Five Pairs Remain Following First-Ever Tied Scores on CBC’s Battle of The Blades
CBC/Radio-Canada – Bottom two pairs Violetta Afanasieva and P.J. Stock, and Ekaterina Gordeeva and Bruno Gervais, perform in skate-off and receive identical scores from the judges, resulting in no elimination
October 10, 2019 – In a shocking twist that has never before happened on the series, the bottom two pairs received identical scores from the judges for their performances in tonight’s episode of the hit live series BATTLE OF THE BLADES (Season 5, 1×120, 6×60), resulting in no elimination. World Extreme pairs champion and three-time BATTLE OF THE BLADES fan favourite Violetta Afanasieva and her partner, former NHL player and past BATTLE OF THE BLADES competitor and judge P.J. Stock, found themselves in the bottom two, alongside Season 2 winner and two-time Olympic Games gold medallist in pairs skating, Ekaterina Gordeeva, and her partner, 13-year professional hockey player Bruno Gervais. Following their performances, the judges gave the pairs identical scores of 17.2, resulting in all five pairs continuing in the competition next Thursday, October 17.
**Photos from tonight’s episode of BATTLE OF THE BLADES can be found here.**
***Clips are available here.***
BATTLE OF THE BLADES features NHL veteran and Olympic hockey players and World and Olympic figure skaters partnering in a live, high-stakes figure skating competition in the hopes of winning the Season 5 championship, and a $100,000 donation to the charities of their choice. Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean reprises his role as host, with four-time Canadian and four-time World champion figure skater Kurt Browning returning as head judge. Former NHL player Colby Armstrong joins him on the judging panel alongside Olympic Games silver medallist in ice hockey Sarah Nurse as this week’s guest judge.
BATTLE OF THE BLADES, the highest-rated original English-language Canadian format of all time* and produced by Insight Productions, airs live Thursdays at 8 p.m. (9 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service. Voting is now open via cbc.ca/battleoftheblades to help determine next week’s bottom two, until Tuesday, October 15 at 12 p.m. ET.
The remaining pairs are:
Violetta Afanasieva and P.J. Stock
Amanda Evora and Colton Orr
Ekaterina Gordeeva and Bruno Gervais
Natalie Spooner and Andrew Poje
Kaitlyn Weaver and Sheldon Kennedy
A CBC original series, BATTLE OF THE BLADES is produced by Insight Productions. The series is executive produced by Insight’s John Brunton, Lindsay Cox, Erin Brock, and Mark Lysakowski and is co-created and executive produced by Olympian and World & Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Famer Sandra Bezic. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Programming; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; and Susan Taylor is Executive in Charge of Production.
*Source: Numeris, Total Canada, CBC Total, Battle of the Blades Seasons 1-4, Oct.4, 2009-Dec. 1, 2013, 2+ AMA, generated by InfoSys+TV.
Social Media:
#BOTB
Instagram: @cbcbattle
Facebook: /battleoftheblades
Twitter: @cbcbattle
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About CBC/Radio-Canada:
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Insight Productions Ltd.
Insight Productions, known for its award-winning ratings juggernauts, is Canada’s most established content producer and an industry leader in the development, financing, and production of hit programming, both scripted and unscripted, as well as digital content. Insight Senior Vice Presidents Erin Brock, Lindsay Cox and Mark Lysakowski serve as Executive Producers along with Insight’s Chairman, CEO and Executive Producer, John Brunton, on the new season of Insight’s original format BATTLE OF THE BLADES. With thousands of hours of programming under its belt, the company has created some of the most dynamic and top-rated programs in the world including THE AMAZING RACE CANADA – the most watched Canadian show on record, social media phenomenon and ratings hit – BIG BROTHER CANADA, Canada’s national music award show – THE JUNO AWARDS, TOP CHEF CANADA, INTERVENTION and original format THE LAUNCH. Insight’s scripted programming includes award-winning READY OR NOT, FALCON BEACH, HATCHING, MATCHING & DISPATCHING, A CHRISTMAS FURY, BUT I’M CHRIS JERICHO! And THE JON DORE TELEVISION SHOW along with feature documentaries HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD and GORDON LIGHTFOOT: IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND. In 2017, Insight produced THE TRAGICALLY HIP: A NATIONAL CELEBRATION, a live concert special watched by one in three Canadians. Insight Productions was founded in 1979 and has since created thousands of hours of ground-breaking content. For more information on Insight Productions, please visit www.insighttv.com or on Twitter @insightprod or Facebook www.facebook.com/InsightProductions.
For more information, please contact:
Tanya Koivusalo, CBC Publicist
416.205.8638
Charlotte Thompson, Unit Publicist
416.464.8220