Skating for the Stars

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Just when I thought reality television couldn't sink any lower...


Stars on Ice for "Skating"
Wednesday September 7 4:08 PM ET

By Sarah Hall



A handful of has-been celebrities are hoping to heat up their careers by taking to the ice.

Fox has announced the cast of its upcoming reality series Skating with Celebrities, in which six famous folk will be partnered with six stars of the figure skating world to compete for rink supremacy.

Among the contestants lacing up their skates for the series are Dave Coulier (Full House), Todd Bridges (Diff'rent Strokes), Deborah Gibson ("Electric Youth") and Kristy Swanson (Dude, Where's My Car?).

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Following on the heels of ABC's breakout hit, Dancing with the Stars, Skating also hopes to put its celebs through their paces, though instead of dance moves, they'll be trying to land axels, toe loops and the like over the course of six episodes.

Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton will host the competition, while his fellow gold medalist Dorothy Hamill will serve as one of the judges. Pro skaters Nancy Kerrigan, Kurt Browning and Tai Babilonia will be among those partnering with the celebrities for the series.

"For most people, it's tough enough to learn these types of moves while on the dance floor or working out in the gym," Fox's Executive Vice President of Alternative Programming Mike Darnell said in a statement. "This competition will require our celebrity skaters to not only demonstrate rhythm, but also athleticism, grace and balance...on ice, and before a team of unforgiving judges with both Olympic and world championship experience. No doubt there will be plenty of falls, bruises and scary moments."

The series is filming now and is expected to air this fall.

Though the stars were allowed a month of training time before the actual competition begins, each of the celebs had to bring some skating experience to the table.

"All of the celebrities in the competition not only have the ability to skate, but the desire to excel and become great," executive producer Arthur Smith said in a statement. "What's really interesting is that even at the training level, a competition between the pairs is already developing."

Here's a breakdown of the Skating with Celebrities matchups:


Dave Coulier and two-time Olympic figure skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan
Olympic decathlon gold medalist and television personality Bruce Jenner with world champion pairs figure skater Tai Babilonia
Todd Bridges with three-time U.S. national pairs figure skating champion and world championship medalist Jenni Meno
Kristy Swanson with two-time Olympic pairs figure skating medalist and world champion Lloyd Eisler
Deborah Gibson with four-time world figure skating champion Kurt Browning
Television personality, reporter and weather forecaster Jillian Barberie with three-time U.S. pairs figure skating champion and world championship medalist John Zimmerman
The winners of the contest will be entirely determined by the judges' panel, as opposed to a viewer vote.

Meanwhile, in an effort to quell the controversy caused by Kelly Monaco's surprise victory over John O'Hurley on Dancing with the Stars, ABC has announced plans for a dance-off on Sept. 20 to settle the matter for once and for all.

The results, based solely on viewer voting, will be announced in a Sept. 22 telecast.


You know the only reason I would watch this show is to see the actors fall on their asses. B/c let's face it, ice skating is a much harder skill to pick up than doing the tango.