Look at this. A couple of Londoners. MALE. And pissed off.
Bush appears to be an independent sports journalist and musician. So give Scott and Tessa two seconds to give him a brief Q&A and back under the tent he'll go.
Well - if 17 years of skating together and this is the type of documentary that you want to people to remember you by...oieee...but seriously these guys probably wanted to see the behind the scenes of two elite athletes...not this fake soap opera...as usual it's about the skating stupid...what a wasted opportunity
Which is why the second guy told Gareth Bush he shouldn't have looked at it in the first place. If Jay Johnson knew enough not to watch, then he knew it was what it was.
They never had any intention of sharing anything real except as happens incidentally in the skating. They WANT the fake drama crap to be the story. PR-wise, they care only about putting out their platonic narrative AND giving Scott an opportunity to show himself a stud, getting it on with a female (as long as it's not Tessa). The platonic status doesn't need any sham acting out, that stuff is just gratuitous exhibitionism. But this is what they want.
In regards to his daughter, the blog has repeatedly pointed out that Scott has never thrown his feelings and respect for Tessa under a bus, and his daughter had barely gotten the hang of breathing before he threw her under the bus. Well, of course, they're never going to make something right - their way of leveling the playing field is to make it ALL suck. So under the bus goes Scott and Tessa's mutual respect and caring in this program.
They are so determined not to show any actual affection, even as friends, that the moments of reconciliation appear to be forced - they reconnect out of obligation, not out of inclination.
Why would these two guys from London, one out of UWO, be watching THIS reality show or checking it out, since, as you point out, they're not the target demo. They weren't hatched yesterday, they know reality shows are silly. They didn't say it was silly. After two minutes, Gareth said he was pissed off.
Let's remember what was in the third episode's first three minutes.
You really believe these two guys are pissed off because the show is too silly?
I don't know what's going on in their heads, they might think the general portrayal is beneath them and does them no favours, not every UWO student knows the score.
But I'll admit I forgot what the first few minutes were about... you might be right.
Not to stereotype, but guys don't typically, and with a straight face, tweet each other non-satirically about a reality show starring a couple of celebrities. This was straight up, and they were actually pissed off. Are they so dumb they expected quality TV and it was below their expectations? I don't think so.
"Let's remember what was in the third episode's first three minutes."
To be fair, who knows if in fact he was referring to the third episode. Maybe he was starting from #1.
OTOH, I'm sure it's not like anyone in the Ilderton/London community with any connections to VM doesn't know by now exactly what Tessa and Scott are portraying in this show, and the extent of the fake girlfriend's role.
O yeah, TEB episode next week. Cassandra so very generously shares a preview: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152223297741318&set=pb.506096317.-2207520000.1390537185.&type=3&theater
Scott's fake sweeties never come across as real and one of the reasons is precisely these kinds of games. Cassandra is a famewhore. I hope she's enjoying her brief moment of attention. After this show is over no one will remember nor care who she is.
lemme rephrase if you think gold should be given to the skater based on what they do with their personal life and how they treat their fans instead of you know, how well they skate then what the hell are you doing watching figure skating? you might as well skip the whole competition part
The best ice dancers aren't going to win gold in Sochi, is the point I think 8:35 is trying to make. The system is a mockery and politics determines who wins. D/W will unfairly come out on top. V/M, who are the better skaters but can't get out of their own fucking way because their #1 priority seems to be profiting off a fake narrative, will come in second. Both outcomes highlight the fact that ice dance is NOT a sport. The competition part doesn't matter because it's a farce. I don't think P/B are the third best team but I agree with the point of that post. If the sport is fixed anyway, then at least give the gold to the team who have the skills (unlike D/W) and aren't assholes toward the public (V/M).
As a longtime fan of ice dance, I want the deserving team to win and I have very little hope that will happen. I know some people think that because the margin at the GPF was so small, it means VM have a shot but VM should have won GPF by a mile. They were superb and DW, who are not in the same league in the first place, did not skate so well (they looked tight and labored) and still come out victorious with WRs. It is disgusting.
I will never accept that these teams are anything close to being equals because that goes against everything I know from years of watching the sport and my own dance experience. And what kills me is that this team is not even the second or third best team in the world. Other teams should have a significant advantage over them. Nothing about this makes sense to me.
Poor Cassandra. Has to change her social media to make people think Scott actually loves her. To bad the picture looks like its Tessa and Scott in Paris so that plan back fired. The girl clearly is in denial. You can watch the show on mute and still see how madly in love Tessa and Scott are just by how they look at each other even their own mothers know theyre in love. Im actually starting to feel bad for the girl that she cant see that her boyfriend is in love with someone else. Or maybe she is liking all the attention a little to much.
10:39. Exactly. People need to realize Cassandra is part of the cast for this show. Therefore, she's being PAID to act this part and say things like "I love you". At least 99% of the lines are scripted. They mean nothing except we get to see VM and Moirville act out the fake stories they decided on a long time ago.
Who else but dumb teenagers is buying the story that VM have to work hard and with great angst at an elusive connection? It's as ridiculous as Cassandra's presence. Soap Opera Drama.
Well I vote for PChiddy as best supporting actor...lol...I nearly died of laughter when someone on FSU mentioned that it's totally normal for Hilborn to be in each episode...I mean really? At this point in time - you wouldn't even know that Scott has two brothers who skated before him...and with whom he probably is still very close to..but Hilborn needs a mention in each episode? Yup - so much for seeing the real friends and family...not...no wonder those male acquaintances were like - hell no - this shit ain't real...and seriously if this crap was real why would a normal gf want her facebook to be public - especially after seeing Jessica's experience and play the possessive type? Yup that screams maturity...I keep saying to myself...patterns...patterns...patterns...
It's possible Cassandra was recruited because VM had this show in the works. They had ended the Jessica crap there was no need to recycle this stuff...but if VM decided they didn't want to pass up the chance at live-action shamming, then they needed to shop around for a new Jessica.
It's hilarious they made a big deal of Scott and Jessica in Paris and now they pretend Scott - again - sees the sights with a gf as if it were not recycled events. I can't stand the treatment of fans, as if we're idiots. They're the idiots especially when it comes to Paris.
We can't do anything about it because the media is colluding with VM. They talk to each other over our heads, and mock us to our face, in the articles they write.
Except not. This competition is over. He'll egregiously low ball Scott and Tessa, so the next lowest judge will be factored in for them, and thrown out for DW. Done deal.
Blumberg was on the tech panel at worlds and it's a fair guess she was the one who called for the review on the step sequence. The step sequence was initially a level 4, but got downgraded after someone called for a review.
As far as Restatt, does it really matter at this point? It's not like VM were going to win anyway, no matter who exactly was on the panel. VM lost Sochi at 4CC last year. It doesn't matter who judges.
Just when I think this 'sport' can't get any worse...
When this was brought up on GS, as usual (when the possibility of corruption in the sport is brought up) some people tried to shut down the conversation by castigating the people who brought it up, saying 'we have no proof'...um, we can't have proof because the ISU does not allow us to see which judge is responsible for which marks. Is it really so inconceivable that an organization like that would have some corruption within it? But wait, now that a North American team is winning (rather than a European--more specifically an eville Russian--all must be okay).
