Dancing on Ice Finale - Cole's Final Verdict

Having kept a running commentary on the early weeks of this series of Dancing on Ice, I've fallen behind in recent weeks but wanted to conclude with one final post to cover tonight's final.

As I blogged about in those earlier stages, it was no surprise to me that Sam and Laura reached the final. They have been the two outstanding competitors so far and were joined in the final by Chloe Madeley who has also showed a great ability as ther series has progressed.

The Final 3
Sam's opening performance tonight was sensational and he well deserved the first 10 scores of the series. Laura and Chloe gave good but not spectacular initial performances which for me gave Sam the upper hand.

Then came their favourite routines re-visted. Alyson and I were delighted that Sam chose his Riverdance performance and again, he gave another great routine. Laura then upped the ante and did what we've been waiting for all series - a perfect score of 10, 10 ,10. Chloe then gave an excellent straight 9.5's performance to keep herself in the hunt.

But for me, the two that deserved to be in the final to dance the Bolero were Sam and Laura. I was pleased that the viewing public felt the same way.

The Bolero
Sam gave an excellent rendition of Torvill and Dean's famous Bolero whilst Laura's version I felt lacked a bit passion in comparison.

So on the basis of their final performance tonight but also on their performances throughout the series, I felt that the 2011 series winner deserved to be Sam.

I'm delighted that that proved to be the case!

A Deserved Champion
For me, my favourite performance of the series was the Riverdance epic mentioned above. So to close my Dancing on Ice 2011 commentary, here is Sam's performance of that routine in its original guise back in week 7.

Well done Sam! A deserved winner!

Dancing on Ice (The Final 7) - Judge Cole's Verdict

Last week saw me miss the show and my blogging commentary was brief. Well tonight, I'm back!

Kerry Katona was voted out last week and all that can be said about that is that she did well to last this long in the competition.

Tonight we saw the final 7 contestants perform rhythms from around the world. It was a greatly enjoyable, internationalist feel to the evening.

The Final 7 - Riverdance on Ice!
The first rhythm from around the world was from the USA as Laura Hamilton danced on ice to the Charleston. She opened the night with a fun and really good charleston performance. She continues to remain one of the series favourites.

Next up was Jeff Brazier who again had to fight back from finishing in the skate-off the previous week. This time he was dancing the Waltz from Austria. He gave a much better performance with some good, solid lifts. The result was his highest score to date which puts him back into the mix at the top of the leaderboard. If he can keep his consistency, he could get to the final but there's no certainty of that yet.

Next up was Denise Welch with a Briazilian Samba. She gave a typically sassy performance although I felt it wasn't quite as quick a routine as the carnival music sound required. Her scores marked a slip back from her highest score from last week and she could be in trouble this week.

Next up was Vanilla Ice dancing to a Spanish Flamenco vibe. It was quite mesmeric. He gave a great performance and really got into the 'matador' character. Another excellent run of scores shows that his consistency is improving and that makes him a real dark horse to win this competition.

Next up was Sam Attwater with the Irish Riverdance. This demanded a really quick routine and he delivered! I love the Riverdance music and he gave a fantastic performance of it. It was an entrancing sight! It delivered him the first 9 scores of the series and he got them across the board for a series best overall score of 27 out of 30! After slipping back last week he was back with a bang this week! Bravo!

Our penultimate skater of the night was Chloe Madely with a Middle Eastern rhythm. It was a stylish routine and the final lift was great - it worried me as I thought she'd topple over but full credit for the result. She got her best result of the series to date and if she can continue in this vein she may well surprise me and stick around until the final.

Last but potentially least was Johnson Beharry with a Tango. He gave a rather expressionless performance I felt but actually, it was a decent overall routine. But it was lacking a certain something - class.

The Skate-Off
So, we had series best performances tonight by Jeff, Sam and Chloe. They should all be fine this week. Vanilla Ice and Laura also gave high quality performances and should be safe.

Denise however, did slip back this week I felt. It'd be nice to see her survive as I'm a fan but I think her time in the competition is now drawing to a respectable close. Johnson meanwhile showed more steady progress but surely his time must be running out?

