Dancing On Ice - Week Five

Last weekend saw the return of the Dancing On Ice duel, each celebrity was matched against another where they had to fight it out on the ice for an automatic spot into next weeks show. Initially a great idea, if, and that was a very big if, the judges voted on performance not reputation…

Kyran & Nina Vs Sam & Vicky

“Beat It”

A great routine, it had it all, specifically that moon walking from Kyran we requested last week. Both Kyran and Sam are technically wonderful skaters, Sam always shines with his speed but during this routine Kyran really upped his game and very nearly matched him. We loved the competitive elements of this, it felt like a proper duel between two graceful bulls (we mean that in the nicest way possible) rather than a choreographed dance between two hug loving puppies. Not the best similes but we think you get our drift. It was a close one but unlike the judges, Sam and Vicky edged it for us we felt he had slightly sharper lines and his overall performance level was just that little bit more to our liking.

Winner | Kyran |

Our Winner | Sam |

Bonnie & Andrei Vs Gareth & Brianne

“Things”

Great to see Gareth upping his game for this duel and oozing confidence, character and charisma pairing him with Brianne was the perfect decision as we’ve seen notable improvements every single week. Bonnie the show woman delivered again, but still relied heavily on the arms of Andrei. Overall it was definitely more hug loving puppy than graceful bull (we’re sticking with it) but enjoyable all the same. Along with the judges Gareth got our vote for duel winner.

Winner | Gareth |

Our Winner | Gareth |

Hayley & Dan Vs Beth & Lukasz

“Stronger”

One of the toughest duel pairings to choose between, both are wonderful skaters and both have completely different strengths, unfortunately for Beth it was Hayleys acting strengths that just edges her the win. This series Beth has improved notably along side Lukasz both on technique and performance, her ability is a joy to watch and the lifts leave us gobsmacked after every routine. Hayley always excelled in her routines which were character driven, this series has been no different but she’s also been working on technique and it really shows. Both ladies upped their game for the duel and it was simply the execution of the side by side dance steps that swung it in the direction of Hayley and Dan for us and the judges.

Winner | Hayley |

Our Winner | Hayley |

Ray & Maria Vs Suzanne & Matt

“Dead Ringer For Love”

What a duel anyone would be forgiven for thinking they were watching 4 pros on the ice, for a moment we thought we’d skipped forward to the final already! Whoever was paired against Ray was almost nailed on for a loss, he’s just too bloody good. Suzanne definitely gave him a good run for his money though, easily her best week this series so far, not quite graceful bulls but the element of competition bought out the best in her. It was great to see the split jump from Ray return, it seemed as though he just threw it in there with natural ease this time around. Another week where he’s excelled all expectations, you’d be forgiven for wondering if its possible for him to be any better, well, last week we suggested the only way he could improve was if he were to skate shirtless! After a little chat on twitter Ray suggest we might just be in for a treat (insert smug winky face here… you’re welcome in advance). Anyway, back to the duel, beautiful lines and performance from Suzanne but sadly still no match for the mighty Mr Quinn.

Winner | Ray |

Our Winner | Ray |

The ‘losers’ then had to skate again for the publics vote and to avoid the dreaded skate-off.

Sam & Vicky

“Dream Catch Me”

A capable and confident performance from Sam but the choice of song made the skating seem somewhat out of sync, normally his sheer speed across the ice gives the performance that extra bit of wow but this time it just didn’t fit, less may have been more. Although it was clear to see they were disappointed with how the step sequence went, we still loved it, its clear to see the love and trust between them which makes the whole performance credible and believable. You can really see Sam concentrating on the steps, which is great for his technique but for the overall feel perhaps he just needs to let go and enjoy it that little bit more.

Bonnie & Andrei

“Devil Gate Drive”

A fun, fast paced routine with lots of clever little tricks, but as we’ve stated before we still feel like Bonnie is lacking something in her skating. She looked so comfortable out there on the ice and seemed to love the routine which made it all the more enjoyable to watch. It was great to see Bonnie back on the show, but compared to most of the others left in the competition we feel it was probably the right time for her to go, she even smiled her way through the skate-off.

Beth & Lukasz

“Think”

Now that’s what you call a comeback performance. We completely disagreed with Jason’s view that it was too controlled and safe, that “freedom finale” HAD to be controlled or it wouldn’t have been safe. Logic Jason, sometimes it’s helpful. We’ve mentioned before how much we love this partnership, Lukasz seems to push her so much more than Dan did and it’s really giving their routines that edge of unpredictability.

Suzanne & Matt

“I Knew Your Were Trouble”

The choreography was brilliant, it was technically hard and she made it look easy! Suzanne and Matt have such natural chemistry on the ice and work so well together. The fact that she picked herself up and just carried on directly with the performance as if nothing had happened after the little fall showed her professionalism off in fine form and that’s exactly how it should be. She shows true fighting spirit every week and we adored the twisting head banger at the end.

It’s 80’s weekend so expect plenty of neon and lyrca or in the words of Ray Quinn “Errr a bit less…”