Ice dance is a fucking joke. Like OC said, there is no accountability. NONE. Throw it out of the Olympics.
Yeah, when a team that should be fighting to make top 5 is favored to win gold, and this is an outcome that has been decided perhaps even before this quad, the sport is garbage. I feel terrible for all the hard working skaters who will not have a chance.
WP's choreographer for the SD is Geoffrey Tyler - very good friend of Kurt Browning. I believe this is Mr. Tyler's first experience in choreographing a skating program for competitive skating. Thus you need to learn the COP rules etc. Those tweets from him were just frustration because the results are not consistent with the COP rules. I believe that everyone at the DSC (Carmelengo/Krylova/Bourne) has known that the fix is in for gold for DW...Browning, Wilson, heck even Rebecca Babb at the Kitchener Waterloo club knows..Spilband knows...PB know...Buttle knows, Joannie Rochette knows...it's ridiculous...will ice dance clean itself up after Sochi? I don't think so because it really needs a total overhaul...
Cassandra Hilborn is a liar who is participating in a huge hoax on the skating public.
She's not an "actress" or "performer" or part of the "cast". Those terms apply only when the audience is notified that they're seeing a performance. Here, the audience is pro-actively being told what they're seeing is real. It's not. Cassandra is a LIAR. Not an actress, not a performer.
Scott and Tessa's attempt to redefine terms so lying isn't lying and there's no distinction between lying and marketing or lying and acting is bullshit. These are liars. Not actors. Not performers. Liars.
I really hate to say this, but is it just me, is Tessa just beyond diesel muscle, or chubby? her muscle definition is incredible and she looks 100% muscle but then there are shots where it looks like scott cannot lift her.
she is tiny but she looks bigger these days in comparison to weaver for example and just next to scott. I think she's physically perfect, but I've noticed a change in her look since 11.
Tessa is curvier now than she was in Vancouver, but those curves come from skeletal changes from having a baby--ribs and hips. She's not any heavier, things just got moved around a bit as they do with all women when they have a child.
I just saw her in person at nationals. She's smaller than Kaitlyn Weaver.
I think she looks bigger than two seasons ago. In some shots of her face she looked as bloated as she did when pregnant. For someone who slimmed down so quickly after pregnancy it's pretty shocking to see her this size.
11:57 jesus back to tessa's weight again?!?! i bet you're a d/w fan trolling. and these are "shots". moments captured in a span of seconds. I think their lifts are great. If you're gonna complain about tessa's nonexistent weight problem, why not complain about meryl's very obvious and existent poor technique in lifts?
I don't think anyone told these guys that there are skaters that don't need to have their centre of masses aligned - because they can compensate by using their core strength. But an interesting video.
The show previews for next week with Tessa getting guy-advice makes me think they're setting up to give her a BF by the end of the show. It's clear it cannot be Scott as he's got his own hot&heavy honey. I think that's one of the gotchas coming down the pike. Ewww
I think they want people to think Tessa and Scott are going to get together or that Tessa is going to make some sort of move, and people are falling for it. Social media messaging tells us Cassandra hasn't been ditched by the end of filming with the show. It's so obvious that they're setting this up and it makes me angry on behalf of all of the people who are falling for it.
Anon at 2:08 pm - well it wouldn't surprise me - cuz god forbid we can't just concentrate on the skating...or perhaps we will get Tessa's so over Scott and is now available for suitors..just in time for the Olympics...
Well we are know there is a gotcha to fit a storyline because they just showed Skate Canada in episode 4...there was filming of Tessa's friends and Scott's friends during Canadian Thanksgiving which was in October before Skate Canada - so yeah - whatever fits the storyline blah blah blah...Next episode will be a trainwreck....(teb and then blowing off steam with family/friends...for episode 5...then gpf for episode 6...let the rollercoaster ride continue...
I am screen capping Episosde 4 and so far it's a slog not just because the show is boring, but because I just don't know what to make of Tessa. She's so dislikeable in this, it's difficult to really find more to say other than she appears to not have a conscience, and she also appears to be zealous about lying - in a way that goes beyond not having a conscience about lying and points to more about thriving on dishonesty.
Furthermore, she's really digging the self-portrayal of a self-abegnating person who encourages and provokes others into putting her down.
She's practically shoving the words into Scott's mouth in this episode, cueing him to dismiss her - that's how it's scripted.
Why? If we see this show as the flip side of everything that's true, then we'd have to believe Tessa is either the opposite in real life or presumes people think she has it all, and, having it all, must be vain, so she's promoting herself the other way, to the point of overkill and beyond.
Also, I have to mention something about coSondra. As with Jessica, there are fans who, despite knowing the fake girlfriend is fake, become very bitchy about the fake girlfriend and speak of her as if she's the actual other woman. They lose sight of the fact that what's on facebook is under Moirville direction, not her own.
I don't think either of these women are to be excused for hoaxing the public and faking it with a married father. However, Jessica and Cassandra produce the exact same reaction in fans. Desperately insecure "girlfriends" overeager to piss on their turf (Scott), playing one upmanship with the public and with Tessa while getting not much in return from Scott.
THIS IS ON PURPOSE. It's very clear now that we've seen the second fake girlfriend. There is some insecurity around Scott, some fear that he's not macho enough, not liked by the girls (in real life) enough. And why would he be since he's been spoken for since he was a child. What's wrong with that? The image they're promoting of Scott in this show suggests that the people around him don't see him as strong, don't see him as adult, and don't see him as "manly" in the provincial, close-minded, verging-on-misogynistic manner of everybody's nightmare of an insular, backwards small town. Emotion is mocked, unless it's Moirville getting sloppy and moved by themselves. Anger is an acceptable emotion. Vulnerability in a man isn't acceptable. Sweetness in a man isn't acceptable. Reciprocity in a man isn't acceptable. These are the values Moirville is putting on parade - they're desperate to counterprogram what they apparently see as lack of masculinity in Scott as a person.
"There is some insecurity around Scott, some fear that he's not macho enough, not liked by the girls (in real life) enough. And why would he be since he's been spoken for since he was a child. What's wrong with that?"
Thinking particularly about the fact that Scott has been with Tessa since childhood, I wonder if Moirville is one of those communities that measures manliness by the number of notches on a bedpost.
"they're desperate to counterprogram what they apparently see as lack of masculinity in Scott as a person."
What is especially gross is Moirville's obsession with Scott's sex-life as the counter programming to "lack of masculinity." A great majority of the fake GF implications revolve around Scott's sexual "relationship" with said GF. I noticed in this episode the cameras deliberately show Scott as being in a room all by himself. Why is this important when there's no equal amount of screenshots showing Tessa also in a room all by herself.? It's because it's about Scott's sex-life. We're all supposed to see that at Skate Canada the poor guy could only talk to the GF from his hotel room. But next competition, TEB, the GF will be there. Scott gets to have a sexual partner along for the competition in romantic Paris. Isn't that part of the script? Of course, Tessa as usual will be pathetic in her singleness, she'll probably even do a voiceover telling us how happy she is that her sexy skating partner gets to have some release during this competition. Scott is getting some. That's what matters to these clowns.
