Battle of the Blades (or BOTB for short) is a Canadian figure skating reality show and competition that airs on CBC Television. The show originally aired for four seasons between 2009 and 2013. It was revived for a fifth season in 2019.[1]It was first broadcast before a live audience at the historic Maple Leaf Gardens. With Maple Leaf Gardens under renovation however, the show was filmed at Pinewood Toronto Studios in season two. The venue moved again in season three to MasterCard Centre located in Etobicoke, Ontario.[2] For the revived fifth season in 2019, the venue was at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. The venue changed again in the sixth season to the CAA Centre, located in Brampton, Ontario.
| Battle of the Blades | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Sandra Bezic Kevin Albrecht |
| Presented by | Ron MacLean Keshia Chanté (2020-present) Kurt Browning (2009-2011) Maura Grierson (2011) |
| Judges | see below |
| Opening theme | "There Will Never Be Another Tonight" performed by Bryan Adams |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, Ontario (season 1) Pinewood Toronto Studios Toronto, Ontario (season 2) MasterCard Centre Etobicoke, Ontario (season 3-4) FirstOntario Centre Hamilton, Ontario (season 5) CAA Centre Brampton, Ontario (season 6) |
| Running time | 60-120 minutes (performance shows) 30-60 minutes (results show) (times include commercials) |
| Production company | Insight Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBC Television |
| Release | October 4, 2009 - November 17, 2013 (Season 1-4) September 19, 2019 - present (Season 5 onwards) |
Description and history
editThe series resembles the international reality show Dancing with the Stars and is similar in concept to Dancing On Ice 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, paired with female figure skaters. In Season Three, Tessa Bonhomme was cast as the first female hockey player contestant,[3] making her partner, David Pelletier 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 version, but did not decide if it would be an adaptation or a French-dubbed version.[4] The show's executive producer thinks that it may also interest other countries like Russia.[5]
On April 19, 2012, CBC announced that due to budget cuts by the Canadian federal government, 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.[6]
On April 3, 2013, CBC announced that Battle of the Blades would return in Fall 2013 after a one-year hiatus.[7]
With the loss of Hockey Night in Canada rights to Rogers Media,[8] Battle of the Blades was officially cancelled by CBC on April 10, 2014, due to federal budget cuts, declining advertising revenues and television ratings.[9] In addition, CBC subsequently announced it would no longer compete for any professional sporting rights of any kind.[10]
The CBC revived the show in 2019, in response to demand from the public.[1] The show was renewed for a sixth season for the Fall 2020 lineup.
Scoring and elimination structure
editScoring
editEach 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
editIn 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.[11]
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
editHosts and judges
edit- Host
- Correspondent
- Judge
- Competitor
| Personality | Seasons | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| Ron MacLean | ||||||
| Keshia Chanté | ||||||
| Kurt Browning | ||||||
| Scott Moir | ||||||
| Natalie Spooner | ||||||
| Elladj Baldé | ||||||
| Colby Armstrong | ||||||
| P. J. Stock | ||||||
| Jamie Salé | ||||||
| Maura Grierson | ||||||
| Jeremy Roenick | ||||||
| Sandra Bezic | ||||||
| Dick Button | ||||||
The show is hosted by Hockey Night in Canada's Ron MacLean and singer Keshia Chanté. Four-time World Figure Skating Champion Kurt Browning 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.[12]
In season one, the head judge was Emmy Award winning choreographer and figure skater Sandra Bezic, with Olympic champion Dick Button 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 as the second regular judge. Season Four featured a completely new judging panel with Browning switching from hosting to judging, Olympic figure skating gold medallist and season one champion Jamie Salé, and former NHL player and season two competitor P.J. Stock, with no rotating guest judges.[13] 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, 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 medallist Scott Moir, Olympic ice hockey gold medallist and season 5 runner-up Natalie Spooner, and Junior Canadian figure skating champion Elladj Baldé as regular judges.[14]
Competitors
edit- 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
