Former 'DWTS' Contestant Andy Dick Escorted from Ballroom During Finale

Four bodyguards had to remove a former fan favorite off the premises on Tuesday night for inappropriate behavior

Photo: Paul Redmond/FilmMagic

Long before one of the three finalists was eliminated during Tuesday night’s finale of Dancing with the Stars, another celebrity found himself getting the boot from the ballroom.

Season 16 competitor Andy Dick, 48, arrived at the finale with a guest and seemed to be acting erratically, reeking of smoke and exhibiting eyebrow-raising behavior. He was running in and out of the ballroom every five minutes, saying, “I have to pee!” Within the hour, he had lunged at a production staffer’s breast.

One observer tells PEOPLE that four security guards stepped in quickly and they “told him he had to go, and he said, ‘Why? Because I’m drunk?’ ”

Once evicted from the premises, the comedian wasn’t seen again for the remainder of the finale.

Dick, who has had a very public, longtime battle with substance abuse, became a fan favorite quickly alongside partner Sharna Burgess during his seven-week stint on ABC’s hit show.

A castmate on Dr. Drew Pinsky’s former VH1 docuseries Sober House, Dick seemed like a changed man on DWTS, dedicating a beautiful Viennese waltz to his daughter, whom he told the audience he reconnected with once he got sober. He added that 2013 was the best year of his life, because he ditched his bad habits.

“I’m clenching my jaw because if [the tears] start going, they won’t stop,” Dick told PEOPLE of his then-life-changing experience on the show at the time he was eliminated. “I’ll miss that feeling of accomplishment every week. This is just so not what I do. Lasting this long at something that’s not me is just so wild.”

A rep for Dancing had no comment on Dick’s behavior Tuesday night or on his removal from the show, and his agent didn’t return a request for comment.

• Additional Reporting by MICHELE STUEVEN