Dancing on Ice goes poptastic!

Love the theme choice for this week and I was looking forward to listening to some really cheesy tunes!

Opening the show was One Direction with Torvill and Dean and the professionals skating to their live music.

Halfway through the song the celebrities made their appearances with the girls sporting black, sparkly (have to love the sparkles!) dresses and the men in gold Lycra tops.

I loved the sound bites that were used to open the show and they ensured everyone was in a pop music mood! I’m sure the audience ratings have been boosted this week with all the teenage girls tuning in to watch One Direction perform.

With a second set scheduled for later in the programme, the first couple took to the ice!

Jennifer Ellison and Daniel

Vogue, vogue, vogue…! So Jennifer was given a song that would show her skating, dancing and acting abilities off!

I have to say that I thought her acting and dancing looked better than her skating this week. I think she hits beautiful, static positions during lifts and on their exits but for me her skating is a little slow and wooden and she seems to really rely on Daniel when skating across the ice.

Having said that I do enjoy watching her and hope that she can improve her skating and gain more freedom in her skating movements whilst on the rink.

Sam Nixon and Alexandra

Skating to the cheesy “Wake me up before you go-go”, Sam had the perfect opportunity to really let go and entertain the audience and I thought he did a really good job.

With his first over-the-shoulder lift being included the routine really came to life after this was successfully completed and I thought he got down in his knees and put strength into his movements. I also thought he coped well with the lift being included as during practices he fell and dropped Alexandra.

Much better from Sam this week for me!

Charlene Tilton and Matthew

Having survived to skate another week, Charlene gave herself the name of “Suzie Skate-Off” which I thought was quite funny and endearing!

She had been given a Lady Gaga track that I thought would be better suited to one of the younger girls.

It was a well-designed routine that used tricks to disguise her unfortunate lack of skating prowess. The lifts and highlights were lovely but I think the number was fast paced and didn’t suit her style and she spent a lot of it on two feet being pulled across the ice.

I thought the outfit she wore was questionable especially the blue tights. Overall I was really disappointed with the limited improvement.

Sebastien Foucan and Brianne

I love watching Sebastien as he is dynamic in his movements and full of energy. Yes he is a little rough around the edges during some of the skating but I think with practice he could be a contender.

He pushes and puts 100% energy into his skating and he lifts Brianne with ease. Skating to “Fire with fire” his jumps highlighted the lift in the music and were very energetic. The judges were very complimentary about his skating and they were compliments that were justified.

Gaining a score of 21.5 was well deserved and I look forward to seeing him again next week!

Heidi Range and Andre

Looking extremely sexy in a black catsuit with see-through panels, Heidi and Andre’s song was ‘Price tag’ by Jessie J.

I thought this was her best week so far as she seemed to really attack her skating from the start of the music.

Slowly but surely she is becoming less reliant on Andre to keep her upright and I think she needs to gain some confidence from this.

Her positions are nice on the lift exits with well turned out feet and arms presenting out to the audience.

Her scores are increasing every week, which is reflecting her improvement.

Andy Whyment and Vicky

Andy seems such a big personality with a great sense of humour and so the choice of ‘I’m gonna be (500 miles)’ by The Proclaimers was inspired!

I absolutely loved his routine this week! He played out to the audience, engaged well with Vicky and showcased his ever-improving skating skills!

A big lift was successfully executed with him flipping Vicky over his shoulder into a roll-up whilst keeping good speed and he got down into his knees to keep his basic skating smooth. He also listens to the music and places the skills to the beat, which adds to the overall package.

A well deserved 17.5 and I can’t wait to see what he does next week.

Chemmy Alcott and Sean

I thought Chemmy looked so cute in her red outfit skating to the “Locomotion” by Kylie. I think she is quite like Sebastien in the way that she really attacks her routine.

She is a speed demon and doesn’t let up throughout.

This can sometimes mean things lack finesse and are slightly out of control but it’s exciting to watch!

Her crossovers need to be fully crossed but she is also accomplishing many advanced elements. If she can work on completing each move fully then she is a force to be reckoned with!

Matthew and Nina

Last week was certainly a close call between Matthew and Jorgie with Matthew pipping Jorgie at the post to gain immunity.

Struggling with injury this week meant that he had to take two days off the ice to recuperate, adding to his nerves.

I think the lack of time on the ice detracted from his performance slightly as he wasn’t in sync with Nina 100% of the time and there were a few little mistakes littered throughout.

Having said that he managed to a very advanced sit-lift and his basic skating quality shone through.

I do feel that Matthew has much more to give and I would like to see him really push himself from now on as he is the person to beat in the competition.

Chico and Jodeyne

Chico looks like he has worked really hard this week and has taken the judges comments on board and tried to improve his performance.

Skating to ‘Don’t stop moving’ by S Club 7 I thought he did well. He seemed to be a little eager to skate, which translated into some stumbles, although he was safe during the lifts and the supporting movements.

He gave everything to the performance so it looked strong and fast and he did it all with a big smile on his face! He is getting better each week and a score of 21.5 was slightly high in my opinion but deserved for his energy!

Rosemary Conley and Mark

I really admire Rosemary for entering this competition and giving it her everything and not shying away from trying any moves!

This week made her feel a little sick with an upside down lift! Skating to ‘It’s got to be perfect’, she moved across the ice delicately and with lovely finesse.

She makes you want to watch, as her skating with Mark is lovely. The lift was successful – she even managed to look graceful upside down!

I would like to see her skate solo a little more but she is 65 years old and possibly not able to do the lifts and tricks that the younger girls are completing.

She connects well with Mark when she skates and it is elegant to watch. Slight discrepancies with the marks from the judges with Louis awarding a 4.5 and Katerina a 7.0, but hopefully we will see Rosemary again next week!

Jorgie Porter and Matt

Britney Spears takes to the ice!! Skating to ‘Baby one more time’, Jorgie really performed this well and kept a smile on her face all the way through.

I thought this routine challenged her and it wasn’t her best performance. It was packed with steps and lifts and it didn’t give her a second to breathe.

This is a good because it shows that she can achieve more so the weeks to come will be very interesting!

She is certainly challenging Matthew at the top of the leaderboard each week and the competition between the two is exciting! I think she deserved to be leading though this week as she skated well whilst executing difficult skating skills.

One Direction performed their second song of the night on what can only be described as an ice cube! I have to sum up the nights skating performances by saying that the standard has taken a big leap forward this week with everyone pushing their comfort levels and attempting more difficult elements.

I do wish they would hurry up the naming of celebrities who are safe and through to next week. It takes 10 minutes and is no longer keeping anyone on the edge of their seats as they have been using the same format for about 5 years!

I think they should reel off the names as quickly as possible and then there is a race to get off the ice!

Skate-Off

I was shocked to see Sam in the skate-off as I thought he performed well. Charlene was once again in the same position of having to skate for survival.

She skated first and I’m afraid to say it wasn’t better than her first attempt, although well done to her for coming into this competition, learning a new skill and trying her best.

Sam skated well although I preferred his first routine, as he was smoother across the ice.

No surprise really that Charlene let the competition.

I think it was her time to leave as she had reached her potential.

I have no idea what is in store for next weeks show but I will keep my eyes and ears open to see if I can find out!