'Dancing on Ice' 2011 - Week One Recap and Results

It's that time of year again when an array of celebrities take a break from their day jobs and take on a brand new challenge in "Dancing On Ice". "Dancing On Ice" is the celebrity reality television show in which Olympic gold medallists Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean teach well known stars how to ice dance. This year, there are sixteen contestants putting their lives in the hands of professional skaters. In this week's show, the first eight celebrities took to the ice to show what they have learned. However, only six of the eight made it through to the full competition which begins on January 23^rd. Let's take a look at what happened in the first week of "Dancing On Ice" 2011!

The show opened spectacularly with Torvill and Dean skating around a bunch of musicians who were banging out a beat on drums. The music then kicked into Let's Get It Started by The Black Eyed Peas, and Chris and Jane were joined on the ice by the professional skaters. Their opening skate of every series is always one of the best and it was a great way to begin the show.

The judging panel on this year's "Dancing On Ice" has been cut down from previous years. At some points in the show's history there have been as many as five judges but this year there are only three. Former British Olympic champion Robin Cousins keeps his position as head judge and he is also joined by the man everyone loves to hate, Jason Gardiner and Spice Girl Emma Bunton. On a personal note, it still makes no logical sense to me why a popstar is a good judge for "Dancing On ice", but this is her second year now so somebody must like her!

First onto the ice in 2011 were former Coronation Street star Steven Arnold and his partner Nina Ulanov. They skated to House of Fun by Madness and gave a rather quirky comedy performance. His speed across the ice was a little slow but considering he couldn't do a thing on the ice when he began, it was a good effort. The score from the judges was a dire seven out of thirty which was particularly harsh considering it is only week one. Robin Cousins explained his low score was because he had seen Steven doing so much better in rehearsals. Jason Gardiner said that although the characterisation was good in the beginning, he lost it through the routine and was relying too heavily on his partner for support.

Newsreader Angela Rippon came next with her partner Sean Rice. According to Wikipedia, Angela Rippon is sixty six years old, making her the oldest contestant on "Dancing On Ice" ever! Angela and Sean skated to At Last by Etta James. No matter how fit you are, at a certain age the human body takes on a slightly ungraceful look. Angela Rippon managed to completely make the best of what she has though, and although there were a few wobbly moments she took on the routine with no fear whatsoever. Angela and Sean scored eleven out of thirty and Emma Bunton said that the performance was sweet but she would have preferred to see smoother transitions.

Third on the ice were children's TV presenter Laura Hamilton and her partner Colin Ratushniak. They skated to My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson. Their routine was very ambitious for week one with several lifts and spins, all of which were performed brilliantly. There were one or two occasional stumbles but overall it was outstanding for their first live performance and they scored sixteen out of thirty. Robin Cousins said that Laura attacked the routine really well but she needs to pull it back a bit because at some points she was leading Colin instead of the other way around. Jason said that she needs to be careful of her facial expressions and relax her arms a little.

After a slight VT mix up, next came LCpl Johnson Beharry - the first non-celebrity on "Dancing On Ice" - and his partner Jodeyne Higgins. They skated to Wishing On A Star and gave quite an understated, gentle performance. Although Johnson stumbled during his entrance at the start of the show, he made no such error during his routine. He was a little tentative at times but he really showed off his partner well. They scored eleven out of thirty. Robin gave the highest score of all the judges, stating that Johnson showed great confidence and didn't rely on Jodeyne to help him around the ice.

Next up was actress Nadia Sawalha and her partner Mark Hanretty. Skating to Proud Mary, Nadia's nerves kept her from reaching her full potential. There was very little skating in the routine which made it hard to judge but the skating she did looked competent. Her score was nine out of thirty. Jason Gardiner said she looked like her legs were a bit stiff but Emma Bunton said she really enjoyed Nadia's energy.

Kerry Katona and her partner Dan Whiston were next. Dan Whiston is the pro skater everyone wants, as he has one the show twice already! They skated to Make You Feel My Love by Adele and in my humble opinion it was the best performance of the night. Kerry put so much emotion into the performance that it was captivating throughout and she and Dan scored fourteen out of thirty. Robin Cousins said that Kerry needs to learn how to channel her emotions and use it through the performance and Jason said that she needs to work on her facial expressions.

The penultimate contestant tonight was presenter Jeff Brazier and his partner Isabelle Gauthier skating to The Way Love Goes. His moves on his own weren't so great, he is not a natural dancer. He almost perfected a complicated knee slide but just fell off it at the last second. Overall, the performance was average but not the best and he got a score of eleven out of thirty. Emma Bunton and Robin Cousins both said they have a soft spot for Jeff and hope people vote for him.

Finally on the ice was....Vanilla Ice along with his partner Katie Stainsby! In training, it kind of looked like his partner hated him and would have killed to be paired with anyone else. In tonight's show she looked less horrified as they skated to Word Up. Vanilla Ice's skating skills weren't the best, and his partner didn't seem terribly skilled either which is unusual for a "Dancing On Ice" pro. On the plus side, he tackled some great lifts which we don't normally see until week three or four. Vanilla Ice scored fifteen out of thirty, proving I know nothing about skating! Jason Gardiner said that the routine was great and played to his strengths but is unsure whether he will be able to adjust to more romantic routines.

Once all the performances were done, there was an hour long break for voting. When "Dancing On Ice" returned, all the celebrities looked particularly nervous. Hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby explained that the five celebrities with the highest votes would go through to the rest of the competition. The bottom three would skate again and the phone lines would re-open for the final vote.

After talking to next week's celebrity skaters and the judges, it was time to get to the all important votes. The first celebrity through to the full competition was Vanilla Ice, followed by Johnson Beharry, Jeff Brazier, Steven Arnold and Kerry Katona. This left Angela Rippon, Laura Hamilton and Nadia Sawalha and their partners to skate again.

Angela Rippon and Sean Rice were the first to re-skate their routine. There were less stumbles the second time around and Angela managed to re-do the routine as gracefully as she did it earlier in the evening.

Next were Laura Hamilton and Colin Ratushniak. Torvill and Dean were surprised to see her in the skate-off as she performed so well but the main problem seemed to be that nobody really seemed to know who she is. That said, she got a second chance to impress and that is what she did. There were more stumbles than in the original performance but her skating was far superior to almost everyone else's on the night.

Finally, Nadia Sawalha and Mark Hanretty stepped back onto the ice. Nadia really gave it her all on her second attempt and it was much more fiery than it was earlier.

While the votes continued to come in, Holly Willoughby had a brief chat with former judge and head coach Karen Barber who expressed her surprise at the bottom three, but she also said that they could all hold their heads high because they did a fine job.

The votes came in for the double elimination and the bottom three skaters lined up to await their fate. Phillip Schofield revealed that the final place in"Dancing On Ice" 2011 would go to Laura Hamilton and Colin Ratushniak, taking Nadia Sawalha and Angela Rippon out of the competition.

Next week, the other eight celebrities will be skating for their place in the competition in what promises to be another exiting show! Don't forget to tune in next Sunday to see what happens!