After several weeks of eliminations, four castaway-couples are going to get a shot at returning to the “Battle of the Blades” competition.
The four pairs who will return on Sunday for a Halloween-themed performance are Christine “Tuffy” Hough-Sweeney and Russ Courtnall, Anabelle Langlois and Georges Laraque, Violetta Afanasieva and P.J. Stock, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Patrice Brisebois.
Meanwhile, the frontrunners include Isabelle Brasseur and Todd Warriner, Katia Gordeeva and Valeri Bure, Kyoko Ina and Kelly Chase, Jamie Salé and Theo Fleury. Pair Ina and Chase were still leading the pack on the latest episode, with guest judge Scott Hamilton saying, “The chips came down and that was twice as good as last night for you guys. You closed the show, you needed to rise up to the occasion and you hit the throw and you won me over. It was amazing.”
“Battle of the Blades,” which teams up professional female ice skaters with male NHL partners, premiered last year on CBC Television, and its popularity soared. It has been compared to the format of the reality show “Dancing With The Stars” in the U.S. and the UK’s “Dancing On Ice.” The hosts are “Hockey Night in Canada's” beloved Ron MacLean and four-time World Figure Skating Champion (and hometown hero) Kurt Browning, and the judges include seasoned hockey players, choreographers and former figure skaters. The winning couple is awarded $100,000 to donate to a charity of their choice.
The four top couples will not skate on Sunday’s episode of “Battle of the Blades” while the bottom four couples will take advantage of their second chance to continue in the competition.
