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Six celebrities team up with six pro ice dancers in a competition that gives new meaning to the term "cold war!" Recaps by Chico Alexander, GSNN
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Round
of 6 In the beginning, there was "Dancing with the Stars", an adaptation of a British hit. It became fruitful and multiplied elevenfold and became the monster hit it is today. Fox won't admit it to this day, but they wanted a piece of the action, so they took the celebrity/professional connection and put it on ice. That... didn't work out so well. Which brings us to today, and the second go, this time with the full force of BBC Worldwide Productions to adapt the spinoff one-off of "Strictly Come Dancing", "Strictly Ice Dancing", to impart upon us what may be the beginning of a holiday classic. Welcome... to "SKATING WITH THE STARS"! And you can't have this show without stars... so here they are! - Brandon Mychal Smith ("Sonny with a Chance") And the pros... - Keauna McLaughlin (2-time national champion pairs skater) - Brandon's
partner Your host for the proceedings, you may remember him from either "Hit Me Baby One More Time" or various clips of "Family Fortunes" in the UK. Yup. Vernon Kay (from ABC's upcoming "Million Dollar Mind Game") is back, and he's brought a few friends with him. First, we have accomplished Canadian-American ice dancer Tanith Belbin playing the role of "Brooke Burke", and the folks in the booth with the paddles and the power... Olympic medalist Johnny Weir, accomplished choreographer Laurieann Gibson, and the god of ice skating commentary... Button. Dick Button. Now that you know the personnel, here's how it's going to go down. Each panelist will give each pair two scores based on technical and performance. The percentage of those scores (relative to the others) will count for half of their score. The other half goes to America. Next week, one couple will hang up their skates and leave the rink forever. Now this week, there are two required elements that must be incorporated into their programs. The first is the one-foot assisted glide. The second... the pairs spin. They can perform the second two-footed separate, one-footed together, or one-footed separate. First up, Brandon & Keauna. Her skating style is passionate, intense, and a little sexy. Brandon... can't be tamed. Ever try ice dancing in your boxers? Aside from hypothermia, that's enought o bring him back into the game real quick. They'll perform to "American Boy" by Estelle featuring Kanye West. What they say: Dick thought it was an impressive and spiffy start, but they need to work on the flow and the movement. Right now, it's clunky. Laurieann says they did fantastic. Johnny wants them to keep focusing. What we say: a little bit on the sexy side, but they didn't really do much in the way of technical. SCORES (technical/artistic): Sean Young thinks that she has the edge, but the question is... will she resist the urge to say "fall"? Nope. She thought that this was going to be easy. Yeah, no. Of all the stars tonight, Sean is the least experienced. They actually took a tumble in dress, and she's been using a chair to train. They'll dance to "Bubbly" by Colbie Caillat. What they say: Johnny thought it was perfect for her skill level, but there is room for improvement. Laurieann thought the way Denis carried around Sean was very classy. Dick thought that the choreo was exquisite. Now he wants her to "take off her girdle and let it fly". What we say: It was touching, and they've really been improving, turning into a single unit. SCORES (technical/artistic): Next, Jonny trades his skis for skates and a couple of poles for a couple of pins, namely the ones attached to Brooke. She... might have a bit of a crush on him. That would be good for chemistry, but falls are bad for... well, Jonny. He'll try to minimize the damage enough (Tanith says that Jonny even took a skate to the groin) to survive through their dancing to "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder. What they say: Laurieann says to think about "dancing" and "rhythm." Dick wants to see how the ski technique translate to skating. Johnny: "You just terrorized the ice like a bull in a china shop and I loved it." What we say: Not bad technically, especially given the amount of time Jonny spent on his behind in practice. Points for best use of the entry loop. And yes, they did electrify the rink with a quick performance. SCORES (technical/artistic): Half up, half home. Next up, Johnny Weir breaking us from competition and doing his own little Lady Gaga impersonation to "Pokerface". Now back to the reason why we're here. Rebecca took to the ice like a natural (perhaps because she's been doing this with her sister). She struggled with crossovers, which comprise the majority of her routine. The notoriously-competitive Rebecca will let her blades do the talking with Fred to Ne-Yo's "Closer". What they say: Dick says that the posture was on point. Johnny called extensions "incredible". Laurieann notes that the couple was on their center. What we say: I smell a ringer! SCORES (technical/artistic): Trivia: when she was 7, Rebecca came in fourth in a competition. That explains it. Vince actually also won an ice skating competition. That was back when he was 10. Now... he's a klutz. He's focused, but at the same time, he's worried about disappointing his new partner Jen. It's only 90 seconds, dude. He's fallen more times in practice than the rest of his competitor combined. He'll try not to do that to "I Like the Way You Move" by the Bodyrockers. What they say: Johnny wanted to see a rock star performance. Instead, he got the following performance. Laurieann called it amazing. Dick wants Vince to be more daring. "Any man who is afraid to make a mistake will never make anything." What we say: Yes it was a rock show from beginning to end. We get that... but it didn't really come together. A little unsteady in parts. SCORES (technical/artistic): We're ending with New York's most famous and feared newlywed. The last time she was on the ice, she was at Rockefeller Center. Now she's on a plain old rink in LA with some random dude. How will Ethan function as "the go big or go home" "ice husband" of Bethenny? We'll find out as we close the show with "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Ke$ha. What they say: Laurieann encourages them to relax their shoulders so as not to take from the flow of the piece. Dick wanted her to be "a little less static." Johnny agrees with everyone, adding that Bethenny's body is "sick". What we say: For someone in as great a shape as Bethenny, I was expecting a little more flair. SCORES (technical/artistic): And that's going to do it tonight. Here's where we stand... 45 - Rebecca & Fred Remember, these will make up half of the total. The other half comes from you. We'll see who's skating for their life next week, and who'll be the first person put on ice. From Television City in Hollywood.. GOOD NIGHT! To see this episode in its entirety, go to abc.com/skating. |
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