Taking into account that the fake GF's are just that - fake - they are still repulsive for having agreed to this role in the first place. They're fooling themselves if they think they're "just acting." Like you said, no, they're LYING and engaging in a major hoax on the public. And I'm sorry, the umbrella of "acting" does not wipe away the fact that they're acting out with a married father. It's disgusting any way you look at it.
Does anybody know something about the ratings ? If Twitter is anything to go by the interest in the show is on a new low. There weren't many tweets before - and most of them were fans hoping they would date and get rid of Cassandra - but now there are even fewer. And even the most devoted fans on FSU who usually turn a blind eye on everything that could tarnish VM's halo are fed up of Cassandra. I wish we'd know how Cassandra reacts to all of this. She had such high hopes and loved to show off on facebook but it has gotten awfully quiet around now. Connor and their Thanksgiving dinner didn't make it on the show either.
12:05 - I think you're making too many assumptions. Connor instagrammed the camera set up in his home that he said was from that morning (Thanksgiving) but we can't from there assume that they FILMED "a" Thanksgiving. That could be the set up for the couch stuff. There is no correlation between real life and what's on the show except when it's convenient. If Connor's instagram was honest (that he took it on Thanksgiving) - it doesn't follow that they were filming Thanksgiving dinner. They could have been filming the couch.
AND, to repeat for the billionth time, the facebook sham isn't run by the girl. It's run by Moirville. If it's quiet, it's because Moirville wants it quiet. If new photos pop up, that's per instruction. What we know about coSondra and her brother is they both appear eager for the spotlight and to make it as media subjects in some way - models, actors, whatever. We know they are the sort of people who'd actively participate in a hoax on the public. But we don't know what their personal feelings are or aren't towards Scott and Tessa and how the sham is run. It seems in part to be awfully pathetic - that someone like coSondra wants the spotlight so badly she's willing to be portrayed in the degrading fashion she's presented on the show. How much $$ have they spent on her end, showing her off? Bad lighting sitting stilted on the couch, then to mix it up, sit on the tailgate and maul a pumpkin.
Meantime, Tessa, the disregarded partner, has been filmed out to dinner with Scott one on one, and with another couple (Weaver & Poje). So far they haven't dressed coSondra up and actually taken her anywhere. They even omitted showing her at the golf event.
After watching the reality show, it appears that demeaning the fake gf is part of the storyline. Jessica was no prize, so the sham just amplified some dubious aspects of her persona - but, with both Jessica and Cassandra Scott gave about next to nothing as far as his end of the sham. He posed for images, but then the woman was the one left trumpeting to everyone else that he was her man and not only her man, but the most amazing, fabulous man ever born. No man could ever compare.
Meanwhile, during Jessica, Scott is implying that he's actually after Tessa. But now that they've ripped the script of the reality show from the lowest common denominator fan fiction on message boards (and seriously, if you know who you are, you should sue), Scott is planning on hooking up in Sochi, doesn't have to respond to coSondra's "I love you" and is basically having it both ways (that is a recurring theme with everything to do with Scott and Tessa) - a devoted, committed girlfriend, a pining partner, and a guy at liberty to try and find somebody in Sochi willing to hop on a guy who takes three weeks to use up two condoms.
OC at some point they have to come clean if you're correct. how do they do that now? I mean they're stupid but not that stupid, and it seems they've put themselves in a hole they cant climb out of.
IMO, it will come out eventually, but it will be someone else that outs them. At this point, with the show, Tessa and Scott have given up any and all control they might have had with how the information about their true status as married parents is released and framed to the world. Before this show aired, despite the book, denials, and social media grossness, I think there would have been ways, with competent PR help, for VM to come out with this themselves in a way that would have minimized bad fallout and allowed for a more positive framing of their actions. It's impossible now, and also clear that they don't intend to say anything themselves.
If nobody has outed them yet why would they bother to do it when VM's 15 minutes of fame are over ? In 10 years nobody will remember the show or the Facebook accounts. Their skating will be remembered by skating fans, their off ice shenanigans probably not. The blog won't exist anymore in ten years, Cassandra and Jessica will be forgotten and Tessa and Scott will live normal lives ( I don't think ilderton would allow scoty to leave their rink to become a coach ). Even those close to them probably wouldn't bother to Google their private lives so who would ever find out and be bothered enough to expose them ?
Anon at 1:37 pm - I would agree with you. Also let's face it - the skating world is extremely niche and really if you think about it - skaters' personal lives have been kept pretty low key unless said skater wants otherwise. And especially after they retire from competitive skating - unless they are Russian - skaters are off the grid. We have had plenty of beards - some more obvious than others...I think what stands out with VM is that they consistently bring up the relationship issue - even moreso in the so-called reality series. It was not necessary to even divulge any information - just ignore and talk about the skating and the programs and it would have been a much better strategy. But I digress...but I also have to agree with anon at 4:05 pm - that within 2-3 years - VM will be off the grid alltogether. For North Americans - I don't think Sochi will be as memorable as Vancouver and I don't think there will be as many endorsement opportunities post- Olympics here in North America as in 2010. Hell look at US figure skating - they are clinging on to Kwan, Yamaguchi, Lysacek and even Boitano...
oc, in response to your question, yes Blumberg has made questionable calls against V/M this season. Remember that curve lift in the FD at TEB? They got a level 2 call for that by Blumberg. Interesting because every other competition they've been in has called that lift a level 4.
Blumberg will not be the caller at Sochi, thank god.
Rettstatt is a sure thing to judge the team event, no Canadian judging that event. Sad. The writing is on the wall even before Tessa and Scott take to the ice before their individual events.
I hate this anonymous judging. As OC and many others have said, it really just invites corruption and allows for it to occur without consequence to the guilty party. It is very suspicious that every time Rettstatt is on the panel judging VM, they are lowballed by one judge, and i wish to see an investigation into this matter, but have very little hope that the ISU will do anything.
We know for sure that DW are not being marked according to the rules and the ISU does not seem to care.
The USFSA has called for an end to anonymous judging. I can't help feeling this is a pro-active move to get ahead of the shady dealing that's going to happen in ice dance in Sochi, particularly if Shawn Rettstatt IS judging ice dance in Sochi, and makes sure he (anonymously) gives Virtue Moir the lowest marks so the next lowest marks are factored into their scores and thrown out for DW. That seems to be part of the game here, but if, shortly in advance of Sochi, the USFSA is saying - oh, anon judging should end (but not calling for its end until it's too late to impact Sochi) they come off pious.
OC - even if you got rid of anonymous judging - it won't change much unless journalists had a chance to actually speak to the judges at press conferences to justify their scores. The ISU won't allow that to happen. So until there is complete accountability - it's a mute point. Look at VM at nationals in the past two-three years where there have been some questionable calls - no one explains why it gets called a certain way. Remember with the GPF final in Quebec City with Funny Face that VM got lowballed with a lift (it was not correctly scored) and the ISU acknowledged the error months later but refused to change the score for the record books. They wouldn't have won that competition - but its the arrogance of the ISU and their judges. They have way too much power. Why do athletes need to schmooze the judges before the competition or win the practice sessions - what bullshit is this. In my opinion - during practice sessions - coaches should not be talking to judges and if judges are to give feedback to skaters/federations - it should be written and official. But we know that will never happen - especially journalists/commentators asking the hard questions.