The top 5 are a class apart from Denise and Johnson and these latter two should be in the skate-off.

Time will tell however and I'll update this post after the results...

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UNBELIEVABLE

Well that it is a crazy shock. Admittedly as I mentioned above, Vanilla Ice and Laura hadn't turned in series best performances tonight but they were still a class apart from Denise and Johnson.

These were both potential series winners and now, Vanilla has gone. Of the two, I expected the judges to save Laura and in the round, I think that's a fair judgement.

But still, it's a big shock to lose Vanilla Ice. He was improving and as I said earlier in this blog piece above I had him down as a dark horse to go on and win the competition. I've been a fan of his from early on in the series and his personality will be sorely missed.

I'm off to put my head into a sink of cold water to get over the shock of it.

Dancing on Ice (The Final 8) - Judge Cole's Verdict

Last week saw the departure of Comedy Dave Vitty and unlike the previous week, it was no great surprise in the competition's grand scheme of things.

This week saw the final 8 attempt 3 different skills - a real challenge for them all.

Unfortunately however, I missed it all! I've been away at a family gathering and only got back in to see Vanilla Ice's conclusion to the evening's programme (and it did look like a stonkingly good performance to his own Ice Ice Baby it must be said!).

So I could only comment on the brief highlights that I saw at the top of the results show and from what the judges said.

Again, Laura Hamilton and Sam Attwater lead the way althogh it's interesting to note that for the first time in the series, Sam has slipped off the top spot. Vanilla Ice's performance picked up from where he left off last week as he continues to demonstrate a real potential to go much further in this competition. Chloe Madeley has again become stuck in the lower-upper order and is not making the progress that she should be making.

Denise Welch gave a good performance whilst Jeff Brazier slipped back having made great strides forwards over the past fortnight. Johnson Beharry succeeded in carrying off a lift whilst Kerry Katona continued to go nowhere with her performance - the skills really showing her up badly.

The Skate-Off

Seeing Kerry in the bottom two was no surprise but once more, Jeff fell backwards to join her in the skate-off.

Jeff made a better stab of his second attempt whilst Kerry nearly fell apart and off her partner's shoulders in what would clearly be her final appearance.

As it turned out of course, the judges had their clear cut opportunity to vote Kerry off and save Jeff. They did so of course and they were right to do so.

Dancing on Ice (The Final 9) - Judge Cole's Verdict

Last week saw a real shock with Jennifer Metcalfe's departure from the competition. Tonight was therefore always going to be a fascinating programme as a result to see how the remaining 9 coped with the unpredictable nature of the people's vote that that result had served as a reminder.

Tonight we saw the final 9 contestants perform and the theme was the 'West End' with the skills steps sequence continuing this week to notch up the pressure on those remaining. The required skill this week being a 'jump'.

But first of all before we start, as I've done over previous weeks, we start with a vintage performance by Torvill & Dean. This time it's their Paso Doble from the 1984 European Championships.

This is what I'm talking about...



The Final 9 - Ice Ice Baby! Vanilla Strikes Back!
So, we're now down to the final 9 contestants for the competition proper and it's getting ever more competitive. Tonight in particular has seen some real competition changing performances. The 'West End' theme again worked well and just as I loved the music last week, I did again this. How could a mix of the likes of Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, the fantastic Flash Bang Wallop, Les Miserables, Spamalot and Grease not work?!

Vanilla Ice is back on form

We began with last week's big mover Jeff Brazier who gave another excellent, confident performance. He did well with the additional skill and his lifts again were excellent. His scores are showing constant improvement and he's continuing to demonstrate a growing mental toughness. Next up was a personal favourite of mine, Denise Welch, who gave a good performance but one I felt that wasn't quite up to the standard that she set last week. She dealt with the 'jumps' quite reasonably. Next was series pace-setter Sam Attwater. Despite the pressure of being expected to lead the way, this really was a stunning, series best performance to date for me. He performed it so well and it was a really entertaining performance in all. It helped that it was to the tune of 'Flash Bang Wallop' which I can recall performing too in a YFC talent competition years ago and which holds happy memories for me. Fourth up was Kerry Katona who has really struggled over recent weeks. Well this was her best performance for some time and full credit to her - she even did some solo skating! Certainly an improvement.

