Dancing with the Stars eliminated Derek Fisher and his professional partner Sharna Burgess during Monday night's broadcast of the series' 25th season on ABC.

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Derek, a former NBA star and coach, and Sharna became the third couple ousted from the competition based on the combination of Dancing with the Stars judges' scores they had received during the previous two nights of competition as well as the home viewer votes cast immediately after each performance show.

When Dancing with the Stars co-host Erin Andrews asked Derek what he got out of the whole experience, he replied, "Growth."

"Growth as a man, growth as a person," he continued. "Just learning to continue to be a part of something bigger than yourself. I am so happy and so proud to have been a part of this, no matter how long it lasted. I'm forever changed by it and I look forward to a great future."

Sharna expressed pride in the fact her partner was so vulnerable and expressed emotion this season when he had been trained on the basketball court not to show any at all.

Derek and Sharna had finished tied with four other couples for sixth place on the judges' leaderboard last week when there was no elimination.

For the second time in a row, TV personality and 98 Degrees member Nick Lachey and partner Peta Murgatroyd were the other couple in jeopardy of elimination prior to Derek and Sharna's exit; however, they were not necessarily one of the bottom-two couples this week based on the judges' scores and America's votes.

Monday night's episode, dubbed "Most Memorable Year," featured the remaining couples celebrating or honoring the year of each celebrity's life that made a lasting impression, whether it be emotional or exciting.

Singer and actor Jordan Fisher and partner Lindsay Arnold topped the leaderboard in first place after receiving 29 out of 30 possible points -- including the first 10s of the season -- for their contemporary routine from Dancing with the Stars judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli.

The couple danced in memory of the year 2005, when Jordan was officially adopted by his grandparents because his mother had given birth to him as a teenager struggling with substance abuse. Jordan cried about how his grandparents had saved his life.     

Former Paralympic swimmer Victoria Arlen and partner Val Chmerkovskiy finished the night in second place with 27 points for their foxtrot routine

Victoria and Val danced in celebration of the year 2017, which marks the first year Victoria can enjoy life after fighting to talk and walk for a decade.

When she was 11, Victoria developed two neurological conditions that targeted her brain and spinal cord.

Victoria said she turned into a "vegetable" and experienced seizures every 2-5 minutes. Victoria's parents were warned she was going to die, but the DWTS contestant fought hard to regain mobility, and now she's dancing despite having very little feeling in her legs.

Third place went to internationally-recognized violinist Lindsey Stirling and partner Mark Ballas.

The pair earned 26 points from the judges for their Viennese waltz that remembered the year 2016, when Lindsey's beloved and selfless father was diagnosed with cancer. Lindsey recalled enjoying the last moments of her father's life after his health slowly declined for months.

Six couples tied for fourth place on the leaderboard with 24 points, as many pairs each received three 8s from the judges.

Actor and racecar driver Frankie Muniz and partner Witney Carson danced a quickstep to honor 2017, which is the culmination of everything he's done in his life, and he's currently happy and living in the present.

Although fans might assume Frankie's best year was joining the Malcolm in the Middle cast and becoming a star, the pro racer and musician admitted he has little to no memory of these major events from his past after suffering numerous concussions and mini strokes.

Former NFL football wide receiver and six-time Pro Bowler Terrell Owens and partner Cheryl Burke danced the Viennese waltz in memory of the year 2012, when Terrell realized he was going to lose his dear sweet grandmother, years after her dementia diagnosis in 1996.

Terrell said he wouldn't be the man he is today without the love and guidance from his grandmother.

Pretty Little Liars actress Sasha Pieterse and partner Gleb Savchenko also received 24 points for their foxtrot number. The pair performed to celebrate 2016, the year she had experienced many highs and lows.

Lows included a health crisis in which she gained a lot of weight and faced body-shamers as well as the conclusion of Pretty Little Liars, which she had began filming at age 12. A high, however, happened to be the love of her life proposing marriage to her.

TV personality Vanessa Lachey and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy danced a rumba to her husband Nick's song "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)."

Vanessa danced in honor of the last year, when she underwent emergency surgery at 29 weeks pregnant with her third child in December. Vanessa feared for her premature son Phoenix's life, but her boy ended up being just fine, and now she can celebrate the fact her family is complete in 2017.

Property Brothers star Drew Scott and partner Emma Slater took the stage with a 24-point worthy jazz routine.

Drew recalled 2007, the year he started a real estate business but realized his dreams of being an actor would never come true. However, Drew and his twin brother Jonathan Scott soon launched Property Brothers, combining Drew's love of television with his day-job.

WWE wrestler and Total Divas star Nikki Bella and partner Artem Chigvintsev performed a contemporary routine in memory of 2016, the year Nikki made her comeback in the wrestling ring after nearly breaking her neck in half. Nikki was told her career was over, but she was never going to give up on her passion.

Tenth place on the judges' leaderboard belonged to Derek and Sharna, who received 23 points for their jazz routine.

Derek and Sharna danced to the year 2007, when his daughter Tatum was diagnosed with eye cancer at 10-months-old and had to undergo a risky surgery to remove her eye. At the time, Derek walked away from a $20 million contract to care for his baby girl.

And finally, Nick and Peta landed in eleventh -- and last -- place on the leaderboard with 22 points. The couple performed a contemporary dance in celebration of the year 2011, when Nick married his wife Vanessa and finally felt it was possible to start a family of his own.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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