This is why the narrative is never about the skating. The "journalists" who cover figure skating don't bother to learn anything. The most widely read, such as Phil Hersch, don't know shit about it. E.M. Swift as well. In traditional sports coverage the journalists covering the game or event knows it well enough to observe that the refereeing or umpiring was shit, and to call it out specifically. This doesn't happen in figure skating. It's beauty pageant only in regards to ice dance and that's the way they want to keep it.
It is funny that you mention it because I see a lot of singles and pairs skaters who dance better than DW. Like, they seem to have actually put in the time with dancers to pick up particular dance steps and holds and styles. Kaetlyn Osmond does more foxtrot in her SP than DW do in their SD.
I am sorry to say but DW are weak dancers. Meryl is stronger than Charlie (who is VERY stiff), but neither of them move well. They have great timing--they will choreograph things to the beat which apparently is all that matters these days. being tight with the music. forget really working with all parts of the music.
I saw the gala from Canadian nationals and Lawrence and Swiegers have more dancing (and are far better at it) in their exhibition number than DW do in either of their dances. But it doesn't matter because dancing is no longer important in ice dance (and neither is skating). The sport is shit.
I find it funny that people keep questioning Tessa's health and stamina and speculating that she hasn't been able to train as much when she remains upright and maintains real speed throughout their programs. VM don't have choreographed stops, places of rest, or lots of hope so they can pick up speed without having to work for it. DW, meanwhile, have all those little helpers, plus they hunch a lot suggesting that their bodies are too tired or lack the strength to manage the movement. Yet they are regarded as the better trained, better conditioned, more athletic team. It is just interesting how these fake narratives gain traction.
Well that's how TSL's owner has always been. Always chasing soap opera. AND, it's sexist. It's always the women who are the drama queens. He asked leading questions of P.J. Kwong that presupposed it must be Meryl and Tessa who don't communicate or have lunch. Why? It's not as if the men in figure skating aren't HUGE divas. Particularly men in dance, because traditionally it's been more difficult to come by a great male partner in dance than in pairs (in pairs, as it's the woman who has to make the twist and land the throws, it's the female who is at a premium. The biggest individual element challenge for a pairs man is the sbs triple jump).
"plus they hunch a lot suggesting that their bodies are too tired or lack the strength to manage the movement. " hence why charlie always looks like he's going to pass out. i guess that sexy groping rest stop really helps him lol
I actually believe that Charlie's asthma is behind him looking so winded at the end. But yes, "that sexy groping rest stop" does give them a bit of time to rest. They looked really slow to me at nationals in this section (where they don't have all the hops and tugs at each other to gain speed). And their lifts still look really rough (execution-wise--we all know they have poor lifting technique to begin with). And yes, still the hunching and bad lines. I think they are struggling with this material. Their bodies look tired in that program.
Meanwhile VM were amazing at GPF and were strong at nationals as well, in spite of the mistakes. They look polished and ready to go. They just need to bring it like they did at GPF and not let their nerves get to them. I mean, I think the Olympics are fixed but I want VM to go out with two great skates.
Who knows, maybe some scenes of blowing-off-steam-with-hometown-buddies, or TEB/Paris scenes, were scripted to allow the gf some moments of glory. Although I'm sure such moments in this show--if any--are rare. Scott is the master of his relationships. Lol.
In the interviews promoting their show Scott did say this was the "real" them, "whether anyone liked it or not." He knew the stuff they were taping was despicable in its denial of something that should be precious, the love between a husband and wife and their love for their children.
All they ever needed to do was refuse to talk about their private life. I don't appreciate the disrespect toward me as a fan that I have to just take all the b.s. lies and hoaxing they dump on the public, "whether we like it or not."
Well you know what, I don't like it and it shows me Scott is a belligerent, arrogant jerk. I've lost all respect.
just re-watched DW's FD from US nationals and the whole thing looked like a struggle: the lifts, the footwork, and the skating in between. Everything looked labored, not at all how i thought it would look at this point in the season. I read a report from someone who was there live and they said they were very slow (which is how it looked to me on TV).
would love to see this 'report' because I was there to see it in person and no way was anything they did a struggle , laborious or slow. They weren't frantic but at a perfect pace, depending on the speed of the music.
It was on FSU. I am not trying to insult DW, I am just being honest. It looked like a struggle. OC did gifs of the curve lift and the combination lift, both of which were shaky to say the least. Charlie's blades looked out of control in both lifts. And when they are not hopping or running, they slow right down. This is something I have noticed this season. They are a talented team, but are nowhere near VM or PB, and have now fallen behind PI, HD, WP, the Shibutanis, BS, IK. A few of those teams have their issues, but they all have better basic skating than DW.
8:03 here just to add, these teams are also better at their elements than DW. DW have poor lifting technique, which OC has covered many times on this blog. And don't get me started on the step sequences. All these teams have really improved and while DW have as well, they have not improved enough to keep up with the field, imo.
Charlie and meryl were slow at nationals 1051 and 1211. I saw skate america live and it was better then which is sad because that was 3 months ago. Despite the choreographed "flourishes" they skated through the music and we're not the best performance of the night. The twizzles were really small and I thought meryl was going to fall out of the upside down fetal llift when it went by me because they were both rocking so much.
Well - if 17 years of skating together and this is the type of documentary that you want to people to remember you by...oieee...but seriously these guys probably wanted to see the behind the scenes of two elite athletes...not this fake soap opera...as usual it's about the skating stupid...what a wasted opportunity
ReplyDeleteNo, I suspect these guys know Tessa and Scott are lying their asses off.
DeleteWhich is why the second guy told Gareth Bush he shouldn't have looked at it in the first place. If Jay Johnson knew enough not to watch, then he knew it was what it was.
DeleteThey never had any intention of sharing anything real except as happens incidentally in the skating. They WANT the fake drama crap to be the story. PR-wise, they care only about putting out their platonic narrative AND giving Scott an opportunity to show himself a stud, getting it on with a female (as long as it's not Tessa). The platonic status doesn't need any sham acting out, that stuff is just gratuitous exhibitionism. But this is what they want.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to his daughter, the blog has repeatedly pointed out that Scott has never thrown his feelings and respect for Tessa under a bus, and his daughter had barely gotten the hang of breathing before he threw her under the bus. Well, of course, they're never going to make something right - their way of leveling the playing field is to make it ALL suck. So under the bus goes Scott and Tessa's mutual respect and caring in this program.
DeleteThey are so determined not to show any actual affection, even as friends, that the moments of reconciliation appear to be forced - they reconnect out of obligation, not out of inclination.
It's a crappy show even if they aren't lying about being platonic. Tell us more, Gareth.
ReplyDeleteYes, to both. And remember a lot of people in London KNOW.
DeleteI don't think male sports journalists are the target audience for this show, they're appealing to people who like to watch trainwreck reality shows
ReplyDeleteGareth is at UWO. I think he's commenting on the amount of LYING.
DeleteI don't think people claim to be PISSED OFF at a program just because it's an annoying reality show.
Delete12:27
ReplyDeleteWhy would these two guys from London, one out of UWO, be watching THIS reality show or checking it out, since, as you point out, they're not the target demo. They weren't hatched yesterday, they know reality shows are silly. They didn't say it was silly. After two minutes, Gareth said he was pissed off.