Chloe Madeley was up next and her Les Mis performance was another solid affair but I don't feel that she's made much progress on last week. She's got more potential but if she doesn't demonstrate it on the ice then it's wasted. Johnson was next and his performance was a strugle for me - nothing for me to get excited about. The judges judged him well but I didn't see the comedy and character that we were told afterwards was on show. Another favourite of mine, Vanilla Ice, had a shock last week when we ended-up in the skate-off. This week he was back on form! His jumps were the best of the night and his final jump over his partner really was something! Comedy Dave Vitty, also struggled last week and whilst his performance this week was an improvement, it didn't do much for me. It's still all rather basic. Last up then was Laura Hamilton and she's been a front-runner all series but tonight she stepped up another level with another fun, entertaining performance. Her back flip was sensational and her scores put her deservedly level with Sam.

So Sam and Laura continue to prove to be the pace-setters with Jeff continuing to makes great strides forward and is my dark horse in the competition. After last week's slip-ups, Vanilla Ice bounced back in style but Chloe I felt has stagnated somewhat.

They are the clear top 5 whilst Johnson, Denise, Dave and Kerry continue to be a show apart. I felt Kerry made decent progress this week (albeit from a low base) whilst Denise, Dave and Johnson showed limited improvement.

The Skate-Off
After last week's shocks, nothing can be taken for granted. I have a feeling Kerry, despite scoring the least with the judges, will survive the skate-off again. Dave will probably do so also. Denise I think is particularly vulnerable but my hunch is that Johnson and Chloe will be in the skate-off. The latter is a big shout admittedly but time will tell...

I'll update this post after the results...

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Well, maybe not then! As it turned out, for once the public went the same way as the judges. The bottom two on the day were the two to perform in the skate-off. Whilst Kerry has struggled over the past few weeks I did feel that she made a better job of it today and Dave's problem is that he has always looked so wooden.

But in the final analysis, I felt that the majority decision (the first of the series?) was the right one. I can see why Robin supported Dave for his skating ability but taking the performance in the whole, Jason and Emma were right to save Kerry. Admittedly it's a stay of execution for her but she deserves on tonight's performance, at least one more week in the competition.

Dancing on Ice (The Final 10) - Judge Cole Gets Serious

Now, back to some normality with my Dancing on Ice commentary after my 7 day lapse last week.

Tonight we saw the final 10 contestants perform and the theme was 'Vegas' with the skills steps sequence added this week to notch up the pressure on those remaining.

But first of all before we start, as I've done over previous weeks, we start with a vintage performance by Torvill and Dean. This time it's the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. As I've already mentioned in my initial 'Dancing on Ice' blog post, I can actually vividly remember watching this performance and jumping for joy at the display. Yet, they only won Bronze and I still feel that 10 years after their Sarajevo triumph in 1984, they were robbed of a stunning comeback Gold medal.

So here, as I remember it from 1994, it's 'Let's Face the Music'.

This is what I'm talking about...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51j3-pWEskc

The Final 10 - Brazier Makes His Move
So, we're now down to the final 10 contestants for the competition proper and it's getting ever more competitive. Tonight in particular has seen some real competition changing performances. The Vegas theme worked well and I loved the music. Well, how could a mix of Cher, Tom Jones, Meat Loaf, Shirley Bassey, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand and Billy Joel not work?!

We began with Jennifer Metcalfe who opened the evening with another solid performance with good skill sequence steps. But she was tentative as her need to learn every routine quickly took its toll. The concern is that her scores are not increasing - there's no big progress being made. Next up was Jeff Brazier and after his stuttering fall into the bottom two last week, he turned it around tonight with a confident, positive performance which has suddenly propelled him for the first time into the competition running. Laura Hamilton continued with her excellent progress as well with another great performance. She even had a minor slip so she shows that there's room to progress further. Denise Welch was a joy. Not technically the best of course but again, she has shown a good deal of forward movement with her confidence and that came across in the routine. She also I felt, dealt with the required skills sequence admirably. Next up was Dave Vitty and he is struggling. He is not making the personal progress that his colleagues are achieving and he's in trouble.

