''Battle of the Blades'' (or ''BOTB'' for short) is a Canadian
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...
reality show and competition that airs on
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
. The show originally aired for four seasons between 2009 and 2013. It was revived for a fifth season in 2019.
It was first broadcast before a live audience at the historic
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...
. With Maple Leaf Gardens under renovation however, the show was filmed at
Pinewood Toronto Studios
Pinewood Toronto Studios (formerly known as ''Filmport'') is a major film and television studio complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is the largest of its kind in Canada. It is the first in Toronto capable of accommodating the production of ...
in season two. The venue moved again in season three to
MasterCard Centre
The Ford Performance Centre, formerly Mastercard Centre For Hockey Excellence, is a hockey facility located in the Etobicoke district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has four ice pads and is the official practice facility of the Toronto Maple Lea ...
located in
Etobicoke
Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. For the revived fifth season in 2019, the venue was at the
FirstOntario Centre
FirstOntario Centre (originally Copps Coliseum) is a sports and entertainment arena at the corner of Bay Street North and York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1985, it has a capacity of up to 19,000.
History
Hamilton was lef ...
in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
. The venue changed again in the sixth season to the
CAA Centre
The CAA Centre (formerly the Brampton Centre for Sports & Entertainment and the Powerade Centre) is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. It was built in 1998, and officially opened the same year on October 7. Its main a ...
, located in
Brampton, Ontario
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it th ...
.
Description and history
The series resembles the international reality show ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'' and is similar in concept to ''
Dancing On Ice
''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...
'' from the UK. The biggest difference, and the show's main "hook", is that Battle of the Blades brings two very different styles of skaters together: hockey players are paired with prominent figure skaters to perform figure skating routines. During the first two seasons, contestants were strictly male hockey players from the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
, paired with female figure skaters. In Season Three,
Tessa Bonhomme
Tessa Bonhomme (born July 23, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and is a television sports reporter for The Sports Network (TSN). She was an Olympic gold medallist as a member of the Canadian national women's hockey team ...
was cast as the first female hockey player contestant, making her partner,
David Pelletier
David Jacques Pelletier (born November 22, 1974) is a Canadian pairs figure skater. With his former wife Jamie Salé, he was the co-gold medal winner at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. They shared the gold medal with the Russian pair Elena Ber ...
the show's first male professional figure skating competitor.
In 2010, the French-language CBC's counterpart,
Télévision de Radio-Canada, was planning to air a
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
version, but did not decide if it would be an adaptation or a French-dubbed version. The show's executive producer thinks that it may also interest other countries like Russia.
On April 19, 2012, CBC announced that due to budget cuts by the
Canadian federal government
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in-C ...
, ''Battle of the Blades'' had been put on "hiatus" and would not appear on the 2012 fall schedule, stating that the network could not afford the high production costs of the show. Although not technically cancelled by CBC, executive producer John Brunton mentioned that the show may search for other network alternatives to produce future seasons.
On April 3, 2013, CBC announced that ''Battle of the Blades'' would return in Fall 2013 after a one-year hiatus.
With the loss of ''
Hockey Night in Canada
CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...
'' rights to
Rogers Media
Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, ...
,
''Battle of the Blades'' was officially cancelled by CBC on April 10, 2014, due to federal budget cuts, declining advertising revenues and television ratings.
In addition, CBC subsequently announced it will no longer compete for any professional sporting rights of any kind.
The CBC revived the show in 2019, in response to demand from the public.
The show was renewed for a sixth season for the Fall 2020 lineup.
Scoring and elimination structure
Scoring
Each judge can award a score of up to 6.0, as in official figure skating competitions. The highest score a team can achieve in a performance is 18.0.
Elimination
In the first season, the team were scored on their Sunday night performance, but only as a reference guide for the viewers to vote on. The bottom two teams were ranked based solely on the lowest number of viewer votes. Viewers can either text, call or log onto the show's official website to cast their votes. On Monday, the bottom two teams are revealed and they skate their Sunday night program once more in the Skate-Off and are then scored by the judges. The team with the lower judges score from their Monday night performance is then eliminated.
The rules of elimination were slightly altered in the second season. The scores from the teams' Sunday night performance are now added to the viewers' voting to determine the bottom two couples. Also, instead of scoring the bottom two teams on their Skate-Off performance, the judges are now just asked to vote on the team of their choice. The team with the fewer number of judges' votes is then eliminated.
Midway during the second season, it was announced that Week Five would be a "Second Chance" competition for the couples eliminated thus far in the season. The team with the highest combined total of viewer's vote and judges score would be reinstated as of Week Six, re-joining the top four team in the competition.
Season three introduced the Judge's Save, which is a one-time use per season tool that needed the consensus of all judges that would reinstate a team that was eliminated that same episode back into the competition.
The Monday night results show was cancelled in season four, and therefore elimination takes place at the end of each Sunday night performance show from Week 2 onwards. The judges score and viewer votes from the previous week determine the bottom two teams on the current week's show. The bottom two teams skate-off at the end of the episode, performing their new routines. The judges would then score their performances and the team with the lower judges score is then eliminated. Also, viewer voting starting this season is solely done on the show's official website. Each unregistered visitor gets one vote. Registered visitors can earn additional votes by completing their profile and other activities and challenges on the website.