Let's remember what was in the third episode's first three minutes.
You really believe these two guys are pissed off because the show is too silly?
I don't know what's going on in their heads, they might think the general portrayal is beneath them and does them no favours, not every UWO student knows the score.
DeleteBut I'll admit I forgot what the first few minutes were about... you might be right.
One of the guys is a bartender in a restaurant that I think VM have mentioned or have been spotted in.
DeleteI thought the whole exchange was pretty telling. These guys know and they're not happy about this show.
Not to stereotype, but guys don't typically, and with a straight face, tweet each other non-satirically about a reality show starring a couple of celebrities. This was straight up, and they were actually pissed off. Are they so dumb they expected quality TV and it was below their expectations? I don't think so.
Deleteoc
"Let's remember what was in the third episode's first three minutes."
DeleteTo be fair, who knows if in fact he was referring to the third episode. Maybe he was starting from #1.
OTOH, I'm sure it's not like anyone in the Ilderton/London community with any connections to VM doesn't know by now exactly what Tessa and Scott are portraying in this show, and the extent of the fake girlfriend's role.
True, but considering his tweet was on January 20 and he said he "just" gave it his attention, it makes sense it's the third episode.
DeleteI cannot wait to read your recap and commentary about the most recent episode of "Lies and Bullcrap" - Moirville is disgusting.
ReplyDeleteLoved the line about Tessa being very private but needing to promote their brand and keep her options open. Barf.
O yeah, TEB episode next week. Cassandra so very generously shares a preview: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152223297741318&set=pb.506096317.-2207520000.1390537185.&type=3&theater
DeleteScott's fake sweeties never come across as real and one of the reasons is precisely these kinds of games. Cassandra is a famewhore. I hope she's enjoying her brief moment of attention. After this show is over no one will remember nor care who she is.
Tessa and Scott completely deserve what is about to happen in Sochi.
DeleteI'm praying for PB to somehow come out on top. They can skate and dance and they've never fucked around with their fans. It's a good compromise.
so you dont think the best skater should win gold?
Deletelemme rephrase if you think gold should be given to the skater based on what they do with their personal life and how they treat their fans instead of you know, how well they skate then what the hell are you doing watching figure skating? you might as well skip the whole competition part
DeleteThe best ice dancers aren't going to win gold in Sochi, is the point I think 8:35 is trying to make. The system is a mockery and politics determines who wins. D/W will unfairly come out on top. V/M, who are the better skaters but can't get out of their own fucking way because their #1 priority seems to be profiting off a fake narrative, will come in second. Both outcomes highlight the fact that ice dance is NOT a sport. The competition part doesn't matter because it's a farce. I don't think P/B are the third best team but I agree with the point of that post. If the sport is fixed anyway, then at least give the gold to the team who have the skills (unlike D/W) and aren't assholes toward the public (V/M).
DeleteI can't wait either. I understand there's some crying from the moms. OF COURSE. All of Moirville are like a bunch of sloppy drunks.
Deleteoc
As a longtime fan of ice dance, I want the deserving team to win and I have very little hope that will happen. I know some people think that because the margin at the GPF was so small, it means VM have a shot but VM should have won GPF by a mile. They were superb and DW, who are not in the same league in the first place, did not skate so well (they looked tight and labored) and still come out victorious with WRs. It is disgusting.
DeleteI will never accept that these teams are anything close to being equals because that goes against everything I know from years of watching the sport and my own dance experience. And what kills me is that this team is not even the second or third best team in the world. Other teams should have a significant advantage over them. Nothing about this makes sense to me.
Poor Cassandra. Has to change her social media to make people think Scott actually loves her. To bad the picture looks like its Tessa and Scott in Paris so that plan back fired. The girl clearly is in denial. You can watch the show on mute and still see how madly in love Tessa and Scott are just by how they look at each other even their own mothers know theyre in love. Im actually starting to feel bad for the girl that she cant see that her boyfriend is in love with someone else. Or maybe she is liking all the attention a little to much.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe V/M are married with a child and Cassandra is a fake girlfriend.
DeleteNope, not maybe. True. It is fact.
Scott and Tessa are married and have a daughter.
DeleteCassandra is a hoax, just as Jessica was a hoax.
oc
10:39. Exactly.
ReplyDeletePeople need to realize Cassandra is part of the cast for this show. Therefore, she's being PAID to act this part and say things like "I love you". At least 99% of the lines are scripted. They mean nothing except we get to see VM and Moirville act out the fake stories they decided on a long time ago.
Who else but dumb teenagers is buying the story that VM have to work hard and with great angst at an elusive connection? It's as ridiculous as Cassandra's presence. Soap Opera Drama.
Well I vote for PChiddy as best supporting actor...lol...I nearly died of laughter when someone on FSU mentioned that it's totally normal for Hilborn to be in each episode...I mean really? At this point in time - you wouldn't even know that Scott has two brothers who skated before him...and with whom he probably is still very close to..but Hilborn needs a mention in each episode? Yup - so much for seeing the real friends and family...not...no wonder those male acquaintances were like - hell no - this shit ain't real...and seriously if this crap was real why would a normal gf want her facebook to be public - especially after seeing Jessica's experience and play the possessive type? Yup that screams maturity...I keep saying to myself...patterns...patterns...patterns...
DeleteIt's possible Cassandra was recruited because VM had this show in the works. They had ended the Jessica crap there was no need to recycle this stuff...but if VM decided they didn't want to pass up the chance at live-action shamming, then they needed to shop around for a new Jessica.
DeleteIt's hilarious they made a big deal of Scott and Jessica in Paris and now they pretend Scott - again - sees the sights with a gf as if it were not recycled events.
I can't stand the treatment of fans, as if we're idiots. They're the idiots especially when it comes to Paris.
We can't do anything about it because the media is colluding with VM. They talk to each other over our heads, and mock us to our face, in the articles they write.
DeleteIt has been confirmed that Shawn Rettstatt from the US will judge the ice dance (individual and team) events in Sochi.
ReplyDeleteAll we need is Judy Blumberg to be the tech controller at this point...
DeleteUNBELIEVEABLE.
DeleteExcept not. This competition is over. He'll egregiously low ball Scott and Tessa, so the next lowest judge will be factored in for them, and thrown out for DW. Done deal.
Has Blumberg been unfair in the past?
oc
Blumberg was on the tech panel at worlds and it's a fair guess she was the one who called for the review on the step sequence. The step sequence was initially a level 4, but got downgraded after someone called for a review.
DeleteAs far as Restatt, does it really matter at this point? It's not like VM were going to win anyway, no matter who exactly was on the panel. VM lost Sochi at 4CC last year. It doesn't matter who judges.
Just when I think this 'sport' can't get any worse...
DeleteWhen this was brought up on GS, as usual (when the possibility of corruption in the sport is brought up) some people tried to shut down the conversation by castigating the people who brought it up, saying 'we have no proof'...um, we can't have proof because the ISU does not allow us to see which judge is responsible for which marks. Is it really so inconceivable that an organization like that would have some corruption within it? But wait, now that a North American team is winning (rather than a European--more specifically an eville Russian--all must be okay).
