Dancing with the Stars couple Ray Lewis and his professional partner had to withdraw from the Season 28 competition due to a flare-up of one of Ray's old football injuries, while two new couples rose to the top of the leaderboard during Monday night's live broadcast on ABC.

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Although Lamar Odom and partner Peta Murgatroyd and Kel Mitchell and partner Witney Carson were declared the bottom-two couples based on the combination of judges' scores from Monday night and the home viewer votes cast throughout the episode, no one was eliminated due to Ray and Cheryl's unexpected and premature departure.

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"Because Ray and Cheryl have withdrawn, I am happy to announce no one is going home," lead Dancing with the Stars judge Len Goodman announced at the end of the broadcast.

Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron revealed Ray, a former NFL football star, and Cheryl were forced to quit the competition at the top of the episode.

"As you probably noticed... Ray Lewis is not on the stage amongst our stars. An old injury has flared up and taken him out of the competition. So you won't be voting for him tonight," Tom declared.

Ray and Cheryl were supposed to dance a cha cha inspired by Ferris Bueller's Day Off given the theme of Monday night's episode was "Movie Night;" however, Ray couldn't make it through the rehearsals.

"In a game in 2010, I tore a tendon in my foot. And now, all of this dancing and all of this [being] on your toes, I'm reliving a problem that I thought I'd never have to relive again," Ray explained.

"I am having so much fun when it comes to the dancing part, but behind the scenes, it's been painful. It's bothered me a lot. I've dealt with pain every practice and pushed the limits."

When Ray visited with a doctor, he was told he had torn three tendons in his foot and surgery will be required.

"If you keep dancing on it, it's going to actually rupture," a doctor told him.

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Ray called withdrawing from Dancing with the Stars "probably one of the hardest decisions" of his life.

"But right now, I gotta make sure I don't damage something enough to where I can't walk. I've had some of the best experiences of my life on this show," Ray shared.

"I met an entirely new family, and I have experienced what I've always wanted to experience -- what dancing on the stage with Dancing with the Stars felt like. It was absolutely incredible. I'll never forget this.... God doesn't make mistakes, and he taught me to dance again!"

Former Dancing with the Stars winner Rashad Jennings therefore performed Ray's dance number with Cheryl for the fans.

Two couples topped the judges' leaderboard and tied for first place after receiving 24 out of 30 possible points from Dancing with the Stars judges Len, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

Those couples were pop star and Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke and partner Sasha Farber, who performed the rumba as a way to remember Selena, as well as actress Kate Flannery and partner Pasha Pashkov, who danced a quickstep routine in memory of the movie 9 to 5.

Two pairs also tied for second place on the leaderboard with 23 points: Model Sailor Brinkley-Cook and partner Val Chmerkovskiy as well as actor James Van Der Beek and partner Emma Slater.

Sailor and Val danced the tango in honor of Mamma Mia!, while James and Emma performed a rumba to music from A Star Is Born.

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The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown and partner Alan Bersten placed fifth on the judges' leaderboard with 21 points after they danced the rumba inspired by the movie Bridesmaids. Hannah, a frontrunner in the competition, apparently needed more "hip action" in her routine.

Sixth place also represented a tie between two couples at 20 points on the leaderboard.

Kel, a comedian and actor, and partner Witney executed a 20 point-worthy rumba in honor of the iconic movie Titanic.

Country music star and former American Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina and partner Gleb Savchenko also earned 20 points after performing a tango that paid tribute to Pretty Woman.

Queer Eye star Karamo Brown and partner Jenna Johnson finished in eighth place on the leaderboard with 16 points. They took the stage with a jive set to the music from Rocketman.

On their heels were former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and partner Lindsay Arnold with 15 points on the leaderboard. Sean and Lindsay danced the cha cha in a tribute to Saturday Night Fever.

And finally, Lamar, who previously starred on Khloe & Lamar and was an NBA champion, and Peta landed in tenth -- and last -- place on the leaderboard after taking the stage with a cha cha routine paying tribute to the movie Risky Business.

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The couple only received 12 points from the judges.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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