CBC/Radio-Canada – 2019 European Pairs Champion Vanessa James and 14-Season NHL Veteran Brian McGrattan Depart the Competition
Five Pairs Remain On The Hit Live Series
October 3, 2019 – Six-time French pairs champion, 2018 Grand Prix Final champion and 2019 European champion Vanessa James and her partner, NHL veteran Brian McGrattan, were the second pair to be iced on tonight’s episode of the hit live competition series BATTLE OF THE BLADES (Season 5, 1×120, 6×60). James and McGrattan came into tonight’s show 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. The two teams were ranked lowest of the six competing pairs. At the end of an intense skate-off in tonight’s episode which featured a country music theme, the judges gave James and McGrattan a lower score, sending them off the ice and home. Gordeeva and Gervais will continue in the competition next Thursday, October 10.
**Photos from tonight’s episode of BATTLE OF THE BLADES can be found here.**
***Clips are available here.***
James was competing in support of the Alzheimer Society of Canada, which works to make life better for Canadians affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and advances research to improve diagnosis, treatments and to find a cure, while McGrattan was competing in support of the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society, which works to help homeless animals in Alberta communities. Based on their participation in the competition, the skaters each receive $12,500 for their charity.
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 two-time World ice dance silver medallist Marie-France Dubreuil 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 8 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