Sunday:
This week each couple performed two skates. The first performance is a new one, and the second one is one that the couple has previously done and was their "favorite". Another difference is that this week the judges are simply providing commentary and are not giving any scores. The Final Three will be placed based solely on viewer votes. This week the guest judge is Don Cherry, and somewhat surprisingly, he was on his best behavior. Because there are no scores to put in any order tonight, I'll just write about them in order that they appeared.
David and Tessa were first to take the ice, their first performance was to "Dance with Somebody" by These kids were Crowns. One thing I noticed is that her fluidity has vastly improved from a mere eight weeks ago. They did a few intricate moves, including the Detrioter spin and Tessa doing a handstand on David's arm. That's one strong man! Their second performance was from Week 4 to "Long Time Running" by The Tragically Hip.
The second performers were Marie-France and Bryan. Their first performance was in memory of both Wade and Daron Richardson, Luke Richardson's 14 year old daughter, who both passed away due to suicides. This skate was to "Wish You Were Here" by Avril Lavigne. Their second skate was also from Week 4 and was also to Avril Lavigne, but this time was to "Sk8r Boi". Their first skate was touching, and there were tears in the audience as they gave him a standing ovation.
Last up were Tanith and Boyd, their first skate was to Jully Black's "Seven Day Fool", their second one was to Week 2's "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri. Boyd has such fluidity that you forget that he is not the professional skater, he is fantastic.
Monday:
Monday brought a number of video montages. Once of them, was a focus on Wade Belak, and how his death affected the rest of the players and skaters. All the players discuss that hockey is a team sport, they are a close group, and all of them were impacted, they also talk about Russ, who stepped in for Wade after he died.
The group number highlighted Russ, and they skated in a tight, light circle is memory of Wade. The players talked about "enhancing someone else's life" by raising money for charities, it's the reason they all chose to be part of this. For hockey players, it's all about "Paying it Forward".
Next up was a video montage of the players, and figure skaters, discuss their chosen charities and their reason for chosing that charity. The thing that sets Battle of the Blades apart from other "celebrity shows" is that the players do not earn an income for being on the show, instead the money is given to charities. In total, over 1 million dollars was awarded and donated to various charities because of the show. All the teams received a minimum of $25,000, third place won $30,000, second place won $35,000 and first place won $100,000. And the final counts were in:
Third Place, Tanith and Boyd
Second Place- Marie-France and Bryan
First Place- Tessa and David.