CBC/Radio Canada – Two-Time Olympic Games Medallist in Ice Hockey Amanda Kessel and Three-Time Olympic Games Medallist in Pairs Skating Eric Radford Depart the Competition
Six Pairs Remain On The Hit Live Series
September 26, 2019 – Olympic Games gold and silver medal-winning ice hockey player Amanda Kessel and her partner, two-time World pairs champion and three-time Olympic Games medallist Eric Radford, were the first pair to be iced on tonight’s episode of the hit live competition series BATTLE OF THE BLADES (Season 5, 1×120, 6×60). Kessel and Radford came into tonight’s show in the bottom two, alongside Olympian in pairs skating and Season 4 winner Amanda Evora and her partner, former Toronto Maple Leaf Colton Orr. The two teams were ranked lowest of the six competing pairs (note: Violetta Afanasieva and her partner P.J. Stock were given a bye during the first week due to the forced departure of Afanasieva’s original partner Colby Armstrong following an injury suffered in training). At the end of an intense skate-off in tonight’s episode celebrating the ‘decades,’ the judges gave Kessel and Radford a lower score, sending them off the ice and home. Evora and Orr will continue in the competition next Thursday, October 3.
**Photos from tonight’s episode of BATTLE OF THE BLADES can be found here.**
***Clips will be available here later this evening.***
Kessel was competing on behalf of SickKids Foundation, in support of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, while Radford was competing in support of Egale Canada, which works to improve the lives of all LGBTQI2S people.
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. The guest judges on tonight’s episode were Colby Armstrong, who was recently named as a permanent judge for Season 5, former Toronto Maple Leaf Darcy Tucker and World Champion pairs skater and World Figure Skating Hall Of Fame recipient Barbara Underhill.
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 1 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
Vanessa James and Brian McGrattan
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