Unique pro competition planned with Thin Ice
Six new teams to be formed for live event
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| Kurt Browning has signed on to host the upcoming Thin Ice series on ABC. (Courtesy of CBC/Battle of the Blades) |
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"We've invented a new format for them," said executive producer Terry O'Neil of O'Neil Entertainment on a teleconference on Monday afternoon that was long on enthusiasm.
"The drama comes just to see how these top skaters can handle that," said artistic director Lea Ann Miller. "You might have a singles skater with a pairs skater or a dancer with a singles skater or two singles skaters together. There are going to be a lot of surprises, lots of quality skating, and it's going to be fascinating."
O'Neil said there are very few rules other than the mandate that no current pair or ice dance team can perform together. The six ladies get to pick their partners, as they want the women to feel as comfortable and confident as possible. In true reality show form, the skaters grant the producers 24/7 access to their rehearsals and other interactions in preparation for the show.
Each team will perform two two-minute programs, one for the show on Friday, March 19, and one for Sunday, March 21. The one-hour shows are scheduled to air on ABC as a time-buy (the producers purchase the two hours of airtime from the network).
There will be a panel of three judges, with Dick Button and Kristi Yamaguchi announced. The viewing audience should also be able vote on ABC.com, accounting for 50 percent. O'Neil said they hope to distribute Thin Ice to as many as 90 countries, and they'll try to find a format for the online voting that will allow votes from anywhere in the world. The only stated judging criteria is "entertain us."
"There will be moments of great skating. There will be moments of surprise where we see skaters doing things they haven't done before," said Kurt Browning, who has been announced as the show's host.
"To be honest with you, I don't think we know what's going to happen because these guys are all imaginative," said Button. "This is where serendipity comes in. They will come up with things that we haven't seen before."
The skaters are not necessarily expected to perform pairs or ice dance routines, so a program could consist of alternating solos.
Although O'Neil and Miller both said they've received positive feedback from skaters, the only two confirmed participants are Shae-Lynn Bourne and reigning Olympic ladies gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa.
"I'm all up for skating in shows that have a different twist and trying new things," said Bourne, who recently finished second with former NHL star Claude Lemieux in the CBC competition Battle of the Blades.
O'Neil said they will be announcing additional skaters next week, but will save some spots until March 1, after the close of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, in the hopes that some eligible skaters want to go professional after the Games.
Miller said, "We don't want this put together in two days," and insisted the 17 days from the end of the Olympics until the first dress rehearsal will allow the newly formed couples ample time to prepare something. Teams formed sooner can start rehearsing whenever they'd like.
There are no designated choreographers. Rather, said O'Neil, "Each couple has a budget in their contract for travel, training and choreography." Miller said she would assist the teams in finding choreographers if they so desire. "I'm encouraging a lot of variety," she said.
The ice will be approximately 85x140, in the Premier Ballroom of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. In order to hone the routines before the live shows, there will also be five dress rehearsals, which will be open to the public and tickets sold.
Given the incredible success of CBC's Battle of the Blades in Canada (already renewed for a second season), which combined female pro skaters with former hockey stars, the bar has been set high for reality skating competitions. Time will tell if Thin Ice will find similarly solid footing.