Ice dance is a fucking joke. Like OC said, there is no accountability. NONE. Throw it out of the Olympics.
Yeah, when a team that should be fighting to make top 5 is favored to win gold, and this is an outcome that has been decided perhaps even before this quad, the sport is garbage. I feel terrible for all the hard working skaters who will not have a chance.
DeleteYou have to think somebody is going to slip up somewhere though...I don't believe that everyone is on board.
DeleteThat tweet that W/P's choreographer tweeted was onto something...who knows if it was just scratching the surface.
WP's choreographer for the SD is Geoffrey Tyler - very good friend of Kurt Browning. I believe this is Mr. Tyler's first experience in choreographing a skating program for competitive skating. Thus you need to learn the COP rules etc. Those tweets from him were just frustration because the results are not consistent with the COP rules. I believe that everyone at the DSC (Carmelengo/Krylova/Bourne) has known that the fix is in for gold for DW...Browning, Wilson, heck even Rebecca Babb at the Kitchener Waterloo club knows..Spilband knows...PB know...Buttle knows, Joannie Rochette knows...it's ridiculous...will ice dance clean itself up after Sochi? I don't think so because it really needs a total overhaul...
DeleteCassandra Hilborn is a liar who is participating in a huge hoax on the skating public.
ReplyDeleteShe's not an "actress" or "performer" or part of the "cast". Those terms apply only when the audience is notified that they're seeing a performance. Here, the audience is pro-actively being told what they're seeing is real. It's not. Cassandra is a LIAR. Not an actress, not a performer.
Scott and Tessa's attempt to redefine terms so lying isn't lying and there's no distinction between lying and marketing or lying and acting is bullshit. These are liars. Not actors. Not performers. Liars.
oc
I really hate to say this, but is it just me, is Tessa just beyond diesel muscle, or chubby? her muscle definition is incredible and she looks 100% muscle but then there are shots where it looks like scott cannot lift her.
ReplyDeleteScott can not lift her because he has lost muscle. He has slimmed down. Everyone notices it.
DeleteIf you see them in person, this is what's obvious:
Deletea.) Scott is built. A lot of us think he's more muscular than he was in the past.
b.) Tessa is a tiny, tiny little thing.
she is tiny but she looks bigger these days in comparison to weaver for example and just next to scott. I think she's physically perfect, but I've noticed a change in her look since 11.
DeleteTessa is curvier now than she was in Vancouver, but those curves come from skeletal changes from having a baby--ribs and hips. She's not any heavier, things just got moved around a bit as they do with all women when they have a child.
DeleteI just saw her in person at nationals. She's smaller than Kaitlyn Weaver.
I think she looks bigger than two seasons ago. In some shots of her face she looked as bloated as she did when pregnant. For someone who slimmed down so quickly after pregnancy it's pretty shocking to see her this size.
DeleteAgain, 3:22, in person she is the tiniest thing. She's very thin and very narrow.
DeleteI'm starting to think you're a troll.
11:57 learn about lifting technique before you equate it with weightlifting.
DeleteAnd then knock it off.
11:57 jesus back to tessa's weight again?!?! i bet you're a d/w fan trolling. and these are "shots". moments captured in a span of seconds. I think their lifts are great. If you're gonna complain about tessa's nonexistent weight problem, why not complain about meryl's very obvious and existent poor technique in lifts?
Delete5:14am that person is probably inap
Deletehttp://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/winterolympics/skatingphysics.jsp
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone told these guys that there are skaters that don't need to have their centre of masses aligned - because they can compensate by using their core strength. But an interesting video.
The show previews for next week with Tessa getting guy-advice makes me think they're setting up to give her a BF by the end of the show. It's clear it cannot be Scott as he's got his own hot&heavy honey. I think that's one of the gotchas coming down the pike.
ReplyDeleteEwww
They have to be setting up some sort of gotcha.
DeleteI think they want people to think Tessa and Scott are going to get together or that Tessa is going to make some sort of move, and people are falling for it. Social media messaging tells us Cassandra hasn't been ditched by the end of filming with the show. It's so obvious that they're setting this up and it makes me angry on behalf of all of the people who are falling for it.
Anon at 2:08 pm - well it wouldn't surprise me - cuz god forbid we can't just concentrate on the skating...or perhaps we will get Tessa's so over Scott and is now available for suitors..just in time for the Olympics...
DeleteWell we are know there is a gotcha to fit a storyline because they just showed Skate Canada in episode 4...there was filming of Tessa's friends and Scott's friends during Canadian Thanksgiving which was in October before Skate Canada - so yeah - whatever fits the storyline blah blah blah...Next episode will be a trainwreck....(teb and then blowing off steam with family/friends...for episode 5...then gpf for episode 6...let the rollercoaster ride continue...
DeleteI am screen capping Episosde 4 and so far it's a slog not just because the show is boring, but because I just don't know what to make of Tessa. She's so dislikeable in this, it's difficult to really find more to say other than she appears to not have a conscience, and she also appears to be zealous about lying - in a way that goes beyond not having a conscience about lying and points to more about thriving on dishonesty.
DeleteFurthermore, she's really digging the self-portrayal of a self-abegnating person who encourages and provokes others into putting her down.
She's practically shoving the words into Scott's mouth in this episode, cueing him to dismiss her - that's how it's scripted.
Why? If we see this show as the flip side of everything that's true, then we'd have to believe Tessa is either the opposite in real life or presumes people think she has it all, and, having it all, must be vain, so she's promoting herself the other way, to the point of overkill and beyond.
Also, I have to mention something about coSondra. As with Jessica, there are fans who, despite knowing the fake girlfriend is fake, become very bitchy about the fake girlfriend and speak of her as if she's the actual other woman. They lose sight of the fact that what's on facebook is under Moirville direction, not her own.
I don't think either of these women are to be excused for hoaxing the public and faking it with a married father. However, Jessica and Cassandra produce the exact same reaction in fans. Desperately insecure "girlfriends" overeager to piss on their turf (Scott), playing one upmanship with the public and with Tessa while getting not much in return from Scott.
THIS IS ON PURPOSE. It's very clear now that we've seen the second fake girlfriend. There is some insecurity around Scott, some fear that he's not macho enough, not liked by the girls (in real life) enough. And why would he be since he's been spoken for since he was a child. What's wrong with that? The image they're promoting of Scott in this show suggests that the people around him don't see him as strong, don't see him as adult, and don't see him as "manly" in the provincial, close-minded, verging-on-misogynistic manner of everybody's nightmare of an insular, backwards small town. Emotion is mocked, unless it's Moirville getting sloppy and moved by themselves. Anger is an acceptable emotion. Vulnerability in a man isn't acceptable. Sweetness in a man isn't acceptable. Reciprocity in a man isn't acceptable. These are the values Moirville is putting on parade - they're desperate to counterprogram what they apparently see as lack of masculinity in Scott as a person.
"There is some insecurity around Scott, some fear that he's not macho enough, not liked by the girls (in real life) enough. And why would he be since he's been spoken for since he was a child. What's wrong with that?"
DeleteThinking particularly about the fact that Scott has been with Tessa since childhood, I wonder if Moirville is one of those communities that measures manliness by the number of notches on a bedpost.
