Sunday 6 January 2013

Dancing On Ice - Skating Surprises

So,"Dancing On Ice" is back! I gotta say, every year this is the show I look forward to. Let's call it a guilty pleasure. Though I don't really feel that guilty about it.



The downside to the show this year is the return of Jason Gardiner to the judging panel. Every TV talent show needs a Mr. Nasty, but he, plain and simply, comes across as an arse. In his defense (and you probably won't hear me say this often) he wasn't quite as bad as in previous years. Karen Barber is also back on the panel, which means at some point through the series, they will get into a fight - and the chances are it will uncomfortable . They've also added Ashley Roberts, former Pussycat Doll and recently returned survivor of "I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here." I'm gonna assume the producers wanted to cash in on her current popularity, but actually, she's pretty decent. A vast improvement on Emma Bunton, anyway.

Samia Ghadie was first up to skate, and this past week, she's spent more time in the news for potentially dating her skating partner, Sylvain Longchambon. This wouldn't be a big deal except, he was in a relationship with his skating partner on the show two years ago, Jennifer Metcalfe. Whatever. Someone gets a relationship with someone else every year. Nothing new. Anyway, back to the skating! Their dance scored 17 out of 40 which was fair enough. Samia seemed pretty nervous, but she did a decent job for week one.

By far the most excited contestant was Keith Chegwin, who returned after breaking his shoulder and cracking three ribs on his first day of training for the show last year. For an older contestant, he really showed that ice who was boss - not to mention doing a jump which nobody ever attempts on week one. He only scored 14.5, but he got some great comments from the judges.

Next up was Olympic gymnast, Beth Tweddle. Beth has been tipped as an early favourite to win and it was easy to see why. Already super graceful because of her gymnastic background, she moved very easily around the ice, and even created her own move - named the Tweddle Tilt! Her score was 21. Would have been higher if Jason Gardiner hadn't has a pop at her for her lack of performance level, and saying he was "bored to Beth" *rolls eyes* I am bored of him already.

Matt Lapinskas, formerly of Eastenders was like a kid with ADHD in rehearsals. However, when it came to performance time, there was no hint of messing around. He looked incredible - not a hint of nerves of hesitation. His brilliance was rewarded with a score of 24, shooting him to the top of the leader board.

Finally, the moment my mother was waiting for - Shayne Ward. Okay, I gotta admit I was kinda excited to see him, too. His training VT showed him looking pretty terrible on the ice, but his performance wasn't as bad as it could have been. He finished with a score of 16, and if makes it through to next week - we'll likely see him taking dance classes as recommended by the judges.

 Pamela freaking Anderson was the last performer, and holy crap, was she good! I couldn't help but love the excitement she had for skating, and she seems so sweet and not diva-ish at all. Her score was 18.5, which wasn't so bad. 

After a short break, it was time for the results. In the first "Dancing On Ice" skate-off of 2013 were Keith and Pamela. New this year is the "Save Me" skate. Instead of re-performing their earlier routine, all the contestants have had to choreograph a whole new routine to perform should they land in the bottom two. Cheggers performed a rather dramatic number with his partner and did pretty well with it. Pammy didn't do so well with hers. She stumbled, and it seemed to put her off the rest of the performance which was a real shame. Sadly, that stumble cost Pamela her place in the show. :( I'm even sadder that it means a whole series to get through without Matt Evers.

Next week, the other half of this year's contestants get their chance to show what they can do. I can't lie, Joe Pasquale on ice is going to be fabulous!





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