll never top that one. I don’t know why we did that one first, we should have saved it. But it’s okay, at least we got it in there and it’s been a great experience. All this other fancy stuff, you know, it’s been an amazing time and the adventure will last a lifetime.” Ice added the he was especially relieved because, “I’m on A Hundred and Five tour right now and it’s been torture. We had five shows last week, five shows the week before; we’ve lost tons of sleep, we’re in tons of pain — I got Icy Hot on my back — I mean, it’s been torture. This is an athletic thing and when you don’t have any time,… we had less time than anybody else to put our routines together and it’s been hard, you know? I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep.” 

Babyface was disappointed but regarded the experience positively. The multiple Grammy Award-winner and Grown & Sexy singer told ABC Radio, “You know, it wasn’t something that I wanted to happen, something that was a possibility. Because now the trip is short, but, you, we do get to come back and do one more dance I think, for the finale. So I’m going to keep practicing and stay in shape. I’m gonna make ’em look like, ‘Man we shouldn’t have gotten rid of him!'” He added that he was changed by the show, saying, “I think the moment that you do the show it changes you. The moment that you give one hundred per cent, you learn something new, then it changes you.”

As for the newly-engaged couple, Sasha Farber said he kept the proposal secret, and Emma had no idea. Said Farber, “I was planning this for a while and was trying to figure out what would be the perfect way, and you know, that was our song, our special song that we have together. I couldn’t have thought of a better place to do it.”

Slater was stunned, she said. “No, had no idea. I think I started to inwardly freak out when Tom gave Sasha the mic and Sasha turned to me. Before he even opened his mouth I could feel his energy and nerves and I lost it… it’s way the happiest day of my life.” 

Dancing with the Stars returns next Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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