Dancing On Ice

This weekend will see all twelve remaining Dancing On Ice celebrities go head to head to keep their slot on the show in the hope of being crowned this year’s ice Queen or King!

Leading the way with Paddy Power is EastEnders actor Sam Attwater – the soap dish has taken to the ice like a duck to water and looks the one to beat at 4/6. TV presenter Laura Hamilton is the bookies 4/1 second favourite but it’s former kitten Kerry Katona who is attracting most of the punters attention.

The mum of four is amongst the favourites at 9/1 to skate her way to victory after dropping three dress sizes and wowing the audience with her incredible figure and heartfelt performances.

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “Kerry was nervous about how the public would react to her appearing on the show but the public love a genuine person and an underdog. Kerry’s willingness to turn her life around has made her very popular with the public once more and she now has a real chance of going the distance!” (more…)

Paddy Power are tipping top Irish WAG Claudine Keane to be crowned the ultimate ice queen.

The blonde model has reportedly signed up to take part in next year’s Dancing On Ice and is already commanding odds of 8/1 to skate her way to victory.

Other well known names in the mix to take to the ice include Hollyoaks babe and Megan Fox look-a-like Jennifer Metcalfe at 6/1, Kerry Katona at 10/1 and actress Denise Welch at 12/1. Strictly Come Dancing pro’ Matthew Cutler is the 4/1 favourite to win outright.

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “Claudine is very private and for that reason sometimes comes across as quite frosty, but taking part in Dancing On Ice will prove once and for all that she’s more queen of the ice, than ice queen!”

Separately, Paddy Power have also chalked up some odds on who will step into judge Nicky Slater’s shoes after the former skater confirmed he was axed from the show. Former Dancing On Ice star Hayley Tamaddon is the 7/2 favourite to take Nicky’s spot followed by British ice-skating champ John Kerr at 6/1. Neither of the other four judge’s places have been confirmed yet for 2011.

Dancing On Ice kicks off on ITV1 next January. (more…)

They say there’s no such thing as a dead cert but Paddy Power are begging to differ in the case of this year’s Dancing On Ice.

They’ve made the bold decision to pay out on Emmerdale babe Hayley Tamaddon being crowned Queen of the ice a full two days before the final show on Sunday. That’s a tidy €20,000 payday to those who put their money on the actress at various odds from 5/1 to 1/8 to skate her way to victory!

It’s hardly surprising though that Paddy Power have paid out on Hayley. Right from the word go, she impressed the judges with her slick performances in the ring and quickly became the one to beat on the Sunday night show. Her Bollywood-inspired routine in week nine even scored her a perfect 30 points and at odds of 1/8 it’s now looking increasingly unlikely that her fellow finalists Gary Lucy and Kieron Richardson will catch her.

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power warned: “Hayley is such a red-hot favourite that betting on the show has actually died down! We can’t see anyone beating Hayley – she really is the ice-queen so we’re happy to give the punters their money early in time for the weekend!”

(more…)

The semi-final of Dancing On Ice 2010 started in predictable style as we were subjected to video clips of the four remaining contestants starring into the camera lens and spewing-out cliché-ridden dross like; “making the final means everything to me”, “nobody wants to go out at this stage”, “I can’t believe I’ve made it this far”, etc. It was a cheap trick but set pulses racing for another dramatic show.

Having surprisingly topped the leaderboard last week, Danniella’s lack of natural skating talent was cruelly exposed by the requirement to skate alone for the first 20 seconds of Sunday’s routine. She was a credit to the show and put in some great performances but, ultimately, was fourth best on the night and deserved to go.

After a minor blip last week, Hayley Tamaddon resumed her dominance of the competition with a score of 27.5pts. She wasn’t quite at her sparkling best but in next week’s final, her Performing Arts training is likely to see her excel at the “flying” element and then she will doubtlessly opt to perform her Bollywood routine (that earned her 6s across the board a couple of weeks ago) again. Therefore, it can safely be assumed Hayley will top the scores again in the final and it’s no surprise to see her installed as 1/5 favourite. However, she still has to cross the hurdle that is the public vote.

After a string of fairly ordinary early displays, I had given up all hope of my recommended investment on Kieron Richardson paying off but, amazingly, he finds himself in the final. In addition, he appears to have some real momentum behind him now.

