Viewers to decide Battle of the Blades winner
If it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill, as author Malcolm Gladwell says, the teams on Battle of the Blades must have taken a pass on sleeping for the past three months.
How else to explain the explosion of skating technique and pure performance unleashed on Sunday night’s episode by the three remaining pairs of former hockey players and figure skaters?
Co-host Ron MacLean lays it out: each team will skate a new routine, as well as perform a favourite from earlier in the season. And while the judges will offer comments, they no longer have any say in who takes home the $100,000 grand prize for charity. Instead, viewers will vote online and decide which team deserves
the title of Season 4 champions.
Amanda Evora and Scott Thornton
In their introductory clip package, we learn that Scott hadn’t been on skates for two years. Then BOMB came calling. After seeing his less-than-stellar reintroduction to the ice, Amanda says she wondered, “I don’t know how much this guy can do.” A lot, as it turns out. Last week, they pulled off a triple twist, earning three perfect 6.0s from the judges.
Their new routine, to Metric’s Breathing Underwater, is a fastpaced program packed with tricks. There’s that triple twist again, as well as almost too many lifts to count, helicopters and cartwheel exits and entrances. Oh, and that throw. Can’t forget that.
Later, the pair reprises last week’s Bolero program, a worthy tribute to Torvill and Dean’s original. Judge Jamie Sale lauds Amanda’s rookie season on BOTB, say- ing the American skater has taken the show to “a whole other level.”
Violetta Afanasieva and Jason Strudwick
Jason’s big worry going into the show was a familiar one: “You don’t want to embarrass yourself. That’s No. 1.” But after that first program, he realized he really liked the performing aspect of BOTB. Violetta says that while she can’t fault his physicality (they are planning lifts she couldn’t do with her previous adagio partners), Jason’s real strength is his charisma.
Their new program takes their music to heart. Skating to Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga, the pair nails the two lifts Violetta alluded to. In one, Jason picks Violetta up by her hips, flips her up and holds her high over his head in a carry lift. During the exit, she holds a handstand on his thigh as he glides through a turn. They close the routine with a bounce spin. The move, which involves Jason hold- ing Violetta’s ankles and lifting her up and down as he spins in a circle, is also called a headbanger, for obvious reasons. Yikes!
Their second skate, to the Pink Panther theme, is so charming, it’s easy to overlook the complex tricks, including a dazzler where Violetta manages a full Bielmann perched on Jason’s thigh while he shoots the duck. Judge P.J. Stock declares the program “perfect.”
Marie-France Dubreuil and Mathieu Dandenault
The three-time Stanley Cup champ felt like a rookie going into BOTB. “I didn’t expect to have butterflies,” Mathieu confesses. Marie-France, meanwhile, says her first impression of her hockey partner “He looked like a very macho, hard guy, and I went, ‘Oh my God. What am I going to do with that?’” Turn him into a figure skater, as it happens.
In a tribute to her mother, MarieFrance and Mathieu skate to I’m Gonna Love You Through It, Martina McBride’s tear-jerker about a breast cancer survivor. A standout moment comes when Mathieu glides across the ice, supporting Marie-France as she curves up and away from him, a la the figure on the prow of a ship. Or, as P.J. puts it: “The Titanic!” (The technical name is “the totem.”)
And then the crowd-pleasing Gentleman is back and as cheeky as ever. The closing sequence — capped off by Mathieu “unrolling” Marie-France from over his head to the ice like she’s a window blind — delights once again. Kurt pronounces it “awesome” and reminds viewers of the skill backing up all that razzle dazzle.
Viewers have until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to cast their vote at cbc. ca/battle. The winners will be revealed on Sunday’s finale, which will also feature performances from all the teams this season.