(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Chaz Bono says Dancing with the Stars was an "amazing journey", after learning he was the show's latest celebrity casualty.

The star was voted off the hit ABC programme last night after failing to impress judges with his tango routine.

Both he and soccer star Hope Solo had been in jeopardy after their performances, but Chaz received the lowest in combined audience and judges' votes and was sent home.

In 2008, Chaz completed his gender transition from female to male and was legally recognised as a man by the state of California in May 2010. He has faced a barrage of controversy as a result of his involvement with the dancing competition, but admitted last night that appearing on it was the best decision he has made.

"This was an amazing journey," he said standing next to his professional dance partner Lacey Schwimmer.

"I came on this show because I wanted to show America a different kind of man. If there was somebody like me on TV when I was growing up, my whole life would have been different."

Chaz has struggled since the beginning of the competition, but has managed to stay in for six weeks.

His consistently low scores continually landed him at the bottom of the leaderboard, but he managed to escape elimination each time.

This week he scored 19 points out of a possible 30 for his tango to a song from The Phantom of the Opera.

Judges told him his routine needed more aggression and technique, while Bruno Tonioli compared him to a penguin.

"If you're an overweight guy trying to do this competition, getting in shape, they penalise you for it, call you a penguin. Bruno makes comments about me like I'm some fat troll dancing with this beautiful woman every week. And I am sick of it," Chaz said during his post-dance interview Monday night.

Hope Solo will stay in the competition along with five other stars.

David Arquette, J.R. Martinez, Rob Kardashian, Ricki Lake and Nancy Grace are all also still in the running for the coveted title.

Chaz's mom Cher took to Twitter last night after being upset by Bruno's comments.

After first tweeting; "Congratulations Chaz I'm SO PROUD OF U ! This was YOUR Quest & u Followed your Star (sic)," she continued with a rant.

"I didn't know who u we're b4 which I guess is a blessing! But why insult him b4 he Goes! Maybe Rudeness & Flapping Arms take the place of TALENT (sic)!" she added. (C) Cover Media