I’m the first to admit I have poked fun at his camp melodrama for weeks but I can’t fault his bravery on the ice and this week’s routine was packed with skating content, lifts, spins and even a “death spiral” (not nearly as dangerous as it sounds). Although only awarded 23pts, it seems the voting public felt he deserved much more and, surprisingly, he escaped a skate off. It remains to be seen if he can steal victory from Hayley’s grasp but I certainly fancy him to secure second place at Gary Lucy’s expense.

It was the same old story with Gary Lucy. As ever, he was technically competent but frustratingly restrained in his performance. There was no need for judge, Jason Gardiner to be quite so vitriolic in his outburst about how dull and boring Gary’s routine was. Nevertheless, he had a point and the public evidently agreed as Gary was forced into a skate off for the first time since Week Two. Unless he can produce something better, he’ll finish third.

Enjoy the final.

They say there’s no such thing as a dead cert but in this case it certainly looks like there is. Emmerdale babe Hayley Tamaddon is the 1/8 red-hot favourite with Paddy Power to be crowned the ultimate ice queen when the final of Dancing On Ice takes place this weekend.

Right from the word go, Hayley impressed the judges with her slick performances in the ring and quickly became the one to beat on the Sunday night show. Her Bollywood-inspired routine in week nine even scored her a perfect 30 points.

Fellow finalists Footballers Wives favourite Gary Lucy and Hollyoaks bad boy Kieron Richardson can only play catch-up in the betting with Paddy Power quoting the pair at odds of 8/1.

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power warned: “It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Hayley. She suffered a set-back last week when it looked like she might have to sit the semis out due to a rib injury but she has soldiered on – when it comes to Dancing On Ice, she’s in a league of her own and she deserves to win!” (more…)

I had hoped the producers of Dancing On Ice 2010 would, this year, swerve the pointless gimmick that is “Props Night” but, like a bad penny, it came back in Week Ten. According to Christopher Dean; “The props are a bit of an unknown quantity”. From what I could see they were, as always, everyday, inanimate objects. Consequently, I have no idea what he was talking about. Meanwhile, having dressed as Buttons from a Cinderella pantomime last week, spiteful judge, Jason Gardiner, for reasons known only by him, had a turquoise tassel hanging from his neck. Perhaps he thought it would deflect attention from his hideous silver jacket.

Danny Young is another who deserves a visit from the Fashion Police after wearing a waistcoat tasteless enough to make John Virgo blush. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop him posting by far his biggest score of the series (25.5pts).

Even though the public vote deserted Danny, he seemed certain to give camp Kieron Richardson his mincing orders in the skate off. However, just as all seemed done and dusted, the Coronation Street star stumbled clumsily and it cost him dearly. Phillip Schofield always reminds us; “the skate-off is judged solely on the performance you are about to give” so the judges (somewhat reluctantly) were forced to allow Kieron to fight another day. The exception was blubbing Karen Barber, who blatantly ignored the rules and tried to save Danny anyway. The result was harsh on Danny, who had finally started to make an impact in the competition but celebrity ice dancing TV shows can be a cruel game.

The biggest surprise of the night was Danniella Westbrook dislodging Hayley Tamaddon from the top of the leaderboard for the first time. In last week’s blog, I predicted Danniella might do better this week but her personal best score of 27.5pts was well beyond what I was expecting. The Eastender has, through the course of this blog, gone from “outsider”, “dark horse”, “genuine contender” back to “outsider” and is now back to “dark horse”. It’s almost as if I was making it up as I went along! Anyway, Danniella’s prop was an office chair and her secretary routine (complete with costume and glasses) was no doubt good to watch but the elaborate lifts and flamboyant chair spinning probably helped disguise a lack of skating content. She’s now firmly back in the running to make the final but I’ll be surprised if she can finish ahead of Hayley with a more orthodox routine.

After last week’s glory, Hayley was probably a shade disappointed with 26.5pts but, in truth, she did little wrong. Her problem was that her routine was simply too bland to be lifted into “6” territory. The pack has closed a bit but she’ll still be hard to beat and remains a skinny price to win.

