Battle of the Blades
| Battle of the Blades | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by |
Sandra Bezic Kevin Albrecht |
| Presented by |
Ron MacLean Kurt Browning (2009-2011) Maura Grierson (2011) |
| Judges | Kurt Browning (2013) Jamie Salé (2013) (2013) Sandra Bezic (2009-2011) Jeremy Roenick (2010-2011) Dick Button (2009) |
| Opening theme | "There Will Never Be Another Tonight" performed by Bryan Adams |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 57 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) |
Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, Ontario (season 1) Pinewood Toronto Studios Toronto, Ontario (season 2) MasterCard Centre Etobicoke, Ontario (season 3-4) |
| Running time | 60-120 minutes (performance shows) 30-60 minutes (results show) (times include commercials) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC |
| Original release | October 4, 2009 – November 17, 2013 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Battle of the Blades (or BOTB for short) was a Canadian figure skating reality show and competition that aired on CBC Television. It was first broadcast before a live audience at the historic Maple Leaf Gardens. With Maple Leaf Gardens under renovation however, the show was filmed at Pinewood Toronto Studios in season two. The venue moved again in season three to MasterCard Centre located in Etobicoke, Ontario.
The series resembles the international reality show Dancing with the Stars and is similar in concept to Dancing On Ice from the UK. The biggest difference, and the show's main "hook", is that Battle of the Blades brings two very different styles of skaters together: hockey players are paired with prominent figure skaters to perform figure skating routines. During the first two seasons, contestants were strictly male hockey players from the NHL, paired with female figure skaters. In Season Three, Tessa Bonhomme was cast as the first female hockey player contestant, making her partner, David Pelletier the show's first male professional figure skating competitor.
In 2010, the French-language CBC's counterpart, Télévision de Radio-Canada, was planning to air a Quebec version, but did not decide if it would be an adaptation or a French-dubbed version. The show's executive producer thinks that it may also interest other countries like Russia.
On April 19, 2012, CBC announced that due to recent budget cuts by the Canadian federal government, Battle of the Blades has been put on "hiatus" and would not appear on the 2012 fall schedule, stating that the network could not afford the high production costs of the show. Although not technically cancelled by CBC, executive producer John Brunton mentioned that the show may search for other network alternatives to produce future seasons.
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