"they're desperate to counterprogram what they apparently see as lack of masculinity in Scott as a person."
DeleteWhat is especially gross is Moirville's obsession with Scott's sex-life as the counter programming to "lack of masculinity." A great majority of the fake GF implications revolve around Scott's sexual "relationship" with said GF. I noticed in this episode the cameras deliberately show Scott as being in a room all by himself. Why is this important when there's no equal amount of screenshots showing Tessa also in a room all by herself.? It's because it's about Scott's sex-life. We're all supposed to see that at Skate Canada the poor guy could only talk to the GF from his hotel room. But next competition, TEB, the GF will be there. Scott gets to have a sexual partner along for the competition in romantic Paris. Isn't that part of the script? Of course, Tessa as usual will be pathetic in her singleness, she'll probably even do a voiceover telling us how happy she is that her sexy skating partner gets to have some release during this competition. Scott is getting some. That's what matters to these clowns.
Taking into account that the fake GF's are just that - fake - they are still repulsive for having agreed to this role in the first place. They're fooling themselves if they think they're "just acting." Like you said, no, they're LYING and engaging in a major hoax on the public. And I'm sorry, the umbrella of "acting" does not wipe away the fact that they're acting out with a married father. It's disgusting any way you look at it.
Does anybody know something about the ratings ?
DeleteIf Twitter is anything to go by the interest in the show is on a new low. There weren't many tweets before - and most of them were fans hoping they would date and get rid of Cassandra - but now there are even fewer.
And even the most devoted fans on FSU who usually turn a blind eye on everything that could tarnish VM's halo are fed up of Cassandra.
I wish we'd know how Cassandra reacts to all of this. She had such high hopes and loved to show off on facebook but it has gotten awfully quiet around now.
Connor and their Thanksgiving dinner didn't make it on the show either.
12:05 - I think you're making too many assumptions. Connor instagrammed the camera set up in his home that he said was from that morning (Thanksgiving) but we can't from there assume that they FILMED "a" Thanksgiving. That could be the set up for the couch stuff. There is no correlation between real life and what's on the show except when it's convenient. If Connor's instagram was honest (that he took it on Thanksgiving) - it doesn't follow that they were filming Thanksgiving dinner. They could have been filming the couch.
DeleteAND, to repeat for the billionth time, the facebook sham isn't run by the girl. It's run by Moirville. If it's quiet, it's because Moirville wants it quiet. If new photos pop up, that's per instruction. What we know about coSondra and her brother is they both appear eager for the spotlight and to make it as media subjects in some way - models, actors, whatever. We know they are the sort of people who'd actively participate in a hoax on the public. But we don't know what their personal feelings are or aren't towards Scott and Tessa and how the sham is run. It seems in part to be awfully pathetic - that someone like coSondra wants the spotlight so badly she's willing to be portrayed in the degrading fashion she's presented on the show. How much $$ have they spent on her end, showing her off? Bad lighting sitting stilted on the couch, then to mix it up, sit on the tailgate and maul a pumpkin.
Meantime, Tessa, the disregarded partner, has been filmed out to dinner with Scott one on one, and with another couple (Weaver & Poje). So far they haven't dressed coSondra up and actually taken her anywhere. They even omitted showing her at the golf event.
After watching the reality show, it appears that demeaning the fake gf is part of the storyline. Jessica was no prize, so the sham just amplified some dubious aspects of her persona - but, with both Jessica and Cassandra Scott gave about next to nothing as far as his end of the sham. He posed for images, but then the woman was the one left trumpeting to everyone else that he was her man and not only her man, but the most amazing, fabulous man ever born. No man could ever compare.
DeleteMeanwhile, during Jessica, Scott is implying that he's actually after Tessa. But now that they've ripped the script of the reality show from the lowest common denominator fan fiction on message boards (and seriously, if you know who you are, you should sue), Scott is planning on hooking up in Sochi, doesn't have to respond to coSondra's "I love you" and is basically having it both ways (that is a recurring theme with everything to do with Scott and Tessa) - a devoted, committed girlfriend, a pining partner, and a guy at liberty to try and find somebody in Sochi willing to hop on a guy who takes three weeks to use up two condoms.
OC at some point they have to come clean if you're correct. how do they do that now? I mean they're stupid but not that stupid, and it seems they've put themselves in a hole they cant climb out of.
DeleteIMO, it will come out eventually, but it will be someone else that outs them. At this point, with the show, Tessa and Scott have given up any and all control they might have had with how the information about their true status as married parents is released and framed to the world. Before this show aired, despite the book, denials, and social media grossness, I think there would have been ways, with competent PR help, for VM to come out with this themselves in a way that would have minimized bad fallout and allowed for a more positive framing of their actions. It's impossible now, and also clear that they don't intend to say anything themselves.
DeleteIf nobody has outed them yet why would they bother to do it when VM's 15 minutes of fame are over ?
DeleteIn 10 years nobody will remember the show or the Facebook accounts. Their skating will be remembered by skating fans, their off ice shenanigans probably not.
The blog won't exist anymore in ten years, Cassandra and Jessica will be forgotten and Tessa and Scott will live normal lives ( I don't think ilderton would allow scoty to leave their rink to become a coach ). Even those close to them probably wouldn't bother to Google their private lives so who would ever find out and be bothered enough to expose them ?
Anon at 1:37 pm - I would agree with you. Also let's face it - the skating world is extremely niche and really if you think about it - skaters' personal lives have been kept pretty low key unless said skater wants otherwise. And especially after they retire from competitive skating - unless they are Russian - skaters are off the grid. We have had plenty of beards - some more obvious than others...I think what stands out with VM is that they consistently bring up the relationship issue - even moreso in the so-called reality series. It was not necessary to even divulge any information - just ignore and talk about the skating and the programs and it would have been a much better strategy. But I digress...but I also have to agree with anon at 4:05 pm - that within 2-3 years - VM will be off the grid alltogether. For North Americans - I don't think Sochi will be as memorable as Vancouver and I don't think there will be as many endorsement opportunities post- Olympics here in North America as in 2010. Hell look at US figure skating - they are clinging on to Kwan, Yamaguchi, Lysacek and even Boitano...
Deleteoc, in response to your question, yes Blumberg has made questionable calls against V/M this season. Remember that curve lift in the FD at TEB? They got a level 2 call for that by Blumberg. Interesting because every other competition they've been in has called that lift a level 4.
ReplyDeleteBlumberg will not be the caller at Sochi, thank god.
Rettstatt is a sure thing to judge the team event, no Canadian judging that event. Sad. The writing is on the wall even before Tessa and Scott take to the ice before their individual events.
I hate this anonymous judging. As OC and many others have said, it really just invites corruption and allows for it to occur without consequence to the guilty party. It is very suspicious that every time Rettstatt is on the panel judging VM, they are lowballed by one judge, and i wish to see an investigation into this matter, but have very little hope that the ISU will do anything.
DeleteWe know for sure that DW are not being marked according to the rules and the ISU does not seem to care.