After failing to improve again, Gary Lucy found himself at the foot of the leaderboard and was backed at odds-on in-running to be eliminated. Luckily, for him, the public vote came to his aid and he was safe. He’s still capable of better but is leaving it late.

Kieron Richardson continues to make steady progress and, although a shade lucky to survive this week, is no certainty to be next to go. It’s highly likely he will have to skate off again but, presumably, he’ll be against Danniella or Gary and he has enough talent to give either a run for their money. It’s too close to call so I’ll decline to advise a bet this week.

Week Nine of ITV’s C-list celebrity ice dancing pantomime fell on Oscars night so was tackily renamed “Dancing On Ice Goes to the Movies”. Hayley Tamaddon was awarded the first “perfect” 30 of the series while chubby Boyzone singer, Mikey Graham was eliminated after a thrilling skate-off with Danniella Westbrook.

Mikey has been moderate for a few weeks now and, having bailed him out after a shocker last week, the public evidently couldn’t be bothered to do so again. He handled himself with good grace/humour but his time had come.

Although the (supposedly spontaneous) standing ovation from the judges and startled amazement on Phillip Schofield’s face were a bit excessive, Hayley’s Bollywood routine was brilliantly choreographed and superbly executed. Having been the front-runner throughout, she has now eased clear of the field and it will be a travesty is she doesn’t win. With the lack of any credible opposition (either in terms of skating ability or popularity with the voting public), it’s hard to imagine any other outcome.

Behind Hayley, the other four remaining runners are beginning to bunch. All are decent skaters when at their best but have had to survive at least one skate-off. Consequently, it’s hard to predict which two will join Hayley in the final.

Danny Young reached the dizzy heights of second on this week’s leaderboard with his interpretation of the film, Rocky. By going topless for his routine, he subjected us to a ridiculous amount of mock flirting/blushing by Holly Willoughby, Emma Bunton and, unnervingly, Jason Gardiner but the skating content was solid. Slowly but surely, he’s improving.

There can’t be many men alive who look no more camp than normal when donning a bright pick plastic coat but Kieron Richardson is one of them. I’ve never watched Hollyoaks but, apparently, Kieron plays a “bad boy”. Could that be the worst piece of casting ever? Although his Pink Panther routine was cheesy, for once, he managed to produce a mistake-free performance and was rewarded with his highest score to date (21pts). If he builds on that, he could make the final but, if the errors creep back in, he’ll quickly be back in trouble.

This week, it was Gary Lucy’s turn to be given the unjustly derisory score (3pts) by Jason Gardiner. I’m no psychologist but the Australian’s insistence on doing this at least once a week leads me to conclude he was bullied at school. Gary still fails fully to commit in his performances and this week’s Pulp Fiction-themed routine didn’t play to his strengths. However, he has plenty of skating ability and, despite slumping to fourth position this week, could easily bounce back to second next week.

Having been in a skate off two weeks running, it seems unlikely Danniella Westbrook will make the final. Nevertheless, Sharron Davies recently reminded us not to underestimate public sympathy under such circumstances. Danniella’s a short price to go this week but expect words like “spirit”, “plucky”, “character” and “determination” to be bandied about like confetti and , if she gets back to the form that saw her awarded 24pts a few weeks ago, she can avoid the chop. Despite being wrong about him last week, I’m again plumping for Kieron to go.

Emotions ran high in Week Eight of Dancing On Ice 2010 as Danniella Westbrook won the skate-off to send Emily Atack out of the competition. When giving her verdict, judge Karen Barber managed only to snivel the first three syllables of “Danniella” before the drama became too much for her to bear. Meanwhile, Robin Cousins returned from his jaunt to The Winter Olympics and reintroduced some much needed sanity to The Ice Panel.

Hayley Tamaddon continues to set the pace and her score of 26pts was enough to keep her well clear of the chasing pack. She’s yet to hit the highs of former Dancing On Ice stars like Ray Quinn and Chris Fountain but still deserves to win. However, considering she could only match her score from the previous week, her obviously false look of surprised amazement and mouthing of “oh my God” while this week’s scores were read out were totally unnecessary.  If she repeats such nonsense, there is a danger the public will start to see through her.

