Skating with Celebrities

[Chris Stratton]

Saw an ad for a new TV series: Skating with Celebrities.

Quote: What could go wrong?

Answer: judging by the preview clips it's like DWTS, but with lots of being dropped face first onto the ice. Producers must agree that the danger factor is a major part of what sells skating over dancing.

[Laura]

I can't wait to see this!

[ladyinred]

Since I stepped on the ice for the first time a couple years ago and am now an avid figure skater/ice dancer, I am really going to enjoy seeing the celebrities learn to ice skate :)

[Keelzorz]

The ads for "Skating with Celebrities" literally says "This isn't ballroom dancing", in case you didn't pick up on the blatant similarities on your own. What? An unexperienced celebrity, paired with a professional, to train in order to perform to stay on the show? We've never seen that show model used before!! :doh:

[etchuck]

Gosh... that's schadenfreude. Of course, it's about as fun as watching the episode of "Made" (MTV) in which the kid who was athletic wanted to dance ballet.

[standardgirl]

This idea sounds crazy to me. I mean, I can understand why Fox would run such a program especially after the success from Dancing with the Stars. But skating is a totally DIFFERENT story! It's just way too dangerous to put those celebrities on the ice doing PAIR skating. There is so much training required for skating alone, not to mention the extra work needed for pair skaters, and someone (especially the lady) could fall on the ice during a lift or a throw spin!
No wonder, it seems like they couldn't get any better celebrities...

[smoozer]

Are they doing pairs or dance?

[Laura]

I'm watching an Intermediate-level pairs competition right now (it's the US Intermediate National Championships). This is two levels below the top level (which goes to the Olympics). The only overhead lift they appear do be doing is a press lift -- which is dangerous enough -- the other lifts they do only go to hip or shoulder level and look more like dance lifts. I have a feeling the skating celebrities will be doing stuff more like this. Or at least I hope so for safety's sake :-)

These intermediates are great, by the way.

What's interesting to note is that the audience is very very small -- about the size that we got at the Southwest Regionals or California State DanceSport Championships this year. It's skaters and their friends and families, just like we have in ballroom competitions.

[chandra]

I'm watching an Intermediate-level pairs competition right now (it's the US Intermediate National Championships). This is two levels below the top level (which goes to the Olympics). The only overhead lift they appear do be doing is a press lift -- which is dangerous enough -- the other lifts they do only go to hip or shoulder level and look more like dance lifts. I have a feeling the skating celebrities will be doing stuff more like this. Or at least I hope so for safety's sake :-)

These intermediates are great, by the way.

What's interesting to note is that the audience is very very small -- about the size that we got at the Southwest Regionals or California State DanceSport Championships this year. It's skaters and their friends and families, just like we have in ballroom competitions.
huh...

It would be soo neate if ballroom turned into a mainstream tv sport! LIke one you could turn on the TV to watch a major comp or something ;)

[standardgirl]

Are they doing pairs or dance?
I couldn't find that information on their website, but I would assume that they are doing pairs as most of the professionals in that show used to skate in pairs, not ice dancing. Ice dancing does seem to be safer though.

[mamboqueen]

Hah! Just caught some ice skating on TV and there was Brian Boitano skating to a cha cha with a coat rack as his dance partner! Yes, I think ballroom has more an effect on figure skating than vice-versa!

[mamboqueen]

Oh my God.....Nancy Kerrigan is skating to Sway. I can't take much more of this.

[mamboqueen]

Okay; a poll in In Touch magazine says that 84% of people polled were looking forward to DWTS and 16% looking forward to SWTS. No surprise there!

[Chris Stratton]

I couldn't find that information on their website, but I would assume that they are doing pairs as most of the professionals in that show used to skate in pairs, not ice dancing. Ice dancing does seem to be safer though.

I think this is like the speculation over if DTWS would be international or american style ;-)

The answer as always is "it will be whatever the producers think works best on TV"

[swan]

Did anyone watch the pilot yesterday? It was very good, IMHO...Very impressive skating by some! I think I'll add that the 'must watch' list until the 'season' is over (they only have 5 pairs). If it's successful, may be they'll recruit more (like DWTS, started last season w/ 6 & this time 10!)

[SDsalsaguy]

I watched. Not sure that I share your enthusiasm for it though, especially given the lack of explication by the judges as to what they were looking for in providing their marks (which matter even more since there is no audience voting involved). While I certainly agree with their top pair, I thought they were overly generous to the 2nd place pair and overly harsh for the last place pair -- especially since "a spin" (of at least three revolutions) was the required element of the night!

I'll probably watch it if I'm home, but won't be stressed out if I miss it either.

[dancergal]

I didn't watch it. I didn't want to see them fall on their faces. That's all they showed in the TV ads: "Watch the celebrities fall and get hurt." I love ice skating, but I couldn't watch that. Looks too dangerous. I'll stick with DWTS.

[LXC]

I watched most of it and was utterly surprised by how well they skated. They can't possibly be new to skating. In the training clips they showed the celebrities falling over and over on ice, then everybody sort of had smooth rides in the actual show (of course there were wobbles but not that bad). I was actually let down. Not that I was hoping to see injury. But I did feel like I was cheated because the celebrities didn't seem to me like the absolute newbies they advertised earlier.

Come to think of it, they couldn't put people that just couldn't get it on the show either. It wouldn't produce much entertainment except for the first couple of falls.

