The Season Four campaign came to an end for another pair of skaters in Sunday night’s “International Beats” themed episode of CBC’s BATTLE OF THE BLADES. At the top of the program, Marie-France Dubrueil & Mathieu Dandenault joined Oksana Kazakova & Vladimir Malakhov in front of Kurt Browning and fellow judges P.J. Stock and Jamie Salé, with the unpleasant possibility of being Iced. Winning the first Skate Off of Season Four kept Oksana and Vladimir alive last week, but when the verdict was delivered, they were the second pair Iced from the competition series.
Oksana, who is the 1998 Olympic Pairs Gold Medallist and her partner Vladimir, a member of the rare and coveted Triple Gold Club, with an Olympic Gold medal, World Championship and Stanley Cup to his credit, were the most decorated pair entering Season Four.
With the judges’ most difficult decision to date, the verdict to send Oksana and Vladimir home also sends their mutual charity, iOrphan Canada, a cheque for $25,000.
New for Season Four, performances and eliminations are combined into an action-packed hour of television. The two pairs who receive the fewest votes for their performance, in combination with the lowest judges’ scores, enter a “Skate Off” in the following week’s episode and their fate is in the judges’ hands. The judges have one opportunity to save a pair from being Iced, which they opted not to use in tonight’s second elimination. Voting for tonight’s performance for the remaining six pairs will remain open on www.cbc.ca/battle until Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET.
Also new for Season Four, BATTLE OF THE BLADES fans will have the opportunity to earn extra votes and participate in the show like never before, with special games and challenges for supporters to help their pairs get closer to the ultimate $100,000 prize for charity. Next Sunday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) is “Canadian Week”, with the remaining six pairs skating to the songs that earned top votes in Fan Choice Week, as chosen by fans online.
The remaining six pairs are:
Violetta Afanasieva & Jason Strudwick
Shae-Lynn Bourne & Anson Carter
Jessica Dubé & Brian Savage
Marie-France Dubreuil & Mathieu Dandenault
Amanda Evora & Scott Thornton
Sinead Kerr & Grant Marshall
BATTLE OF THE BLADES is the highest-rated original Canadian format of all time. Combining athletes from two of Canada’s favourite sports, figure skating and hockey, eight World and Olympic figure skaters pair up with eight NHL hockey greats in the ultimate skating competition for charity. Anchoring CBC’s 2013 Fall Sunday night schedule, BATTLE OF THE BLADES airs at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC.
Find the show online at:
@cbcbattle | #BattleIsBack #BOTB
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About BATTLE OF THE BLADES:
For more information about the competitors, please visit the official online portal of BATTLE OF THE BLADES, cbc.ca/battle. BATTLE OF THE BLADES is executive produced by John Brunton, Barbara Bowlby and Sandra Bezic who is also a co-creator. Supervising producer is Lindsay Cox with producers Erin Brock and Mark Lysakowski. It is produced by Insight Productions in association with CBC Television.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.
Insight Production Company Ltd, headed by John Brunton & Barbara Bowlby has become an industry leader in the creative development, financing and production of highly rated television programs and cutting edge multiplatform content for the global market in every genre. Since 1979, it has been recognized for its reputation for quality as the recipient of numerous international awards, including multiple Gemini’s. The company has created thousands of hours of groundbreaking television that continues to be broadcast over major networks worldwide. Recent hits include THE JUNO AWARDS, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, BIG BROTHER CANADA, TOP CHEF CANADA, NEVER EVER DO THIS AT HOME and original formats including CANADA SINGS. For more information visit:
For a complete list of publicity contacts and for more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the new CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre. Follow CBC’s publicity team on Twitter @CBC_Publicity
For media inquiries, please contact:
Erin Richards
entertainment publicist, CBC
416 205 7994 (office) / 416 627 5728 (mobile)
Cary Mignault
Unit Publicity Manager, Insight Productions
416-435-9295
