I enjoy a good figure-skating special as much as the next person, but I can’t decide how I feel about ABC’s Thin Ice, which will air over two nights this March. The View‘s Elisabeth Hasselbeck and four-time world champion Kurt Browning will host the competition, which will pair up 12 of “the world’s greatest pro figure skaters” to perform two-minute routines. To add drama, skaters will come from all four disciplines — ladies, men, pairs, and dance — but no pairs or dance veteran will be coupled with his or her current partner. The only rule is they must entertain us. Judging will be split 50-50, between a panel of experts (including Kristi Yamaguchi and Dick Button) and audience votes on abc.com. Confirmed competitors so far include Japan’s Shizuka Arakawa, 2006 Olympic gold medalist, and Canada’s Shae-Lynn Bourne, 2003 World Champion.
In the plus column, you have Kurt Browning, who I adored back in the day when I you had to look up someone’s hometown in an encyclopedia if you wanted to learn about him, and a longstanding love-to-hate-him relationship with Dick Button. In the minus column, you have Hasselbeck and the sneaking suspicion that these will not in fact be “the world’s greatest pro figure skaters” (I don’t picture Michelle Kwan doing this). Which skaters need to be added to the roster for you to tune in? More importantly, who else is ready for a rematch of 1994′s inaugural Ice Wars? The U.S.A. (Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, Paul Wylie and Nancy Kerrigan) vs. the World (Oksana Baiul, Viktor Petrenko, Kurt Browning and Katarina Witt)? So wrong, but so right.
I thought I was the only one who missed Ice Wars…
I loved Ice Wars, and no doubt will be tuning in to Thin Ice, but Kurt and Kristi aren’t skating? They’re two of my favorite pros.
I kind of wish Elvis Stoyko (sp?) would compete. He was always awesome to watch.
I’m disappointed that ABC chose Hasselbeck as a co-host, but at least in this format we won’t have to listen to her political views…
Yea, why not Joy Behar?! Or Keith Olbermann!
Hahahahaha!!!!!
I am also disappointed about Hasselbeck -Gosh did they not have a better choice —- will have to mute the Tv as soon as she opens her mouth !!
Ekaterina Gordeeva. I’ve always loved watching her skate, whether it was pairs or as a single skater…
I still have the inaugural “Ice Wars” on videotape! I’m a skating fanatic, so I’m glad to see this new special. I just miss Michelle. She should be skating, as should Kurt and Brian. Even more than Ice Wars, I loved the short-lived “Improv-Ice,” where all the skaters had to pull music out of a hat and make up a routine in like, 30 minutes. That was awesome!
Vilya, did you see her performance in Korea from this summer? It’s on YouTube and it’s AMAZING. No question she’s still got it. Huge fan as well, my heart breaks that she’s not performing more often.
Improv-Ice was great! I loved when skaters would make a face because they got a style of music that they didn’t care for, and ended up coming up with a great routine and had their musical horizons expanded a bit.
I remember Nancy Kerrigan got classical music, and she was so ticked. She said she hated classical. And then she came out in this long, flowy skirt and proceeded to KILL IT. I was never her biggest fan, but I had a lot of respect for her that day. I’m pretty sure I still have all of that on videotape, too. LOL
I’m thinking Jamie Sale or Isabelle Brasseur. Both are fun to watch.
@nuthouseshannon: I like the Gordeeva idea, too.
@cookiemac: I also like the Elvis Stojko idea, too. Maybe Sasha Cohen? Would she ever do something like this?
I miss Paul Wylie.
I wondered how the USA was going to commandeer a new Canadian program..and I guess this is how.
Canada’s CBC just finished airing “Battle of the Blades” which was hosted by Kurt, judged by Dick Button (among others including Kristi) and paired champion female pairs skaters with NHL Hockey players. (Tie Domi and Claude Lemieux among them) It was a total romp and so much fun to watch the boys learn to skate and perform amazing lifts and essentially look like GIANTS. I guess I’m happy that figure skating is getting some attention again, but I think our idea was much better..
Plus. Elisabeth? Seriously.
Battle of the Blades was good because it took hockey players, who obviously knew how to skate but didn’t know how to figure skate and paired them with female figure skaters. It was sort of like Dancing With the Stars if all the stars had dance experience (instead of only about half) but no ballroom experience. Plus, you’re right, the hockey players looked enormous compared to the figure skaters.
Too bad Kristi isn’t performing…the greatest ever IMO and pretty darn hot as well.
I loved Ice Wars! I’ve had the biggest crush on Kurt Browning since I was about 10, so I try to catch something if he’s involved. I wish he was skating instead of hosting though…
Katia Gordeeva!
hate spewing homophobe Elizabeth Hasselbeck hosting a skating show??? Whose idiotic idea was that? I hope the skaters boycott the show if that bigot remains involved.
Jeff Buttle!!