Vanilla Ice gave a typically hyperactive performance but he made a few slips and his boundless energy does need reining in somewhat. After a really powerful opening few weeks, I worry that he isn't moving forward and by definition is therefore falling back. Johnson Beharry gave another solid but unspectacular performance and again, this isn't good enough. Sam Attwater on the other hand continued to show why he is the early favourite with a straight 8.5s routine. Then, poor Kerry Katona demonstrated far too clearly as has been evident in recent weeks that she lacks any confidence in skating solo. The required element this week showed her up badly and her tentative, nervous performance has continued a personal theme. Finally, Chloe Madeley gave an energetic finale to the evening and showed that she is one to watch this year.

Sam and Laura are the pace-setters at present with Chloe not far behind. Jeff has made a great leap forward this week and suddenly must be treated as a serious contender. I fear for Jennifer and Vanilla Ice - they have the talent but they need to perform on the ice.

On basic talent, these 6 are a stride ahead of the bottom four. Of this latter group, Denise has shown the most promise this evening with Kerry, Dave and Johnson imperilled.

The Skate-Off
My hunch was that Kerry and Johnson would find themselves in the bottom two.

I'll update this post after the results...

WELL - WHAT A SHOCK!

I didn't see that coming! Yet, looking at my comments above from earlier this evening, my concerns for Vanilla Ice and Jennifer Metcalfe took on a whole new meaning as they both fell into the bottom two. They did so for the reasons that I gave - they were not improving week on week and were giving viewers no new reasons to vote for them. But still, what a surprise!

Even after the skate-off in which both improved on their earlier performances, I expected the judges to save Jennifer. I must admit that I was pleased to see them save Vanilla Ice.

So, we're down to 9 but next week, everyone will be on edge. This has been a shock and proves that no-one is safe if they let their performance levels drop.

NB. A Parting Shot to the Cameramen
An additional word of sheer frustration. Alyson and I have found ourselves increasingly yelling at the TV screen (particularly tonight) at the sheer lunacy of some of the camera angles. Sweeping shots from afar looks all lovely and professional but it takes away from the action on the ice. How can we keep a close eye on each contestant's every move if they are mere specks in the distance on our screens? Not good enough ITV - sort it out.

Dancing on Ice (The Final 11) - Judge Cole's Verdict

Continuing with my Dancing on Ice commentary, here is my belated response to last week's second round of the competition proper.

The Final 11
We're now down to the final 11 contestants for the competition proper and last week saw the first ever 'Ice Pick' where the celebrities picked the contestant to be voted off the show.

Johnson Beharry gave another solid but in my book, unspectacular routine. Chloe Madeley, Laura Hamilton and Jennifer Metcalfe all continued to give very promising performances. Chloe's, with the 'neck breaker', looked horrifying but fair play she pulled it off well. Laura's 'wrist breaker' finale meanwhile wasn't quite pulled off to perfection but it was a good effort.

Vanilla Ice got a real battering in practise and whilst his accident was clearly weighing on his mind, he still managed a very good and admirable performance in the circumstances. Denise Welch have a much better account for herself than the previous week whilst Jeff Brazier did likewise but saw his effort slip away as he landed the first significant fall of the competition to date. Dominic Cork continued to give a tentative and nervous performance whilst Dave Vitty kept the comedy at the heart of his routine to cover what was a more basic lack of ice dance moves. Sam Attwater again gave a show-stopping performance and he's well capable of scoring maximum marks later in the series. Kerry Katona meanwhile is going backwards. After what had been an initially promising opening performance, she's failed to maintain a sense of progress and her inability to skate for any decent period of time on her own is really working against her.

The Skate-Off
On the performances on the night, for me the bottom two were going to be contested by a combination of Denise, Dominic, Kerry or Dave.

