Former NFL star Emmitt Smith and U.S. actors Joey Lawrence and Mario Lopez made it into the semifinal round of the ABC hit, "Dancing with the Stars."

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Actress Monique Coleman and professional partner Louis Van Amstel were booted off the show Wednesday after doing an encore performance of the hot Cha Cha they first performed Tuesday night.

Judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli have given Lopez the consistently highest scores and describe him as a natural performer, but caution the crown is far from in the bag.

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Lopez told TV Guide he's lost 10 pounds since signing on to the show. Why did he agree to do it?

"My mom kept bugging me to do it, and I wanted to make her happy. When she found out that I was going to be on, she freaked out. And when I found out what it entailed, I freaked out!" he said.

PinnacleSports.com posted updated odds on Wednesday's show, giving Lopez the edge at 5-6, followed by Smith at 7-4 and Lawrence and Coleman at 9-1 each.

"Mario Lopez has been the favorite to win 'Dancing with the Stars' among our bettors since the celebrity competitors were first announced in August," spokesman Simon Noble said. "While Lopez has shown that he's clearly the best dancer among the contestants, his chances may be hurt by Emmitt Smith's popularity and potentially splitting votes with fellow teen heartthrob Joey Lawrence."