Cast
Hosts and judges
: Host
: Correspondent
: Judge
: Competitor
The show is hosted by ''
Hockey Night in Canada
CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...
''
's
Ron MacLean and singer
Keshia Chanté
Keshia Chanté Harper (born June 16, 1988) is a Canadian singer, television host, actress, songwriter and philanthropist. As a teenager, Chanté gained recognition with the release of her singles "Unpredictable", "Bad Boy" and "Does He Love Me" " ...
. Four-time World Figure Skating Champion
Kurt Browning
Kurt Browning, (born June 18, 1966) is a Canadian figure skater, choreographer and commentator. He is the first skater to land a ratified quadruple jump in competition. He is a four-time World Champion and Canadian national champion.
Career ...
is an "Elite Battle Expert" correspondent, providing colour commentary. Browning had previously hosted from seasons 1 to 3, and was a judge in seasons 4 to 5.
Virgin Radio 999 DJ Maura Grierson was added in season three as the "Battle Correspondent", providing viewers with a look backstage, but did not return in subsequent seasons of the show.
In season one, the head judge was
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
winning choreographer and figure skater
Sandra Bezic
Sandra Marie Bezic (born April 6, 1956) is a Canadian pair skater, figure skating choreographer, and television commentator. With her brother Val Bezic, she won the Canadian Figure Skating Championships from 1970 to 1974 and placed ninth at the ...
, with
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
champion
Dick Button
Richard Totten Button (born July 18, 1929) is an American former figure skater and skating analyst. He is a two-time Olympic champion (1948, 1952) and five-time consecutive World champion (1948–1952). He is also the only non-European man to ha ...
being the other regular judge. There was also one rotating guest judge each week from the world of hockey or figure skating. Season Two saw the departure of Button and the addition of retired NHL player
Jeremy Roenick
Jeremy Shaffer Roenick
( ; born January 17, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 8th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Chica ...
as the second regular judge. Season Four featured a completely new judging panel with Browning switching from hosting to judging, Olympic figure skating gold medalist and season one champion
Jamie Salé
Jamie Rae Salé (born April 21, 1977) is a Canadian former competitive pair skater, and a current motivational speaker and conspiracy theorist. With her former husband David Pelletier, she is the 2002 Olympic Champion and 2001 World Champion. ...
, and former NHL player and season two competitor
P.J. Stock
Philip Joseph Stock (born May 26, 1975) is a Canadians, Canadian Sports commentator, sports broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player. After retiring as a player in 2004, he hosted a radio show on Montreal station CKGM (AM), Team 99 ...
, with no rotating guest judges. Season five saw the departure of Salé, bringing back the rotating guest judges. In the second week of competition, Stock swapped to become a contestant, filling in for an injured
Colby Armstrong
Colby Joseph Armstrong (born November 23, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in a 9-y ...
, and Armstrong took over as a regular judge in place of Stock. Season six saw another complete overhaul of the judging panel with Olympic ice dancing gold madelist
Scott Moir
Scott Patrick Moir OLY ( ; born September 2, 1987) is a Canadian retired ice dancer and coach. With ice dance partner Tessa Virtue, he is the 2010 and 2018 Olympic champion, the 2014 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (2010, ...
, Olympic ice hockey gold medalist and season 5 runner-up
Natalie Spooner
Natalie Marie Spooner (born October 17, 1990) is a Canadian ice hockey player for the now defunct Toronto Furies, who played for the Canadian National women's ice hockey team from 2007 to 2008, and rejoined the program in 2010.
Spooner was the ...
, and Junior Canadian figure skating champion
Elladj Baldé
Elladj Baldé (born November 9, 1990) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. He won the 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy, an ISU Challenger Series event. He is the 2008 Canadian Junior champion.
Personal life
Elladj Baldé was born November 9, ...
as regular judges.
Competitors
: Winner
: Runner-up
: Third place
: Eliminated First
;Notes
*a
^ Navarro's original partner for season three was Belak. However, Belak died before the start of the season and Courtnall was brought in as the replacement partner for Navarro.
*b
^ Afanasieva's original partner for season five was Armstrong, who suffered an injury before the season began. Stock - Afanasieva's partner in season two - took his place from Week 2 onwards, while Armstrong served as a permanent judge throughout the season.
Charity
Each couple represent one or two charities of their choice. Depending on their placement in the competition, an increasing amount of money is then donated to their charity. The winners of season one,
Jamie Salé
Jamie Rae Salé (born April 21, 1977) is a Canadian former competitive pair skater, and a current motivational speaker and conspiracy theorist. With her former husband David Pelletier, she is the 2002 Olympic Champion and 2001 World Champion. ...
and
Craig Simpson
Craig Andrew Simpson (born February 15, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres. He is currently a broadc ...