[Katarzyna]

I thought I read somewhere about the show before it came out, and they wrote that celebs that participate all have previous skaing experience. (I haven't seen the show)

[mamboqueen]

I didn't watch it. I didn't want to see them fall on their faces. That's all they showed in the TV ads: "Watch the celebrities fall and get hurt." I love ice skating, but I couldn't watch that. Looks too dangerous. I'll stick with DWTS.


I agree - that commercial didn't really in any way "sell" the show to me.

[dressgirl]

I thought it was cheesy. I honestly expected more out of FOX. They did stay on their feet though.

[swan]

I thought I read somewhere about the show before it came out, and they wrote that celebs that participate all have previous skaing experience. (I haven't seen the show)

Well, I missed first half of the show, & caught only the last part of Todd Bridges' performance, so couldn't tell if he had any experience.

But the last 2 couples all had skating experience. Jilian was a figure skater when she was a child. Dave Koulier is a ice hockey player & even altered his skates' blade to match more of his hockey skates so that he could have better control.

I'd say to look that 'great' w/o any prior icekating experience, it'd be impossible. Even though ballroom dancing is very hard, figure skating or ice dancing is much harder, IMHO.

[Laura]

From the way she skated in practice, it looked to me like Kristy Swanson may have done some skating before. Maybe not formally, but more like fooling around on the ice at birthday parties as a kid and getting the hang of it -- enough so she at least knew how to move around a bit.

I liked the show, and although I was expecting a blood bath I was THRILLED to see these people doing as well as they did. Well, except for Deborah Gibson, who barely skated at all. But Bruce Jenner thrilled me! A Waltz jump! A spiral! If he can learn all that in one month, then an adult beginner like I would be could learn that kind of stuff in less than a year. It's making me want to take up skating! It's something I've always wanted to do but never got around to.

(I wonder if that's the same kind of response that some people are having to seeing "Dancing with the Stars" for the first time?)

[wooh]

Laura, I'm wanting to try ice skating again too! I told my husband that I think a part of why I enjoyed it so much is that unlike Dancing with the Stars, I don't know what I'm looking at. The dancing, I can do that, so it's harder to impress me. But the ice skating spins, I'm lucky if I just stay upright more than an arm's length from the wall! I thought it was cheesy goodness. And I really like that there aren't any stupid audience votes. And I like the judges telling the athletic women with a pairs skating partner, "I expected a little more out of you."
The whole Dave Coulier thing reminded me of "The Cutting Edge" where she keeps skating up to him after he falls, "Toe pick!"
Go Bruce and Tai!!!!

[Laura]

Go Bruce & Tai! I love Tai!

I read on another board that she's engaged to comedian David Brenner. He was talking about it in some interview. That's so cool -- she's skating, she's on TV, she's getting married. Her life sounds like it's really going well now. And she's still SO beautiful and still skates amazingly.

Could you imagine her and Dorothy Hamil doing an exhibition duet? It would be all deep edges, swoopy curves, and lovely lines.

Really, the only routine I didn't like was Kurt & Deborah's. Deborah barely skated at all. Todd & Jenny were scary, but at least he was really trying to do simple pair moves, rather than getting towed around by his pro partner the whole time.

[smoozer]

I am looking foreward to seeing Bruce Jenner's progress. He had the best crossovers forward and backwards of the bunch which I found astonishing considering the experience of some of the other people. Note how well he uses the outside edge of the inside skate to push under. Oh yea and the waltz jumps, marvelous. He just needs more time to become comfortable and confident with his balance. He will in my opinion show the most improvement over the course of the show.

[dancergal]

Ok, maybe I'll check them out next week and see what's happening. I love to watch ice skating. I just didn't feel like watching people falling all over the place.

[alemana]

I thought it was cheesy. I honestly expected more out of FOX.


hahahahah, good one. one never sees cheese on fox.

[DancePoet]

The ads for "Skating with Celebrities" literally says "This isn't ballroom dancing", in case you didn't pick up on the blatant similarities on your own. What? An unexperienced celebrity, paired with a professional, to train in order to perform to stay on the show? We've never seen that show model used before!! :doh:
:lol:

Perhaps that means it isn't "Ice Dancing With the Stars"? ;)

[swan]

I think this show has one bit of difference from DWTS. Figure skating celebrities are more well known names in household. Certainly general public would know Nancy Kerrigan and Kurt Browning but not Louis Van Amstel or Charlotte Jorgensen. Skating has been a publicized event & even has commercial sponsorships for the stars.

I would not be surprised if it'd generate a bit more viewers' interest. Even the 'celebrities' seemed 'bigger' names. I recognized the Full House character, Todd Bridges & Bruce Jenner. They're more well known than the most of the stars on DWTS.

But w/ that said, I think more people will be willing to take up ballroom due to DWTS than take up icekating w/ SWC. At least less injuries.

[DancingMommy]

I watched. Not sure that I share your enthusiasm for it though, especially given the lack of explication by the judges as to what they were looking for in providing their marks (which matter even more since there is no audience voting involved). While I certainly agree with their top pair, I thought they were overly generous to the 2nd place pair and overly harsh for the last place pair -- especially since "a spin" (of at least three revolutions) was the required element of the night!

I'll probably watch it if I'm home, but won't be stressed out if I miss it either.

I watched about half of it. I was actually quite impressed with the way the format runs. One element per week must be in the routine and it builds on the skills from week to week. Not bad. If only DWTS worked that way. For example.... Week One: you must complete ONE XYZ step in your routine. The better technique, the higher the score. And I like technical difficulty vs. artistic impression marks. Makes for much more even scoring overall....