Gary Lucy again impressed with his technique but his novelty, Winter Olympics-themed choreography was thoroughly cringe-worthy.  Judge, Nicky Slater described it as “super fun” but was clearly lying. Jason Gardiner was closer to the mark when observing; “sport isn’t artistic”.  Nevertheless, Gary’s 22.5pts were enough for second place on the leaderboard and there is the prospect of a better score when he reverts to a more conventional routine.

Having recommended an outright bet on Danniella Westbrook last week, it was galling to see her slip into a skate-off for the first time. Her routine was solid and would have earned her more than 22pts but for Jason Gardiner giving one of his trademark attention-seeking low scores (3.5pts). Apparently, he was “looking at it from a performance point of view”. Presumably, he thought the other judges (three of which were Olympic-standard ice dancers) were basing their marks on something else. Anyway, it has become clear Danniella doesn’t have the public behind her and, consequently, her chances are now greatly diminished.

Having been locked on 17pts for the last five weeks, Danny Young burst through that barrier to record an impressive 22pts. He had often hinted he was capable of better than he had shown but this was the first time he delivered. He’s probably left it too late to mount a winning challenge but it will take a good skate-off performance to knock him out.

Emma Bunton reckons Kieron Richarsdon has made “such amazing progress” but, given she awarded him 3.5pts in Week One and 4.0pts in Week Four, I need her to explain that in more detail. At times, he looks slick and impressive but is unable to sustain it for an entire routine and always seems to make at least a couple of errors. Now that we’re getting down to the “nitty-gritty”, if he doesn’t get it spot on this week, he’ll be in trouble. In truth, I hope he goes soon because I’m now sick of his mincing melodrama. This week he harped-on about how a cut lip had caused him “absolute hell”.  Perhaps the people of Chile should initiate a disaster fund for him.

The surprise of the night was Mikey Graham’s terrible routine that left him propping up the leaderboard. He apparently suffered a fall during his dressed rehearsal and it was clear this knocked his confidence. Holly Willoughby displayed tremendous insight when commenting; “It’s Week Eight and that was your lowest score. I imagine that wasn’t the progress you were hoping for”. She also pointed-out that bears shit in the woods. The good news for Mikey is that the public vote bailed him out. I still don’t think he is a good enough skater to win the competition but I expect him to bounce back strongly next week and for weedy Kieron to get the boot.

The guest judge for Week Seven of Dancing on Ice 2010 was national treasure, Angela Rippon. Sadly, we didn’t get a glimpse of those shapely legs but her patronising loveliness clearly struck a chord with the studio audience and she was an excellent addition to the Ice Panal. Meanwhile, having skated on thin ice (not literally) for several weeks, Sharron Davies finally perished in a skate-off against coquette Emily Atack.

It’s only a matter of time before Hayley Tamaddon gains perfect 6s but she was made to wait as a stumble knocked her score down to 5.5pts with most of the judges although,  predictably, Jason Gardiner seized the opportunity to award stand-out low score (4.5pts). His illogical and totally unfair reasoning was; “I rate you highly, therefore I mark you more harshly”. The smiley soap-star very graciously accepted that nonsense and remains a worthy odds-on favourite.

While there’s no doubting Hayley is the only genuine class act in this year’s competition, Danniella Westbrook continues to improve and could end up giving her most to do in the final. Her Week Seven score of 24pts was another personal best. It’s highly unlikely she can match Hayley’s skating ability but she retains tremendous enthusiasm and seems very popular.

The morons who pay through the nose to vote on this type of show have been known to switch allegiance from the long-time front-runner to the plucky underdog at the last minute (Will Young v Gareth Gates being a prime example) and it could easily happen again. Judge, Karen Barber is still describing Danniella as a “dark horse” but needs to move with the times. I upgraded her to “genuine contender” about three weeks ago! She’s worth backing at the odds available (about 6-1).

Gary Lucy has always impressed with his technical ability and is gradually learning to express himself more gracefully. His score of 22.5pts was well deserved but I was totally baffled by judge, Emma Bunton’s comment; “You told a story tonight and I get it.” Eh? This is not the first time the former Spice Girl has been allowed to spout total guff and get away with it. Next week, Holly Willoughby should have the balls to press her with something like; “I’m sorry Emma.; none of that made any sense; for the sake of the viewing public please can you justify your fee by saying something with meaning?” She won’t, though.