editEach 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 and Craig Simpson, had CAD 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 and Valeri Bure. 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
edit| Season | No. of Stars | No. of weeks | Season Premiere Date | Season Finale Date | Winner | Runner-Up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – Fall 2009 | 8 | 7 | October 4, 2009 | November 16, 2009 | Craig Simpson & Jamie Salé | Claude Lemieux & Shae-Lynn Bourne | Stéphane Richer & Marie-France Dubreuil |
| 2 – Fall 2010 | 8 | 8 | September 26, 2010 | November 22, 2010 | Valeri Bure & Ekaterina Gordeeva | Patrice Brisebois & Shae-Lynn Bourne | Todd Warriner & Isabelle Brasseur |
| 3 – Fall 2011 | 8 | 8 | September 18, 2011 | November 14, 2011 | Tessa Bonhomme & David Pelletier | Bryan Berard & Marie-France Dubreuil | Boyd Devereaux & Tanith Belbin |
| 4 – Fall 2013 | 8 | 7 | September 22, 2013[15] | November 17, 2013 | Scott Thornton & Amanda Evora | Jason Strudwick & Violetta Afanasieva | Mathieu Dandenault & Marie-France Dubreuil |
| 5 – Fall 2019 | 7 | 7 | September 19, 2019 | October 31, 2019 | Sheldon Kennedy & Kaitlyn Weaver | Natalie Spooner & Andrew Poje | Bruno Gervais & Ekaterina Gordeeva |
| 6 – Fall 2020 | 8 | 6 | October 22, 2020 | November 26, 2020 | Wojtek Wolski & Meagan Duhamel | Jessica Campbell & Asher Hill | Kris Versteeg & Carlotta Edwards |
Injuries
editProfessionals
edit- In season one, Marie-France Dubreuil 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 tripped and fell with her partner, Georges Laraque 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.[16]
- In season six, Meagan Duhamel was injured while performing a twist with her partner Wojtek Wolski 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.[17]
Hockey players
edit- In season two, Georges Laraque was hit near the left eyebrow by his partner Anabelle Langlois' 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.[18]
- In season five, Bruno Gervais 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, with coach Paul Martini adjusting the choreography of both routines.[19]
Television ratings
edit| Season | Premiered | Ended | TV Season | Rank (Performance shows) | Viewers (in millions) | Rank (Results shows) | Viewers (in millions) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Preview Show Viewers (in millions) | Premiere Performance Viewers (in millions) | Date | Final Performance Viewers (in millions) | Finale Viewers (in millions) | ||||||
| 1st | October 4, 2009 | - | 1.959[20] | November 15–16, 2009 | 1.878[21] | 1.736[22] | 2009-10 | #18[23] | 1.737 | #28[24] | 1.270 |
| 2nd | September 26, 2010 | 1.511[25] | 1.662[26] | November 21–22, 2010 | 1.505[27] | 1.333[28] | 2010-11 | - | 1.534 | - | 1.113 |
| 3rd | September 18, 2011 | 1.195[29] | 1.307[30] | November 13–14, 2011 | 1.341[31] | 0.897[32] | 2011-12 | - | 1.147 | - | 0.823 |
| 4th | September 22, 2013 | 0.771[33] | 1.004[34] | November 10–17, 2013 | 1.078[35] | TBD | 2013-14 | TBA | TBA | - | - |
| 5th | September 19, 2019 | - | 0.774[36] | October 31, 2019 | - | TBA | 2019-20 | TBA | TBA | - | - |
| 6th | October 22, 2020 | - | 0.455[37] | November 26, 2020 | - | TBD | 2020-21 | TBD | TBD | - | - |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rose d'Or | Best Variety & Live Event Show | Season 1 | Nominated | [38] |
| Gemini Awards | Best Music, Variety Program or Series | Nominated | [39] | ||
| Best Direction in a Variety Program or Series | Joan Tosoni | Won | |||
| Best Photography in a Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series | Alex Nadon | Nominated | |||
| Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series (Individual or Ensemble) | Kurt Browning | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | Gemini Awards | Best Music, Variety Program or Series | Season 2 | Won | [40] |
| Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series (Individual or Ensemble) | Ron MacLean, Kurt Browning | Nominated | For Episode 2-15 | ||
| Shae-Lynn Bourne, Patrice Brisebois | Nominated | For Episode 2-09 | |||
| 2013 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Music, Variety, Sketch Comedy or Talk Program or Series | Season 3 | Nominated | [41] |
| 2015 | Canadian Screen Awards | Golden Screen Award for TV Reality Show | Season 4 | Nominated |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "CBC revives Battle of the Blades skate competition show". CBC Arts. April 16, 2019.
- ^ Battle of the Blades [@CBCbattle] (September 9, 2011). "@Sanibelsland Thanks! New venue this year--the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke. Ticket details coming soon...We're working on it, I swear" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Tessa Bonhomme First Female Hockey Player on "Battle of the Blades"". Hockey Canada. August 25, 2011. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012.
