Did You See That

Oh no, poor Gareth Gates has been voted off Dancing On Ice. It’s such a shame but I suppose if you look at it dispassionately, the other three were superior skaters and were able to perform more advanced moves and maintain speed on the ice. And what’s with Zaara always being in the bottom two, despite being great. Something about that leaves me distinctly uneasy, but I guess she doesn’t really have the fanbase of the others - although I’m not sure what fan base Suzanne would have as I haven’t seen her on TV for years. Hmmm poor Zaarah. Poor Gareth. It’s a tough game, this skating lark.

Another great weak of skating, which culminated in Steve and Zaara being in the the skate off. Zaara is actually great so I can only think its her relative obscurity - she had a small role in Corrie - which led to her being bottom two. Paired up with the lovely Fred, they performed again. Fred, as much as I like him, seems only capable of one expression - that of a slight simpleton, smiling for no particular reason. In fact his smile was only lost when he appeared to be held in a choking old by Zaara’s thighs.

Gareth was very good this week, and his unique move was great - far better than Chris’ lazy effort called the “worm” which wasn’t very unique and wasn’t well executed. Chris got great marks again but really it seemed a little too ragged this week and there was one part where his partner seemed to goto grab his leg and it just wasn’t there.

Greg was simply Greg. Jason said he had the “charisma of cardboard” which was perhaps a little bit harsh. He also said he would quit the show if Greg was in the final, which probably helped Greg no end.

I think the judge Nicky has cottoned onto Jason’s trick. Give the lowest mark you can and you’ll be called to talk more, and probably get a pay rise. I think Nicky has his eye on that centre chair for next series!

Well, after weeks of banging her head on the ice, tripping up and getting slated by the judges, Aggie was finally put out of her misery tonight. The relationship between her and Sergei looked genuinely touching, but for her own safety, it really was time for her to go.

Ruthie Henshall is starting to get up my nose a bit too. I know its almost like she and Jason (the two who aren’t Ice dancers) are judging performance whilst the others judge skating, but that’s rubbish because experienced ice skaters know that performance is encompassed in the routine so there’s no need for a distinction between the two.  I have the least respect for Ruthie’s scoring.

Yet again, Chris Fountain knocked it out of the park. He just makes it look so easy. Gareth Gates, with his slick hairdo (which is actually a big improvement), was good but you can tell he is lacking speed on the ice at the moment and not quite in Chris’ league. I really enjoyed Linda Lusardi’s performance and she has a great bond with her partner. Steve Backley joined Aggie in the skate off. Steve seems like a nice guy but his performances don’t do anything for me, and Jason’s comment that it was a shame they couldn’t get rid of both of them was funny and had a ring of truth about it.

Who do you think did a great job this week?

Week Three of the nation’s favourite celebrity ice dancing show, and the competition continues to hot up.

Chris Fountain, who was caked in make up, did a brilliant job and even managed to skate on one foot whilst he had his partner lifted. Gareth Gates did a really good job but something about him says to me “top 3″. I don’t think he has what it takes to win this competition. Michael Underwood has sadly pulled out after breaking his ankle, and came on for a quick blub about that. I was pleased to see Fred Palascak come back to accompany the understudy celeb - Zaraah Abrahams from Coronation Street. It looked like Fred was gone for another year after Sarah Green’s early exit in Week One, but fate has been kind to us and he and Zaara put on a great display.

Greg Rusedski wore a tux and managed to live out some naff James Bond fantasy. Jason’s comment that it was a good idea to latch on to a persona to make up for his lack of one was cruel, but true. Aggi was her normal wobbley self but I think her plea to the viewers to keep her in so she can spend more time with Sergei may have resonated with some generous voter.

The skate off this week was between Samantha Mumba and Steve Backley, with all the judges backing Steve to come back next week.  It was sad to see Samantha Mumba - who I refer to simply as “Sam Mum” - in the bottom two again. She seems a nice girl and certainly not the worst skater, so it’s a shame she didn’t have the fan base to keep her in.

Week 2 of Dancing on Ice, and our wobbly celebrities were back on the ice. Tim Vincent seemed a hundred times better than last week. His reward for this? Lumped in the bottom two with Natalie Pinkham (who?), although he survived to fight another week.

Last week I suggested Greg dance to Monster Mash. This week, Jason referenced that song too. If you’re reading Jason, try and get your own material! Greg does look awful on the ice though, and I can’t see him being able to progress too much further.

Chris Fountain and Gareth Gates were both excellent, and it will be interesting to see who has the bigger fan base as competition get to its later stages.

Linda Lusardi scored a 6 from Nicky, though he claimed this was a mistake. I thought maybe it was another clumsy attempt to cop off on TV after his romantic poem for Sarah Green last week.

What did you think?

It was the return of Dancing on Ice with a new Sunday night slot. Personally I prefer it as a Saturday night show, but it was still a welcome return for those still with withdrawal symptoms following the end of Strictly.

This year’s celebrities include: Sarah Green, Gareth Gates, Chris Fountain, Tim Vincent, Steve Backley, Suzanne Shaw and Linda Lusardi.

It looked to my untrained eye like Chris Fountain was the best on the night, with a raw enthusiasm and and an ability to move around the ice at speed and not leave you too worried he was on the verge of stacking it (despite the VT). Greg Rusedki was the poorest for my money, and judge Jason was very apt when he said it was like Herman Munster. In fact, next week, I think Greg should dance to Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett.

Unfortunately it was Sarah Greene that went out after a skate off with Sam Mumba. This felt cruel on so many levels. Here was her former Going Live co host Philip Schofield presenting a prime time ITV1 show, and here was her booted out after episode one. And poor Fred, her partner, last year partnered with Kay Burley and this year he got Sarah. Give the man something to work with please!

The strangest moment of the night though was Nicky Slater’s odd poem that he wrote for Sarah Greene. Come on Nicky. If you want to come on to her the poor woman, don’t be so clumsy as to do it whilst her husband and the rest of the country are watching on TV.

Was Sarah the right choice to go? Who did you think deserved to go??

Dancing on Ice… on YouTube

Gareth Gates

Chris Fountain