The USFSA has called for an end to anonymous judging. I can't help feeling this is a pro-active move to get ahead of the shady dealing that's going to happen in ice dance in Sochi, particularly if Shawn Rettstatt IS judging ice dance in Sochi, and makes sure he (anonymously) gives Virtue Moir the lowest marks so the next lowest marks are factored into their scores and thrown out for DW. That seems to be part of the game here, but if, shortly in advance of Sochi, the USFSA is saying - oh, anon judging should end (but not calling for its end until it's too late to impact Sochi) they come off pious.
DeleteThis sport is so full of shit.
OC - even if you got rid of anonymous judging - it won't change much unless journalists had a chance to actually speak to the judges at press conferences to justify their scores. The ISU won't allow that to happen. So until there is complete accountability - it's a mute point. Look at VM at nationals in the past two-three years where there have been some questionable calls - no one explains why it gets called a certain way. Remember with the GPF final in Quebec City with Funny Face that VM got lowballed with a lift (it was not correctly scored) and the ISU acknowledged the error months later but refused to change the score for the record books. They wouldn't have won that competition - but its the arrogance of the ISU and their judges. They have way too much power. Why do athletes need to schmooze the judges before the competition or win the practice sessions - what bullshit is this. In my opinion - during practice sessions - coaches should not be talking to judges and if judges are to give feedback to skaters/federations - it should be written and official. But we know that will never happen - especially journalists/commentators asking the hard questions.
DeleteThis is why the narrative is never about the skating. The "journalists" who cover figure skating don't bother to learn anything. The most widely read, such as Phil Hersch, don't know shit about it. E.M. Swift as well. In traditional sports coverage the journalists covering the game or event knows it well enough to observe that the refereeing or umpiring was shit, and to call it out specifically. This doesn't happen in figure skating. It's beauty pageant only in regards to ice dance and that's the way they want to keep it.
DeleteIs restatt in facebook or Twitter? Why not confront him there?
DeleteJulia Lipnitskaia is doing more skating in her LP than D/W are in their dances.
ReplyDeleteShe is a beautiful skater, isn't she?
DeleteIt is funny that you mention it because I see a lot of singles and pairs skaters who dance better than DW. Like, they seem to have actually put in the time with dancers to pick up particular dance steps and holds and styles. Kaetlyn Osmond does more foxtrot in her SP than DW do in their SD.
I am sorry to say but DW are weak dancers. Meryl is stronger than Charlie (who is VERY stiff), but neither of them move well. They have great timing--they will choreograph things to the beat which apparently is all that matters these days. being tight with the music. forget really working with all parts of the music.
DeleteI saw the gala from Canadian nationals and Lawrence and Swiegers have more dancing (and are far better at it) in their exhibition number than DW do in either of their dances. But it doesn't matter because dancing is no longer important in ice dance (and neither is skating). The sport is shit.
DeleteI find it funny that people keep questioning Tessa's health and stamina and speculating that she hasn't been able to train as much when she remains upright and maintains real speed throughout their programs. VM don't have choreographed stops, places of rest, or lots of hope so they can pick up speed without having to work for it. DW, meanwhile, have all those little helpers, plus they hunch a lot suggesting that their bodies are too tired or lack the strength to manage the movement. Yet they are regarded as the better trained, better conditioned, more athletic team. It is just interesting how these fake narratives gain traction.
ReplyDelete*hops, not hope
DeleteWell that's how TSL's owner has always been. Always chasing soap opera. AND, it's sexist. It's always the women who are the drama queens. He asked leading questions of P.J. Kwong that presupposed it must be Meryl and Tessa who don't communicate or have lunch. Why? It's not as if the men in figure skating aren't HUGE divas. Particularly men in dance, because traditionally it's been more difficult to come by a great male partner in dance than in pairs (in pairs, as it's the woman who has to make the twist and land the throws, it's the female who is at a premium. The biggest individual element challenge for a pairs man is the sbs triple jump).
Delete"plus they hunch a lot suggesting that their bodies are too tired or lack the strength to manage the movement. " hence why charlie always looks like he's going to pass out. i guess that sexy groping rest stop really helps him lol
DeleteI actually believe that Charlie's asthma is behind him looking so winded at the end. But yes, "that sexy groping rest stop" does give them a bit of time to rest. They looked really slow to me at nationals in this section (where they don't have all the hops and tugs at each other to gain speed). And their lifts still look really rough (execution-wise--we all know they have poor lifting technique to begin with). And yes, still the hunching and bad lines. I think they are struggling with this material. Their bodies look tired in that program.
DeleteMeanwhile VM were amazing at GPF and were strong at nationals as well, in spite of the mistakes. They look polished and ready to go. They just need to bring it like they did at GPF and not let their nerves get to them. I mean, I think the Olympics are fixed but I want VM to go out with two great skates.
http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?90442-A-detailed-system-for-evaluating-transitions-with-examples Another logical look at skating.
ReplyDeleteWho knows, maybe some scenes of blowing-off-steam-with-hometown-buddies, or TEB/Paris scenes, were scripted to allow the gf some moments of glory. Although I'm sure such moments in this show--if any--are rare. Scott is the master of his relationships. Lol.
ReplyDeleteIn the interviews promoting their show Scott did say this was the "real" them, "whether anyone liked it or not." He knew the stuff they were taping was despicable in its denial of something that should be precious, the love between a husband and wife and their love for their children.
ReplyDeleteAll they ever needed to do was refuse to talk about their private life. I don't appreciate the disrespect toward me as a fan that I have to just take all the b.s. lies and hoaxing they dump on the public, "whether we like it or not."
Well you know what, I don't like it and it shows me Scott is a belligerent, arrogant jerk. I've lost all respect.
just re-watched DW's FD from US nationals and the whole thing looked like a struggle: the lifts, the footwork, and the skating in between. Everything looked labored, not at all how i thought it would look at this point in the season. I read a report from someone who was there live and they said they were very slow (which is how it looked to me on TV).
ReplyDeletewould love to see this 'report' because I was there to see it in person and no way was anything they did a struggle , laborious or slow. They weren't frantic but at a perfect pace, depending on the speed of the music.
ReplyDeleteIt was on FSU. I am not trying to insult DW, I am just being honest. It looked like a struggle. OC did gifs of the curve lift and the combination lift, both of which were shaky to say the least. Charlie's blades looked out of control in both lifts. And when they are not hopping or running, they slow right down. This is something I have noticed this season. They are a talented team, but are nowhere near VM or PB, and have now fallen behind PI, HD, WP, the Shibutanis, BS, IK. A few of those teams have their issues, but they all have better basic skating than DW.
Delete8:03 here
Deletejust to add, these teams are also better at their elements than DW. DW have poor lifting technique, which OC has covered many times on this blog. And don't get me started on the step sequences.
All these teams have really improved and while DW have as well, they have not improved enough to keep up with the field, imo.
Charlie and meryl were slow at nationals 1051 and 1211. I saw skate america live and it was better then which is sad because that was 3 months ago. Despite the choreographed "flourishes" they skated through the music and we're not the best performance of the night. The twizzles were really small and I thought meryl was going to fall out of the upside down fetal llift when it went by me because they were both rocking so much.
ReplyDeleteits true. they were better at skate america
Deletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/needsleep/sets/72157640201806214/
ReplyDeleteSo much to eyeroll over in this one. They say Davis and White will skip across the ice like that's a good thing.