‘Dancing with the Stars’: Spotlight on Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff

With initial nerves and their first dance already behind them, Jacoby Jones and his pro partner Karina Smirnoff are hard at work preparing for their second routine on “Dancing with the Stars.” On March 19, Karina revealed that Jacoby is working on a jazz routine this week and that they are practicing in Houston. Jacoby in turn thanked his partner for all of her hard work and dedication and tweeted on Tuesday after the “DWTS” premiere, “It definitely showed and paid off!”

Jacoby and Karina tied for third place after performing a lively Cha Cha Cha on Monday. Carrie Ann Inaba called the routine “a medley of touchdown dances.” Bruno Tonioli said that Jacoby had the potential to win season 16, but Len Goodman disagreed and stated, “That was all icing and no cake.” The two received a combined score of 20, landing them right in the middle of the pack.

Jacoby Jones is a professional football player for the Baltimore Ravens and one of the stars of this year’s Super Bowl, where he made history by running a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He began his career after being drafted by the Houston Texans in 2009 and was signed by the World Champion Ravens in 2012.

Jones is the first Raven to post multiple kickoff returns for a touchdown in one season and is the current record holder for the longest touchdown at the Super Bowl. Career honors include AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, the Associated Press first-team All-Pro and the PFW/PFWA first team All-Pro. He was recently featured on the cover of “Sports Illustrated,” but now he’s moved from gridiron glory to dance floor drama.

Karina Smirnoff is a Ukrainian beauty who studied at Fordham University in New York and earned two degrees – a B.A. in Economics and Information Systems Programming. She is also a talented fashion designer and choreographer. Karina began competing in dance competitions at the age of eleven. She’s a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. Among many other titles and designations, Karina was ranked #2 in the world for Latin Dance. She recently launched her successful DanceFIT – KS program, a unique fitness experience for hotel, resort and cruise ship guests.

Karina Smirnoff first appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” during season three when she finished in second place with partner Mario Lopez. With the exception of season ten, she has competed on every season since. Below are Karina’s past celebrity partners on “DWTS.”

Season 3: Mario Lopez (2nd place)
Season 4: Billy Ray Cyrus (5th place)
Season 5: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (9th place)
Season 6: Mario (5th place)
Season 7: Rocco DiSpirito (9th place)
Season 8: Steve Wozniak (10th place)
Season 9: Aaron Carter (5th place)
Season 11: Mike Sorrentino (9th place)
Season 12: Ralph Macchio (4th place)
Season 13: J.R. Martinez (1st place)
Season 14: Gavin DeGraw (9th place)
Season 15: Apolo Anton Ohno (5th place)

"Dancing with the Stars” continues on Monday, March 25. Scores from week one and two will be combined with viewers’ votes to determine the first eliminated celebrity. Results will be announced on Tuesday, March 26.

Below is the “DWTS” leaderboard from week 1.

Zendaya: 24
Dorothy Hamill: 21
Kellie Pickler: 21
Aly Raisman: 21
Jacoby Jones: 20
Ingo Rademacher: 20
Sean Lowe: 19
Wynonna Judd: 18
Victor Ortiz: 18
Lisa Vanderpump: 18
Andy Dick: 17
D.L. Hughley: 12

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