Aaron Carter "Shaken" After Surprise DWTS Dance-Off

Maybe Tuesday night's Dancing with the Stars elimination show will teach Aaron Carter to not count his chickens before they're hatched. The young singer, despite having earned a near-perfect 29 out of 30 on Monday night, ended up in the bottom three this week — and he was not exactly thrilled with the result.

Rather than speak to the press like he normally does every week after surviving elimination, Aaron let dance partner (and rumored romantic interest) Karina Smirnoff do the talking for him.

“He’s shaken," Karina said about their surprising placement in the bottom three. "He did not expect it.”

While Aaron and Karina escaped immediate dismissal when retired football legend Michael Irvin was eliminated, it meant they were forced into a dance-off against Iron Chef's Mark Dacascos and his partner Lacey Schwimmer.

Since Mark was given the first opportunity to strut his stuff, Karina had a strategy to keep her partner's mind off the stress.

“I didn’t let Aaron watch Mark’s dance or listen to what the judges said," she explained. "Because I don’t want anything else going through his head.”

In the end, her cunning plan worked, as Mark and Lacey were eliminated by the judges and Aaron and Karina were given the chance to dance another day.

Reporting By Carole Glines