While Michael Sam may have been eliminated on this week's Dancing With The Stars, he left the show on a high note, earning his highest score to date. The theme for Monday night was "my most memorable year," and Sam chose 2014, the year he came out. A year of empowerment, honesty, and love, his performance revealed that it was also a time plagued by familial hardship. Dancing to "I'm Not My Father's Son," Sam and partner Peta Murgatroyd invoked the broken relationship with his father that resulted from coming out.
On the show, Sam revealed that he and his father are now estranged. Michael Sam Sr. told the New York Times last year:
"I don't want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment. I'm old school. I'm a man-and-a-woman type of guy."
After that, Sam said he called his father to tell him he'd lost another son, and the two haven't spoken since.
While the dance wasn't well received by the judges technically, Sam was praised for the statement he made. Bruno Tonioli said, "Your voice is very important, and I guarantee you, it's helped a lot of people."
Watch the powerful performance:
After being eliminated, Sam talked about what comes next:
"My next dance I'll probably do is my wedding and that's it. After that, I'm done. It's the toughest thing I've ever done, but I'm ready to get focused and have my full focus on football now."
(H/T Us Weekly)
