We'll Be The Judge of That! - Skating with Celebrities, February 6

Four celebrities remain paired with four professional skaters! Who did well, and who stumbled? There are definitely a wealth of opinions to be had, so let’s get to it! Read on for the judging of Brian Towers, C. Brian Devinney, Mary Hart, and Teeuwynn Woodruff!

Kristy Swanson & Lloyd Eisler:

Brian: Kristy showed real guts, skating a strong program after last week’s fall and the mental challenges of last week’s practices. I agree that her skating has improved every week, and that has permitted the speed of their performance to increase every time out. Both the combined spin and the death spiral were excellent, though that one shoulder-height spin was odd. For the most part I think Lloyd’s program took it up a level and a half this week. Artistic – 8.8; technical – 8.5.

C. Brian: Okay I did this last week so I have to do it again this week…

DEATH SPIRAL! DEATH SPIRAL! DEATH SPIRAL! And to make it better, Kristy went to one arm on it!

I’ve made it clear that I’m a skating performance snob when it comes to pairs and their musical selections. Not only did Lloyd and Kristy bond with this music, they bonded with each other which made this performance SO enjoyable to watch. On top of that, having the incomparable Renee Roca, former US National champion in ice dance with Gorsha Sur, as their choreographer was only a bonus.

The arabesque spiral out by Kristy had a little wobble, but Lloyd reined her in and their combination spin together was solid, artistic, and a joy to watch. The waltz jumps were solid and I thought they threw in a single toe loop at the end but it was another waltz jump. The lifts fit into the performance and didn’t seem as excessive as John Nicks said they were last week.

Overall, I have nothing to complain about in this performance. Maybe it could have moved a little faster but as noted by the judges, Lloyd let Kristy dictate the pace and it still looked great. They totally deserved their high scores.

Mary: In her biker mama leather, Kirsty promised to please with bigger tricks, and she more than delivered. Even curmudgeon Judge John acknowledged Lloyd’s role in building his partner’s increased skill and confidence on the ice. This blonde has challenged herself repeatedly literally taking it on the chin. Did that reopened face wound need a plastic surgeon? You’d think that a screen starlet would be worried about her close-ups… not. Kristy is beyond paltry vanity issues. She’s got something to prove and showed it with another death spiral – this time with new and improved depth. Plus she did it one handed. WOW!

Teeuwynn: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a contest! I've always felt Lloyd and Kristy had the chops to step up and give Jillian and John at least a bit of a challenge. But they looked tentative or had too many errors in previous performances. Tonight they showed they might actually be a legitimate threat to take it all! The lifts were great, as was the death spiral... Kristy even did it one-handed for a few seconds. Amazing! The required jumps and lunge were well-executed and so was their pairs spin. I also think the relationship between these two on the ice is really getting good and Kristy was looking hot too. Good for her! Buffy didn't need a stake to slay the judges tonight!

Jillian Barberie & John Zimmerman:

Brian: The pre-skating pieced showed Jillian getting hurt again. It didn’t seem to impede her performance much, probably because John adjusted the choreography accordingly. One result was that her stroking was a little simpler and it may have led to a better overall performance. The overhead spin at the end was not done as well as I’d expect but there wasn’t a lot else to pick at. I’d say: artistic – 8.6 and technical – 8.5. The first two teams certainly issued a strong challenge to the other two teams this week!

C. Brian: Yes, it was very fun to watch, but compared to Lloyd and Kristy it didn’t hold a candle.

The song started off where it seemed like Jillian was going to be the “trouble” in the song and I felt that could have been played up more in the choreography. I do feel that they lowered the level of difficulty in order to compensate for Jillian’s injury. I do agree with John Nicks about the unnecessary repetition in the routine. The Russians had a saying for their blockbuster moves: “You do it three times: Once to amaze the audience. The second for them to admire it. The third for them to applaud.” And when you think about it, it worked for the Russians. For John and Jillian, it seemed that they were doing those moves simply because she couldn’t do other things.

The single toe loop was on point and they seemed to be in unison for a nice part of their routine. There was some mild sloppiness with their combo spin and Jillian seemed to lose her place on the ice a few times.

Overall, this routine didn’t wow me like Lloyd and Kristy, but it was nice to see that they still wanted to go out and have a strong, aggressive skate despite the injury but I think they could have done more than what they presented. They definitely didn’t deserve to tie Lloyd & Kristy.

Mary: Poor Kristy gets no mention of her previous bloody double chin scrape while cameras follow Jillian to the ER for superficial bruises. Is there more support from FOX for their foxy sports personality than the hapless Kristy? That said, Jillian and John had an exciting skate. Maybe it was her bikini top and hip huggers that brought out her hot stuff side, but the result was their most sultry number yet. Jillian got good height on her jumps, but caught air mostly due to John’s boost. The lifts were gorgeous and the hit of the routine, but I thought it was the synchronicity between this pair that was the most positive new development.