But in the end, once again, Comedy Dave's fan base saved him. Denise deservedly survived to dance another week and to her great fortune, so did Kerry. Dominic Cork unsurprsingly fell into the bottom two for a second consecuive week and was joined by an unfortunate Jeff Brazier whose fall clearly worked against what had been a much better routine overall.

In the skate-off, Jeff eradicated his mistake and turned in a polished performace whilst poor Dominic continued to look unsteady and unsure on his feet. In the final analysis, Dominic was the one to go and in the 'Ice Pick' his colleagues did indeed do what was probably right in saving Jeff.

Tonight now see's us down to the final 10 and Kerry, Dave, Denise and I would add Johnson need to watch out - they all have much work to do.

Dancing on Ice (The Final 12) - Judge Cole & Rees' Verdict

Continuing with my Dancing on Ice commentary, tonight saw the first round of the competition proper.

Tonight, this is a joint Judging effort by myself and my Alyson.

But first of all, as I've done over previous weeks, we start with a vintage performance by Torvill and Dean. This time it's the 1982 World Skating Championships in Copenhagen and another of my favourite routines of theirs - 'Mack and Mable'.

This is what I'm talking about...




The 2011 In-Take
We're now down to the final 12 contestants for the competition proper. The judge's marks now count for half so it's beginning to get serious.

First up was Vanilla Ice. Admittedly Alyson and I were late in tuning in and missed his performance but from seeing the replay later in the programme, he looked solid and made good lifts as he did in his qualifier. Next up was Chloe Madeley who we just got back from supper to watch. As with her qualifier, it was a smooth and quick routine and certainly makes her one to watch in future weeks. Next up was Denise Welch who came in on her own which was a good start but it all fell away from there with what seemed to be stuttering performance. Dominic Cork gave a nervous performance having given a promising debut last week. Laura Hamilton was very good and gave an accomplished account of herself. Our Ashley (Steve Arnold) bless him was slow and compared to his colleagues, performed a very basic routine. Jeff Brazier's timing was poor and was ungraceful with his moves - particularly with his arms but had a good verbal joust with Judge Jason. Dave Vitty has a big fanbase and is going to need it because on the basis of tonight's performance was slow and pretty basic in comparison to his non-Ashley colleagues. Jennifer Metcalfe also came in solo and gave a fast, fun, great performance and made up for her slipped lift last week. Sam Attwater was by a wide margin the best of the night. He had power, grace and speed and performed his big lift with ease. Johnson Beharry isn't Alyson's favourite but he made a solid if unspectacular addition to tonight's show. Finally, Kerry Katona looked nervy and didn't expand on her qualifying potential.

The Skate-Off
On the performances on the night, we felt that the bottom two should be our Ashely (Steve Arnold) and Dave Vitty.

But in the end, his fan base saved Comedy Dave. Dominic Cork was going to be in trouble after his performance so finding him in the bottom two with our Ashley wasn't a huge shock. In the final amalysis,  Steve Arnold was always going to be voted off tonight having fallen into the bottom two.

Goodbye Ashley. It was fun, but your time is up.

So next week, we're down to the final 11...

Dancing on Ice (Qualifier 2) - Judge Cole's Verdict

Continuing with my Dancing on Ice commentary, tonight saw qualifier number two.
But first of all, as I did last week, we start with a vintage performance by Torvill and Dean. This time it's the 1982 British Skating Championships and one of my favourite routines of theirs - Barnum.

This is what I'm talking about...



The 2011 In-Take
This year has seen the 16 contestants split into 2 qualifying programmes of 8 each with only 6 from each qualifying for the competition proper. This week was the second qualifying programme.

