While Melissa Rycroft continues to garner headlines for her performances on Dancing with the Stars, Gilles Marini - along with partner Cheryl Burke - sits atop the leaderboard after two weeks of the show.

How does the French actor feel about that? He recently spoke to TV Guide:

How does it feel to be on top of the leader board?
The only problem with that is there's only one thing to do — go down. It's a great place to be. It's so much pressure, especially on Cheryl [Burke]. Cheryl's a very tough professional and driven [so] it's difficult for her to go down. So we're gonna try our hardest.

You're one of our readers' favorites to win. How does that make you feel?
Wow, very surprised. I would say I'd be second [from the] bottom. Just because people do not understand why I'm on the show because I've never said it yet. It's pretty much paying respect because the country gave me so much. If I can put a smile on Americans' faces, then it's a little way of paying back. Down the line, I'll tell the story why I'm in love with this country and why I wanna be here the rest of my life.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.