Dancing on Ice has never been more exciting than it was on Sunday night last week, as the remaining 12 stars took to the ice to do battle directly against each other.
Teamed up in pairs, the skaters had to go head-to-head, as they performed a “duel routine" alongside their professional partners.
Celebrity pairings consisted of Chico Slimani v Sam Nixon, Jennifer Ellison v Sebastien Foucan, Chemmy Alcott v Corey Feldman, Chalene Tilton v Heidi Range and Rosemary Conley v Andy Whyment.
It was the first time in Dancing on Ice history that the celebrities had to face each other on the ice, and it proved to be must-see TV, as everyone watched on the edge of their seats to see who would make it through - and who would crack.
Teamed up according to their scores from the previous week – to ensure the skaters in the duels were roughly of the same ability – only one person out of each pairing could be selected to have immunity from the vote on this weekend’s show.
The one who didn’t receive immunity – six in total – then faced the public vote, with Corey and Charlene the unlucky two who had to skate again for survival.
In the end, Corey was chosen to leave the contest after only Robin gave his vote to the Lost Boys star, while both Katarina and Louie chose to save Charlene. It's a tough result, but someone has to leave!
The night kicked off in style as former X Factor star Chico and his professional partner Jodeyne Higgins went up against Sam Nixon and Alexandra Schauman.
Dancing to Under Pressure, the boys impressed the judges, but they all chose to save smooth-mover Chico.
Chico was drafted in last minute after The One And Only singer Chesney Hawkes was injured in rehearsals, and has proved to be rather accomplished on the ice rink…
Head judge Robin Cousins was particularly impressed, commenting: “Chico you are so enthusiastic and there is great power within that enthusiasm.”
Enthusiasm was exactly what Robin felt Sam was missing meanwhile, with the judge telling him: “Sam you talked about footwork a moment ago and it was very precise and very neat. I would have liked to see more enthusiasm, but I understand you were looking after your partner.”
Katarina Witt agreed, telling Sam he needs a “better connection” with partner Alexandra, while Louie praised the TV presenter for his “nice lines” and “good speed”.
Next up, it was the turn of Jennifer Ellison and Dan Whiston to go up against Sebastien Foucan and Brianne Delcourt, who danced to Just Can’t Get Enough. Jen and Sebastien are both pretty skilled on the ice, so this was another impressive duel to watch.
Actress Jen, who revealed how she shed the pounds for her stint on Dancing on Ice, wowed with her sexy moves – perfectly shown off in her itsy-bitsy purple sparkly outfit.
Robin told her: “Jennifer you are glamorous and elegant and you always hit the perfect position in the lifts. When we started a couple of weeks ago, the skating was pretty much non-existent but you are much, much better now.”
He also had praise for Free Runner Sebastien too, telling him: "Sebastien, one thing you need to work on is your stance. But you are fun and the spin was fantastic.”
Katarina had similar praise, telling the pair: “Jennifer you have beautiful lines and the lifts are flawless. Robin said your skating has improved and I definitely agree with that. Sebastien you are raw and a free of spirit, I like your energy.”
Louie Spence agreed, and said he wanted to pick the “the celebrity who found their personality and performance this week.”
They were both impressive on the ice, but when it came down to it, all three judges chose Sebastien as their winner, giving him immunity in next weekend’s show.
NICE ON THE ICE:
The third couple to hit the ice was made up of professional skier Chemmy Alcott and partner Sean Rice v childhood actor Corey Feldman and Brooke Castile, who skated around to the sounds of Opposites Attract.
Chemmy’s ski training helped her to come on leaps and bounds this week, with the judges all commenting on her improvement.
Louie told the pretty blonde she is “always a perfect powerhouse”, Katarina commented that she was “so happy” Chemmy used her “physical strength” and praised her “strong athletic skills”, and Robin Cousins commented that the athlete had taken a “huge leap forward”.
Corey was given slightly less positive feedback, but all three judges agreed that he had made progress, with Katarina dubbing week four Corey’s “best performance” so far. However, the judges all decided that overall Chemmy had been the better skater, giving her their vote to secure immunity.
The fourth couple on the ice were Charlene Tilton, who strapped on her skates and danced onto the ice with partner Matthew Gonzalez. They went up against Sugababes star Heidi Range, who was performing with Andrei Lipanov.
Dancing to Islands In The Stream, Charlene showed off her inner Dolly Parton, as she whirled around, but it was Heidi the judges chose to save in the end.
Katarina commented: “Charlene acting is a big part of skating which you do well. Heidi you looked more comfortable on the ice, but you need to use your experience of being on stage more and really throw yourself into performance a bit more.”
Louie added: “Charlene it was a good safe performance. Heidi I feel as though you have pushed yourself this week.”
Head judge Robin agreed, telling the ladies “It’s a very difficult one. Heidi you really pushed yourself this week. That said there was some bad crossovers in there but the lifts were beautiful. Charlene every time we see you, you ingratiate yourself. We love you. But I’d love to see you pushing yourself as much as Matthew was pushing you around the ice.” Ouch.
Following Charlene and Heidi’s duel, it was time for the two best skaters in this year’s DOI - Jorgie Porter with partner Matt Evers, and Matthew Wolfenden with Nina Ulanova – to go head-to-head.
As Jorgie arrived on the rink, dressed in a skin-tight PVC outfit that showed off her perfectly toned abs, viewers could hardly keep their eyes on the actual moves as the sexy Hollyoaks star skated round the ice.
Matthew didn’t look too bad either, and his skill on the ice won him the contest in the end.
Dancing to 4 Minutes, Matthew and Jorgie gave the most impressive performance of the night, and it was the first one which split the opinion of the judges. Eventually Robin and Louie chose to save Matthew, while Katarina opted for Jorgie, giving the Emmerdale hunk immunity next weekend.
Both got top praise though. Katarina said “you were both incredible”, Robin told Matthew he “skates like a skater” and that Jorgie was “hot and sassy” and Louie agreed both were “phenomenal”.
The final performance of the night came from Rosemary Conley and Mark Hanretty who went up against Andy Whyment and Vicky Ogden.
Dancing to Baby It’s Cold Outside, Both were praised for their improved ice dancing, but in the end Rosemary won immunity after winning the vote from both Katarina and Robin, while Louie chose Andy.
In the end, Corey left Dancing on Ice after only Robin gave the Lost Boys star his vote, telling viewers: "It's been a lot of fun and it has been a tremendous experience."
Phew what a week! The results mean that Rosemary, Matthew, Heidi, Chemmy, Sebastien and Chico now have immunity in this Sunday’s show.
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