, had
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
100,000 donated to Spinal Cord Research. In season two, all competitors were guaranteed $25,000 donated to the charity of their choice and $100,000 for the winners
Ekaterina Gordeeva
Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva (russian: Екатерина Александровна Гордеева; born 28 May 1971) is a Russian figure skater. Together with her husband, the late Sergei Grinkov, she was the 1988 and 1994 Olymp ...
and
Valeri Bure
Valeri Vladimirovich "Val" Bure (; rus, Валерий Владимирович Буре, p=vɐˈlʲerʲɪj bʊˈrɛ; born June 13, 1974) is a Russian-American former ice hockey right winger. He played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League ( ...
. In season three, the winners' charity will receive $100,000, second place will receive $35,000, third place will receive $30,000, and the other five charities will receive $25,000.
Season summaries
Injuries
Professionals
*In season one,
Marie-France Dubreuil
Marie-France Dubreuil (born August 11, 1974) is a Canadian ice dancing coach and former competitor. With her husband Patrice Lauzon, she is a two-time (2006–2007) World Figure Skating Championships, World silver medallist.
Personal life
Mari ...
suffered two injuries. Before the season opener, she was accidentally dropped by her partner
Stéphane Richer while performing a lift during rehearsals and landed headfirst onto the ice. On the morning of the Week Six result show, she suffered from severe back pain and was unable to perform in the Skate-Off that night. She fully recovered from both injuries and was fit to perform the rest of the season.
*In season two,
Anabelle Langlois
Anabelle Langlois (born July 21, 1981) is a Canadian pair skater. She is the 2008 Canadian Figure Skating Championships with Cody Hay and the 2002 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships silver medallist with Patrice Archetto.
Career
Lan ...
tripped and fell with her partner,
Georges Laraque
Georges Edy Laraque (; born December 7, 1976) is a Canadian sports commentator, politician, and former ice hockey player. Laraque retired from hockey in 2010 after the Montreal Canadiens bought out his contract. He is a commentator for TVA Sport ...
while practising an on-ice twist during rehearsals on October 27, 2010. Langlois, who was more than six feet in the air when she fell, complained of severe pain in her knees. She was rushed to the hospital for X-rays and required three stitches. She still performed on October 31 for her Week Five performance.
*In season six,
Meagan Duhamel
Meagan Duhamel (born December 8, 1985) is a Canadian pair skater. With partner Eric Radford, she is a two-time world champion (2015, 2016), a 2018 Olympic gold medallist in the team event, a 2014 Olympic silver medallist in the team event, a 20 ...
was injured while performing a twist with her partner
Wojtek Wolski
Wojciech "Wojtek" Wolski (; born February 24, 1986) is a Polish-Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers, Florid ...
during practice for their week 3 routine. As she landed from the maneuver, Duhamel collided with Wolski and hit her nose on his shoulder, resulting in a suspected fracture of the nose. She was cleared to skate in week 3 of the competition.
Hockey players
*In season two,
Georges Laraque
Georges Edy Laraque (; born December 7, 1976) is a Canadian sports commentator, politician, and former ice hockey player. Laraque retired from hockey in 2010 after the Montreal Canadiens bought out his contract. He is a commentator for TVA Sport ...
was hit near the left eyebrow by his partner
Anabelle Langlois
Anabelle Langlois (born July 21, 1981) is a Canadian pair skater. She is the 2008 Canadian Figure Skating Championships with Cody Hay and the 2002 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships silver medallist with Patrice Archetto.
Career
Lan ...
' skate when they both fell while performing a lift during rehearsals one day before the season premiere. Laraque required twelve stitches but was fit to perform the next night.
*In season five,
Bruno Gervais
Bruno Gervais (born October 3, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played with the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
As a yout ...
suffered a torn right bicep when performing a choreographic slide in practice. Despite a lack of practice throughout the week, he went onto perform Week 6 with partner
Ekaterina Gordeeva
Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva (russian: Екатерина Александровна Гордеева; born 28 May 1971) is a Russian figure skater. Together with her husband, the late Sergei Grinkov, she was the 1988 and 1994 Olymp ...
, with coach
Paul Martini
Paul Lloyd Martini (born November 2, 1960 in Weston, Ontario) is a Canadian former pair skater. With partner Barbara Underhill, he is the 1979–1983 Canadian national champion, the 1984 World champion
A world championship is generally an int ...
adjusting the choreography of both routines.
Television ratings
Awards and nominations
See also
*''
Dancing On Ice
''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...
''
*''
Skating with Celebrities''
*''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
''
*''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
''
*''
Skating With The Stars
''Skating with the Stars'' is an American reality competition series that aired on ABC from November 22 to December 21, 2010. A spin-off of '' Dancing with the Stars'' hosted by British television personality Vernon Kay, it featured celebrities ...
''
References
External links
Official website*
Battle of the BladesOct 09 interviews with the cast from Season One.
{{Battle of the Blades
Figure skating on television
2009 Canadian television series debuts
2013 Canadian television series endings
2010s Canadian reality television series
2000s Canadian reality television series
2020s Canadian reality television series
Television series by Insight Productions