At the top of Sunday night’s “Suit & Tie” themed episode of CBC’s BATTLE OF THE BLADES, the first two pairs at the bottom were revealed by Ron MacLean. Marcy Hinzmann & Mike Krushelnyski, along with Oksana Kazakova & Vladimir Malakhov, entered the first “Skate Off” of Season Four. At the conclusion of the show, head judge Kurt Browning and fellow judges Jamie Salé and P.J. Stock delivered the news that Marcy & Mike would become the first team “Iced” from the competition series.
Marcy, returning from season three of BATTLE OF THE BLADES, is a two-time U.S. Pairs Medalist and Olympian, while Mike had a storied NHL career with three Stanley Cups as a player with the Edmonton Oilers and one as assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings.
With only a brief commercial break to deliberate, the judges’ difficult decision to send Marcy & Mike home as the first Iced pair does have a silver lining, as their mutual charity, NHL Alumni Hockey’s Greatest Family, will receive 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 first elimination. Voting for tonight’s performance for the remaining seven pairs will remain open on www.cbc.ca/battle until Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
Also new for Season Four, fans will have the opportunity to earn extra votes and participate in the show like never before, including selecting the music for Week Four performances by voting online during Fan Choice Week. Canadians have until 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 7 to vote at www.cbc.ca/battle for the song they want each pair to skate to in Week 4.
Next week on BATTLE OF THE BLADES, airing Sunday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT), the remaining seven pairs skate to the theme “International Beat” with the hope of collecting $100,000 for their charity.
The remaining seven pairs are:
Violetta Afanasieva & Jason Strudwick
Shae-Lynn Bourne & Anson Carter
Jessica Dubé & Brian Savage
Marie-France Dubreuil & Mathieu Dandenault
Amanda Evora & Scott Thornton
Oksana Kazakova & Vladimir Malakhov
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