- ^ Morissette, Nathaëlle (2009-11-09). "La SRC envisage de diffuser Battle of the Blades" [The SRC plans to air Battle of the Blades]. La Presse (in French). ISSN 0317-9249. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- ^ La Presse canadienne (2009-11-12). "Battle of the Blades pourrait intéresser d'autres pays" [Battle of the Blades could interest other countries]. La Presse (in French). ISSN 0317-9249. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (2012-04-19). "Producer says CBC's 'Battle of the Blade' could leap to other network". 680 News. Retrieved 2012-04-21.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Battle of the Blades returns to CBC". CBC News. April 3, 2013.
- ^ "CBC business presentation on Rogers deal" (PDF). CBC. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 13, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
- ^ Takeuchi, Craig (2014-04-10). "CBC's Battle of the Blades cancelled". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
- ^ "CBC to cut 657 jobs, will no longer compete for professional sports rights". CBC News. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ^ Battle Bombshell CBC.ca article. Retrieved 2010-10-29
- ^ Post entitled "Hey there is a new host as well... Maura Grierson" Battle of the Blades Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 2011-08-22
- ^ Battle of the Blades [@CBCbattle] (13 September 2013). "Excited to announce our all-new judging panel! @JamieSale @KurtBrowning & @PJStockHNIC! #BATTLEISBACK #BOTB" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Meet the Judges: Scott Moir, Natalie Spooner and Elladj Baldé". CBC. 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
- ^ Battle of the Blades [@CBCbattle] (23 August 2013). "Battle fans! We are delighted to finally reveal that #BattleIsBack on Sunday, September 22, at 8pm (8.30NT)... where will you be watching?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Fall Sends Langlois to Hospital". CBC.ca. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ^ "Suspected nose fracture won't keep Meagan Duhamel from competing on 'Battle of the Blades'". CBC.ca. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
- ^ "Laraque receives stitches after close call". CBC.ca. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Kwong, Pj (October 25, 2019). "Stumbles, speed and gender-bending lifts leave three pairs standing for the finale". Battle of the Blades.
- ^ Weekly Ratings for Week Ending October 4, 2009 Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2010-10-05
- ^ Weekly Ratings for Week Ending November 15, 2009 Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2010-10-05
- ^ Weekly Ratings for Week Ending November 22, 2009 Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2010-10-05
- ^ Vlessing, Etan. "Battle of the Blades (season 1)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2012-09-03.
- ^ Bill Brioux. "Monday, April 19, 2010". Archived from the original on July 23, 2011.
- ^ Weekly Ratings for Week Ending September 26, 2010 Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2010-10-05
- ^ Weekly Ratings for Week Ending October 3, 2010 Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2010-10-10
- ^ "Top Programs – Total Canada (English) November 15 - November 21, 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 14, 2010.
- ^ Bill Brioux. "Tuesday, November 30, 2010". Archived from the original on March 2, 2012.
- ^ Bill Brioux. "Monday, September 19, 2011". Archived from the original on March 9, 2012.
- ^ The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending September 25, 2011 Archived October 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Toronto.com article Retrieved on 2011-09-23
- ^ Brioux, Bill (November 16, 2011). "Big Bang still boffo; Prime Suspect let go". Archived from the original on November 19, 2011.
- ^ Brioux, Bill (November 22, 2011). "Goodbye Reege, hello Santa as House and the AMAs make the TV top 10". Archived from the original on June 15, 2012.
- ^ BBM Weekly Ratings for week of Sept 16 – Sept 22, 2013 Archived 2013-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2013-09-28
- ^ Bill Brioux [@BillBriouxTV] (30 September 2013). "SUN o'nites #CTV #OUAT 1285k #AmRace 2377k #Castle 1689k #Mental 1751k #GLO #Simpsons 1090k #FamGuy 762k #GoodWife 567k #CBC #BBlades 1004k" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Bill Brioux [@BillBriouxTV] (12 November 2013). "SUN o'nites #CBC Heartlnd 838k #Blades 1078k DDen2 672k #CTV #OUAT 955k #Race 1947k #Castle 1516k #Mental 1383k #GLO #Simps 904k #GWife 737k" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Weekly Ratings for Week Ending October 22, 2019 Retrieved on 2020-11-15
- ^ Three million English Canadians watch final Trump-Biden debate Retrieved on 2020-11-15
- ^ Rose d'Or 2010 Nominees list Archived 2010-07-30 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-10-13
- ^ 25th Annual Gemini Awards Nominees list Archived 2011-06-13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-11-14
- ^ 2011 Gemini Awards Nominees list Archived 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2011-08-03
- ^ 1st Canadian Screen Awards Nominees list Archived 2013-01-23 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 3 September 2013
External links
edit- Official website
- Battle of the Blades at IMDb
- Battle of the Blades Oct 09 interviews with the cast from Season One.