Kieron Richardson was awarded a respectable 19.5pts for the second week running but, considering he is hideously camp (even by ice dancing standards), his attempt at “punking on ice” (complete with Mohican hairdo) was laughably lame. His backing track was Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) by The Buzzcocks and we were treated to a VT of him being played the song for the first time. The inane grin that took over his stupid face filled me with rage. “I’ve never heard it before in my life. Who are The Buzzcocks?” he effeminately pleaded. It’s an all-time classic, you ignorant peasant!

Having broken through the 20-point barrier early in the competition, Mikey Graham continues to underachieve and finished only fifth on the leaderboard again. I am staggered he is still second favourite. He’s very likeable but that isn’t enough. In the past, this competition has always been won by either the best or the second best skater. The Boyzone star has plenty of work to do, in my opinion.

This week’s elimination looks a straight fight between Emily Atack and Danny Young. Considering she was given a measly 10.5pts for a routine a month ago, Emily has made remarkable progress to earn 17.5pts last week and there was little doubt she would be too good for Sharron Davies in the skate-off. She nosed ahead of Danny who, incredibly, scored 17pts for the fifth week running.

However, the man from Weatherfield was vindictively punished by judge Nicky Slater for failing to “skate out” (whatever that means).  Nicky’s point was probably valid but his score of 2.5pts was a massive over-reaction. I’m in no doubt Danny is the better skater and I quite confidently expect him to send Emily to her doom on Sunday.

Show Six of Dancing On Ice 2010 fell on Valentine’s Day and the producers predictably seized the opportunity to indulge us with a night of cheesy romance. However, there were broken hearts for fans of Hilary Jones as the amiable but talentless doctor was eliminated from the competition.

He was good fun while he lasted but judge, Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton – making her first meaningful comment of the series – summed up the mood by stating; “this competition can’t really start while you’re still here”.

Robin Cousins is in Canada reporting on the Winter Olympics so was replaced by guest judge, Michael “Love Changes Everything” Ball. Judging by his expanding waistline, it’s also apparent that lard changes everything. Meanwhile, Holly Willoughby delighted male viewers with another splendid display of cleavage.

Hayley Tamaddon tightened her grip on the competition with a sublime routine to Endless Love. Had this performance come later is the series, there may well have been some 6s on her scorecard but her total of 26pts still puts her well clear of the field. As is customary on these occasions, judge, Karen Barber was reduced to tears. I’ve got no issue with her passion for  Ice Dancing but her alarming propensity to uncontrollable blubbing worries me. Who knows what state she was in when Bambi’s mother died?

Gary Lucy finally built on the promise he showed in the early weeks and posted an impressive 21pts. This may have been even higher but for moody attention seeker Jason Gardner petulantly awarding him only 3pts. Granting Lucy just 0.5 more than he did lame duck, Hilary Jones proved there is no logic to his scoring. It’s clear the Australian has his own warped agenda.

In third was Danniella Westbrook, who scored 20pts for another pleasing routine. Regular readers (if there are any) will know I flagged her up as a “dark horse” a couple of weeks ago and my ears pricked when Karen Barber used that same phrase on Sunday. Either it’s a case of “great minds…” or this blog has its first celebrity fan!

Like Gary Lucy, Kieron Richardson also showed some overdue improvement, with a score of 19.5pts. He’s technically quite competent but it’s still doubtful he has enough in his locker to become a potent threat. I have given up hope my bet on him (placed at 10/1 after Week 1) will be landed. Danny Young was stuck on 17pts for the fourth week running and, having been forced into a skate-off for a second time, is now among the outsiders.

Mikey Graham put last week’s disappointment behind him but his performance (worth 18.5pts) was hardly spectacular. Considering he has finished halfway down the leaderboard two weeks running, it seems odd he is still second favourite to win.

Sharron Davies and Emily Atack were both towards the foot of the table again and it’s likely one of them will be next to go. Sharron is the better skater but Emily has avoided the skate-off so far and clearly gets her share of the public vote. It’s a tough one to call so I’ll sit on the fence the week.