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We'll Be The Judge of That! - Skating with Celebrities, January 18by Foxes on Idol Judging Staff -- 01/19/2006
View Printable version of this article It’s the debut episode of Fox’s entry into the genre of athlete/celebrity relations, this time in the skating realm. There are definitely a wealth of opinions to be had, so let’s get to it! If you haven’t already, be sure to read the recap by Sting7, to find out what he and the judges have to say, and read on for the judging of Paris Cosby, Teeuwynn Woodruff, and C. Brian Devinney! 
Deborah Gibson & Kurt Browning: Paris: First I want to say that I adore Kurt Browning! He's always been one of my favourites. I found the entire routine a little more like ice dancing near the beginning. I really liked their footwork and their chemistry. Being the first out was tough but I thought they did great. It wasn’t technically all that difficult but the energy and entertainment level was great! I loved it. I did think their scores should have been a bit higher though. Teeuwynn: What a cute couple these two make! Deborah Gibson reminded me of a Betty Crocker housewife on ice. Kurt is known for his dance moves on the ice and he pulled some of them out here. I thought the number's old-fashioned, Broadway theme worked well for the pair. They stayed on their feet (although Kurt almost stepped on Deborah at one point), Deborah completed her required three turns, and they even threw in a lift. We'll see how the rest of the pairs do, but this seemed like a good start to me. I'm going to go out on a limb and say these two aren't going home first. C. Brian: Deborah is blessed to be working with one of the best “show” skaters in history. If anyone could pull off this type of skating it’s four time world champion Kurt Browning (who showed how he could pull off that double axel with ease). The costumes and the choreography were all fit in with the 1940s/1950s style music. My only complaint is that the most difficult thing that Deborah Gibson did was a hydroplaning glide that Kurt Browning “walked” over. The lift didn’t require her to do anything more than stand and have Kurt lift her and pretty much do a 180 turn. I know this isn’t something that she has trained to do or something that she has worked on all of her life, but I expected something a little bit more from our celebs – especially after we were told how they had to audition to be on the show and prove they had some skating talent. Overall, not impressed but Kurt Browning may carry this team. Deborah can match him in terms of “acting” on the ice but her skating needs to come up a bit more. Bruce Jenner & Tai Babilonia: Paris: The beginning was a bit off for these two. They sort of jumped right into it, it seemed. I liked the way they skated together but Bruce seemed really stiff to me. The jumps together were great and they were in total sync with each other. It was a technically more difficult program but I just didn't get any feel from it. It was too stiff for me. I didn't think it was as strong as the judges did. Teeuwynn: First off, can I say OW! Practice looked rough on Bruce! But he hung in there. I was worried at the start of their skate. Tai looked lovely, but Bruce's posture was awkward and his knees were perpetually bent. I thought Tai was brave to let him lift her. Bruce's spin was two-footed, but completed. What really impressed me were the two waltz jumps the pair put in the program. Wow! They may be the oldest couple on the ice, but their routine had a lot in it. I'm pleasantly surprised. C. Brian: Oh dear God. When I first heard of this pairing of Olympians (Bruce from 1976 and Tai from 1980 when Randy Garnder got a groin injury and had to pull out of the competition at the last minute – God I watch too much figure skating), I thought that Tai was going to run screaming from the rink and go back to making her butterflies. As the oldest competitors I wasn’t expecting Tai to pull out any jumps but I wasn’t expecting her to be that good either. How long has it been since she skated??? Anyhoo, with their song coming from the moving An Officer and a Gentleman, it was great to see them actually look like they were in their roles. Their difficulty even seemed a bit higher than what we saw Kurt and Deborah do in the first skating. Bruce pulled off two nice Arabesque spirals and did two waltz jumps (the half rotation jumps we saw also known as “wallies”). Not only that his spin didn’t go off kilter or out of control as I expected and he stopped it on a dime at the same time as Tai. Finally, the faux “shoot the duck” with Tai being supported by Bruce’s knee was amazing to watch. 
My only complaint that I saw was their hand transitions when moving Tai from one side of Bruce to another was a bit sloppy. They also seemed to get too close to the boards for some of their moves, which could spell danger (can anyone say Midori Ito jumping OFF of the ice at the 1993 world championships?). If they can keep this up, add a bit more difficulty, they could be a couple to watch. Kristy Swanson & Lloyd Eisler: Paris: Kristy can actually skate fairly well. I loved the lifts in this routine! I knew they would be great as Lloyd has a lot of experience in this area. I also liked the way they spun in different directions. I thought it was pretty cool. I thought the routine was awesome besides the little wobble from her. I think the judges were far too hard on them. I was really surprised with the low marks they received. Teeuwynn: I can't say I'm thrilled with the music selection. Booooring. That said, of the couples who've competed so far, these two skated the most like a pair on the ice (so I guess I disagree with Dorothy). Kristy's skills and confidence make me think she's had at least some ice skating lessons somewhere in her past. Her spin was lovely and the mirrored spins didn't bother me at all. The spiral was a bit wobbly, but they attempted one, which is impressive! If they can get some better music and jazz things up, I think they'll be in great shape. And I can't believe nobody has fallen down yet! 1 2 3 Next-->View Printable version of this article
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