Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance; the four individual disciplines are also combined into a team event, which was first included in the Winter Olympics in 2014. The non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating, Theater on Ice, and four skating. From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs, which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, and other elements or moves.
Jamie Rae Salé is a Canadian former competitive pair skater. With her former husband David Pelletier, she is the 2002 Olympic Champion and 2001 World Champion. The Olympic gold medals of Salé and Pelletier were shared with the Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze after the 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal.
Dancing with the Stars is an American dance competition television series that premiered on ABC on June 1, 2005. It is the American version of the British series Strictly Come Dancing, and one of several iterations of the Dancing with the Stars franchise. The show pairs celebrities with professional dancers. Each couple competes against the others for judges' points and audience votes. The couple receiving the lowest combined total of judges' points and audience votes is usually eliminated each week until only the champion dance pair remains. The series is hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, with Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli serving as judges.
Georges Laraque is a Canadian former ice hockey player noted for being one the most successful hockey enforcers of his time. Laraque retired from hockey in 2010 after the Montreal Canadiens bought out his contract. After being drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 1995, Georges still finds the team closest to his heart.
It Takes Two was an Australian music talent show, which ran for three seasons from May 2006 to April 2008. It was based on the original UK programme Just the Two of Us.
Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice was an Australian reality television series which was based on the original British version, Dancing on Ice. The series premiered on the Nine Network on Tuesday, 11 July 2006 at 7:30 pm, and involved celebrities ice dancing on a specially constructed ice rink located in Sydney's north-west suburbs. The series ran for one season before being cancelled, and the winner of the competition was model Jake Wall. The series reportedly cost several million dollars to produce and received above-average ratings.
The first season of Battle of the Blades debuted on CBC on October 4, 2009. Eight former NHL ice hockey players were paired with eight professional female figure skaters.
The second season of Battle of the Blades premiered on September 26, 2010, as a part of CBC's fall line-up. Like season 1, this season showcased a lineup of eight couples.
Skating with the Stars is an American reality competition series that aired on ABC from November 22 to December 21, 2010. A spin-off of Dancing with the Stars hosted by British television personality Vernon Kay, it featured celebrities paired with professionals from the world of figure skating.
The 2012 National Hockey League All-Star Game, took place on January 29, 2012, at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. This edition of the All-Star Game featured the "fantasy draft" format first seen in the previous 2011 NHL All-Star Game. The participating players voted for team captains, selecting Daniel Alfredsson of the All-Star host Ottawa Senators and Zdeno Chara of the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, himself also a former Senator.
InSecurity is a Canadian spy comedy television series that aired on CBC Television from 2011 to 2012. The series centres on a team of covert operatives working for the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), a fictional Canadian intelligence service. The series is set in Ottawa but filmed primarily in Regina, Saskatchewan. The initial season of 13 episodes premiered January 4, 2011. It was followed by a second season of 10 episodes before cancellation by CBC on April 19, 2012 due to budget cuts from the 2012 Canadian federal budget.
Cover Me Canada is a Canadian reality television competition show which airs on CBC Television. The show is a competition to find the most talented singer, rock band, group, or ensemble in Canada.
The first season of Canada's Got Talent, a reality television series, premiered on City in 2012. Unlike America's Got Talent, the show only had the audition round, Top 37, semi-finals and a finale. The premiere episode aired on March 4, 2012. It had a viewership of 2 million on average, throughout the night, which was a record for Citytv. The season ended on May 14, 2012.
The third season of Battle of the Blades premiered on September 18, 2011, as a part of CBC's fall line-up. Like previous seasons, this season showcases a lineup of 8 couples.
The seventh series of Dancing on Ice aired from on 8 January to 25 March 2012, on ITV. Phillip Schofield returned as presenter, but Holly Willoughby was replaced by Christine Bleakley. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean returned to mentor the celebrities, with Karen Barber returning as head coach. This series was judged by Robin Cousins, Louie Spence, and Katarina Witt. The show moved back to its original location of Elstree Studios, which had been used during the show's first five series, but still used the same layout introduced in the previous series.
The fourth season of Battle of the Blades premiered on September 22, 2013, as a part of CBC's fall line-up after a two-year hiatus. Like previous seasons, this season showcases a lineup of 8 couples.
Season twenty-one of the American television competition series Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 14, 2015.
Season twenty-six of Dancing with the Stars, titled Dancing with the Stars: Athletes, premiered on April 30, 2018, on the ABC network. The four-week season, the shortest ever, featured a cast of current and former athletes.
The fifth season of Battle of the Blades premiered on September 19, 2019, on CBC Television after a six-year hiatus from the sport, featuring seven couples.
The sixth season of Battle of the Blades premiered on October 22, 2020, on CBC Television featuring eight couples. The venue of this season was moved to CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.
