Dancing With the Stars: Kristin Cavallari's Story Comes to Sad End

Oct. 4, 2011: Reality star Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas are eliminated from Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday night. (ABC)

J.R. Martínez and Karina Smirnoff’s emotional rumba paid off Tuesday night on Dancing With the Stars, as the results  saved Martínez, but sent reality starlet Kristin Cavallari home.

Martínez, a former vet, danced to Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This" and dedicated his dance to the U.S. Army and to surviving a tragic accident while serving in Iraq that left him with serious third degree burns.

“I remember being in Iraq and thinking that my life was going to end,” Martínez mentioned during the recap of Monday night’s episode. “The next thing I remember is seeing my mother and the next week asking the nurse to see my face and my body for the first time.”

Martínez recalled when his humvee hit a landmine and how that incident drastically changed his life.

“I became depressed, I had regret, I started to blame I started to question,” he continued.“It didn’t make sense to me why I was 19-years-old and why my life was completely upside down.

I just thought to myself I would have been better off if I wouldn’t have survived,” he added.

Also safe was Ricky Lake, who opened up about her sour divorce and her house burning down, and Chaz Bono, whose superstar mother Cher will be present in the audience next week to see him dance.

Cavallari and Ballas had the lowest scores combined and were sent home. Cavallari seemed stunned with America’s decision to sent her packing.

Her upbeat samba dance to Beyonce’s Crazy in Love wasn't enough to save her.

“Maybe my story didn’t help,” Cavallari told reporters after being eliminated.  “Everyone had really sad stories. And mine was graduating from high school and moving to Los Angeles.”

DWTS is a weekly dance competition and reality show in which celebrities are paired with professional dancers and compete for the opportunity to win the coveted disco ball-shaped trophy.

Past winners, such as Nicole Scherzinger from the X Factor, Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson and singer Donny Osmond, have taken their careers to the next level after winning the competition.

You can reach Alexandra Gratereaux at: Alexandra.Gratereaux@foxnewslatino.com or via Twitter: @GalexLatino

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