Former Neighbours soap star Craig McLachlan gave us a showman's opening but his moves were relatively basic - not surprising considering he'd not had that much 'on ice' practise time. Hollyoaks bad girl Jennifer Metcalfe gave a smooth performance which showed plenty of potential but she failed to get into her lift properly. Radio 1's Comedy Dave Vitty gave what I felt was an unspectacular performance but having said that was more confident than Jennifer in at least being able to skate solo. Elen Rives (who I'm told is a model and mother of Frank Lampard's children which therefore clearly makes her a celebrity - please note the sarcasm) gave a decent enough, solid performance but again was unable to skate on her own. Former Test cricket bowler Dominic Cork gave a cheeky chappy performance full of character and with some good moves - certainly one with potential. Then there was Chloe Madeley (again, apparently a model with famous parents in this case). Fair play though, up until this point she gave the performance of the night with some excellent lifts. I must also add that the sight of Judy and Richard in the audience screaming for their daughter was entertaining stuff! It was good to see this famous couple act in the same way as any proud parents would! Eastenders' Sam Attwater topped Chloe's performance with the best routine of the series so far. His lifts and all round performance must make him the early favourite to win in my book. Finally, former Coronation Street star and current Loose Woman Densie Welch gave a gutsy performance which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Skate-Off
On the performances on the night, Craig, Elen and Dave I felt were probably skating on thin ice the most. But it was Jennifer's mistake that saw her fall into the bottom 3 and Dave survived. Chloe and Sam were definitely worthy of going through and I was very pleased to see Dominic do likewise. But most of all, after the disappoinment last week of seeing Angela Rippon go home early, I was delighted to see Denise go through.

But in the end, as with last week, the final result was no surprise. Of the bottom 3, Jennifer deserved to stay in the competition - particularly after completing her lift successfully the second time round. Elen won't be missed though Craig and his child-like sense of humour will be. But there we are, the viewers have made their decision!

So next week, the programme proper begins. We're down to the final 12.

Let the competition commence...

Dancing on Ice (Qualifier 1) - Judge Cole's Verdict

I've never been much of a Strictly Come Dancing fan. Though I'm a Bruce Forsyth fan, the programme has never really grabbed me.

But Dancing on Ice on the other hand has usually had me hooked to my TV screen each year. Why? Well, I can't ice skate - my flat feet probably have put paid to that! But I've always been a big Torvill & Dean fan. What they did in Sarajevo in the '84 Winter Olympics with their perfect 6's was mesmerising. Incredibly, after a 10 year absence, they returned and won European and British Figure Skating Gold in '94 and were robbed of Gold at the Lillehammer Winter Olmpics of that year when they only won Bronze - I should know, I remember screaming at the screens as a child at the injustice of it all!

This is what I'm talking about...



So watching 'celebrities' trying to emulate these heroes on the ice is just too good a TV idea to turn away from.

The 2011 In-Take
This year has seen the 16 contestants split into 2 qualifying programmes of 8 each with only 6 from each qualifying for the competition proper.

Coronation Street's Ashley Peacock (aka Steve Arnold) who was killed off in the great tram crash last month started proceedings and was very hesitant on his feet. Angela Rippon gave an elegant performace before Nickelodeon presenter Laura Hamilton wowed us with a very positive opening even if she was almost too energetic with her efforts. Victoria Cross hero Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry gave a solid display which is more than could be said for actress Nadia Sawalha who barely moved for much of her performace and certainly was unable to skate solo away from her professional partner. Former Atomic Kitten Kerry Katona, fighting against her personal demons I felt gave a very dignified debut and TV presenter Jeff Brazier gave a promising first performace even if he did have to use his hand to help him back onto his feet on one occasion. Popstar Vanilla Ice closed the first evening with a very, very good, strong performance which must auger well for the competition proper.

The Skate-Off
On the performances on the night, it should have been our Ashley and Nadia to go home. Vanilla Ice in my opinion was the best of the night and deserved to go through with Laura also doing very well.

But personally, I wanted our Ashley to go through simply because I like him (and I'm a Corrie fan) and I like an underdog. I also wanted Angela to go through to strike a positive blow for the more mature members of our society.

There were no surprises apart from the shock of Laura (who top scored with the judes) finishing in the bottom 3 and therefore in the skate-off. Incredibly, our Ashley made it through! I'm delighted for him but what it meant was that the skate-off really was a formality. Laura had to go through and whilst Nadia will be no loss to the competition, Angela certainly will be.

But, it's us the great British viewers that made the decision, so we have no right to complain if we don't like the result!

Next week, it's qualifier 2...