We'll Be The Judge of That! - Skating with Celebrities, February 27

Only two are left! Will Jillian & John’s early domination hold, or will Kristy & Lloyd’s late surge be the difference. By now, you’ve read the recap over on RealityNewsOnline, so on for the judging of Brian Towers and Teeuwynn Woodruff!

Jillian Barberie and John Zimmerman:

Brian: In the short program, Jillian and John were not as sharp as in some of the earlier skates. She went butt-down on the pull-through move, the side-by jumps were a little indecisive, plus the last lift had a fumble in it and it traveled. However Jillian, who took figure skating until she was thirteen, puts down the cleanest strokes of any of the celebrities in both directions. Additionally, their synchronization was reasonable, and this was one of the more complicated programs to date. Is the door open a little? Their second skate needs to be error-free!

Teeuwynn: Jillian and John looked gorgeous together as always and I loved the intense look they had in the final intro shot. After watching the Olympics this past week, I find John even hotter - especially in comparison to Lloyd. There John was cheering his lovely, Italian wife on in the women's singles competition. Meanwhile, we hear that Lloyd supposedly dumped his pregnant wife for his new partner Kristy Swanson. Yeesh. Now, I feel we've got a real “Good Guys-Bad Guys” competition going! John and Jillian really dove into the short program, living up to their vow to go all out. Overall, this routine really sang. The technical elements were packed with difficulty – I particularly liked their pairs spin and the final overhead lift. As the judges noted, the pair did not quite pull off their dangerous Jillian-goes-over-John's-head-and-through-his-legs move, but I was impressed they went for something like that. I love this team. Sigh.

Kristy Swanson & Lloyd Eisler:

Brian: I thought Kristy and Lloyd played it kind of safe. The speed seemed to be lacking and there weren’t a lot of electric moves until the final two lifts. However, what was there was done smoothly and attractively. I’d score it pretty even at this point. I expect them to pull out all the stops and up the tempo in the free skate.

Teeuwynn: The emotional roller coaster our intrepid host, Scott Hamilton, keeps talking about with this team took on a whole new meaning given the recent disclosure of their off-ice relationship! (Sorry. I just can't get over that whole story. Will any other professional skater's wives let their husbands do the next season of this show, after they hear about this?!?) Kristy and Lloyd looked lovely and ethereal skating to – ahem – “Endless Love.” Their overhead lift was excellent, but I just felt the overall difficulty level of this performance did not match up to what John and Jillian did in theirs. Dreamy and passionate, yes. Aggressive and all-out, no. So, unlike the judges, I give the short program to John and Jillian.

Final Thoughts:

Brian: The large advantage that Jillian showed over the rest of the field in the early weeks has been slowly shrinking with almost every episode. By now, both teams seem almost equal.

Teeuwynn: Wow! I thought FOX was hyping this show as the finale... I think that word does not mean what they think it means! [Assistant Editor’s Note: Inconceivable!] So, we've got one more week to see what Kristy and Jillian can do... and just how many more injuries the four remaining skaters can rack up. It was nice to see the other teams again. Ah! The long lost days of Kurt's dead-skunk Grease wig, Bruce's stitches, and Todd's 'fro! Next week's long program will decide which of our two remaining team's becomes the first Skating with Celebrities champion. My money and hopes are on the “Good Guys,” Jillian and John, but Kristy and Lloyd have got a relationship on and off the ice that J&J just can't touch! No matter what, I'm sure the judges will make this one a close call!

Conclusions: It looks like everything hinges on the long program! Check out the finale of Skaing with Celebrities, and keep checking in to RealityNewsOnline and FoxesOnIdol for all the latest!

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