The first week of Dancing On Ice has now officially been and gone, with six of the 12 celebrities taking part in the series this year taking to the ice to try and impress the panel of judges. This year, the judging panel includes veteran Jason Gardiner alongside new additions Ashley Banjo, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, with the latter two moving from their coaching role in the past to a permanent seat on the panel. Despite the small change, they seem as helpful as ever, constructive in their criticism and encouraging of the star-studded cast.
Jake Quickenden found his way to the top of the leaderboard / Credit: ITV
So, who took to the ice this week, and where did they end up? We break down all of the six routines we saw tonight, and look ahead to next week, where we’ll see the remaining six celebrities compete, and the second part of the skate off come together with this week’s lowest scorer…
Antony Cotton and Brandee Malto
Known to the nation as Sean from Coronation Street, viewers didn’t know what to expect from Antony Cotton when he took to the ice to take on a routine, whilst ‘Club Tropicana’ rang out in the background. It was an interesting piece of choreography for sure, that allowed him to show off how much he had been working on his skill. He’s not the best skater in the competition, but definitely knows how to put on a show. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem quite as willing or open to criticism as some of the other contestants, and that could be his downfall in the coming weeks. Antony took scores of 3, 4, 4.5 and 4 from the judges, giving him a grand total of 15.5 out of 40.
Candice Brown and Matt Evers
Shooting to fame following her win of The Great British Bake Off, Candice Brown looked a little nervous at points during her routine with DOI favourite Matt Evers, but managed to overcome all of it to put on a great show. Unfortunately, the panel of judges thought she was the least impressive of the night, giving her a total of just 13 out of 40, landing her at the bottom of the leaderboard. It was something the viewers agreed with, as Candice found herself named as the celebrity who would have to fight for her place in the competition next weekend in the dreaded skate-off. Exactly who she’ll be going up against however remains to be seen.
Jake Quickenden and Vanessa Bauer
Jake Quickenden first became known to reality TV lovers when he competed in the live finals of The X Factor, before moving on to I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and coming second to his now-fiancée’s father, Foggy! He’s somebody the viewers love and when it comes to Dancing on Ice, that could be for good reason! The singer finished at the top of the leaderboard when all was said and done, impressing with his routine to Olly Murs’ track ‘Wrapped Up’ and taking in scores of 4, 5, 6 and 5.5, for a grand total of 20.5. We think Jake could be around for some time and can’t wait to see what routines his professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer will be coming up with in the weeks to come!
Perri Shakes-Drayton and Hamish Gaman
Coming from the world of professional sports and competing on some of the grandest stages of them all, Perri Shakes-Drayton said she hoped to “surprise” viewers with her grace when she took to the ice. In gorgeous outfits and skating alongside new professional to the show, Hamish Gaman, she did exactly that, proving she could tackle anything that was thrown at her at this stage as she performed to Beyoncé hit ‘Running’. The judges agreed and gave her a total of 20 out of 40 for her efforts, leaving her just half a point behind the heads of the pack in the final leaderboard.
Stephanie Waring and Sylvain Longchambon
Known for taking no prisoners in Hollyoaks, Stephanie Waring isn’t the most graceful of celebrities on the ice this year, but she feels she has something to prove after falling over during a rehearsal for her routine just earlier today (Sunday January 7). Fortunately for her, she managed to stay on her feet throughout the entire live show and impressed some of the judges so much that she was kept from the bottom of the leaderboard. Taking a total of 14.5 out of 40, she seemed super happy with what she had done, and we can’t wait to see her confidence grow as the weeks go by! Let’s hope she survives long enough to allow that to happen!
Kem Cetinay and Alex Murphy
Perhaps the biggest shock of the night came from Love Island champion Kem Cetinay, who has spent the past few weeks on social media telling his fans and followers just how terrible he is when he has to put on his ice skating blades! With viewers expecting disaster, Kem actually put on the joint-best performance of the night according to the judging panel, taking a brilliant 20.5 out of 40 score home and sailing on through to the next week of the competition. We can’t wait to see where this journey takes him, as he has all the makings of a Dancing on Ice great!
-
Next week, we’ll see Brooke Vincent, Lemar, Donna Air, Alex Beresford, Cheryl Baker and Max Evans all competing to stay in the competition, but one of the six will of course be joining Candice Brown in the skate-off. Whoever that might be remains to be seen, but if their joint performance this week is anything to go by, Candice has a lot of work to do to ensure she sticks around!
Of course, the final decision rests with the judges and the voting public, who have been known to throw a spanner in the works at times in the past! It’s going to be a very interesting 10 weeks, that’s for sure…
Dancing On Ice continues Sundays at 6pm on ITV.
Tagged in Dancing on Ice