Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Let’s Talk…Male Figure Skaters. Or just one in particular.

I was home sick yesterday.  Yuck.

But I did have a highlight to my day.  And believe it or not, it involved a male figure skater.  And he is going to be the topic of my discussion today on Talk  To Us Tuesday, hosted by Impulsive Addict and Shawn!!

Talk2Us

First of all:  MY FRIEND SHEENA FIXED MY TV FRIDAY NIGHT!!!  Woooo hoooooooo!!!  Apparently all it was was this little button on the back that had got switched.  Ever since she switched it, it’s been good as gold.  I haven’t had to fiddle with any chords or anything!!  *knock on wood*

So now that my TV is functioning again, I’m back in the TV swing of things.  Monday nights aren’t exactly big TV nights in my world, but last night, with nothing to do but lie on my couch and feel yucky, I tuned in to Battle of the Blades.

BattleoftheBlades_medium

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it’s like Dancing With the Stars, Canadian-style.  They take a bunch of former NHL players and pair them up with world-renowned female figure skaters.  The guys have to train hard, to soften their crusty edges, limber up, and learn how to work the toe-pick. Each contestant is playing for a charity of their choice.  After the judges award their marks, the public gets to vote on who they want to see stay in the game.  Each week, another skating duo are axed, eliminating them from winning the prize money for their charity (I think it’s something like $25,000.)

So this year, Battle of the Blades got off to a rough start when several weeks before the competition was to begin, one of the contestants slated to take part in this season, former NHL tough guy Wade Belak, was found dead.  He allegedly took his own life.

Belaknew_1315568cl-8

But Battle of the Blades has decided to carry on without him, with former NHL player and former Battle of the Blades competitor Russ Courtnall stepping in to take Wade’s place.  Courtnall’s father committed suicide when he was a young boy, so naturally Wade’s sad and untimely death hit him hard.  He offered to compete in honour of the charity Wade had chosen.

Despite the Belak tragedy, Battle of the Blades has a fun new scenario for the viewers to get excited about.  For the first time, a female pro hockey player is taking part in the contest.  Tessa Bonhomme, an Olympic hockey gold medalist for Canada in 2010, is going up against some of the best female figure skaters in the world.  And lucky ol’ her…she gets paired with David Pelletier.

david and tess

Man.  Sucks to be her, eh?

So yes.  I’ve had a little crush on David Pelletier since 2002 when he and his partner, Jamie Sale, won gold in pairs figure skating at the Olympics after a giant controversy.  The win threw them into the spotlight, landing them spots on high-profile American talk and comedy shows.  They were, literally, the talk of the Olympic games.

David & Jamie gold

Not long after, I was walking down a sidewalk in Ottawa on my way to school when I spotted them.  They were incognito – dark shades, tuques, hoods.  Clearly not wanting to stop and sign autographs.  Clearly not wanting to be noticed.

But I was starstruck.  I guess I was staring, because as Jamie got closer, she dropped her shades an inch, smiled and winked at me, then followed David as he ran through a crosswalk and ducked into a Starbucks.

One of my very few “celebrity encounters”.

The thing that I love about David Pelletier?  He’s not your typical fruity male figure skater.  You know.  Like this guy.

z209536350

Literally.  I Googled “Fruity Male Figure Skater”, and this picture came up.

David, on the other hand, looks more like the boy next door.  He’s built.  He’s handsome.  And he has such a great smile.

david

david pelletier

david pelletier 2

Of course, I also fell in love with the fact that his on-ice partner was also his real-life love.  Following their big Olympic win, Jamie and David truly became Canada’s sweethearts when they got married and started a family.

david and jamie

david and jamie 3

david and jamie baby

Like, seriously.  How hot is HE?!?!  Don’t you agree?   In this case, it’s gotta be okay to have a crush on a male figure skater, right??

I mean, just look at his arms.

david and jamie 2

And just look at him with his baby boy, Jesse!!!

david and baby

You know me… A hot man holding a baby…

I die.

So there’s some bad news.  While Jamie and David are still skating partners, and both still working for Battle of the Blades (in the past she’s been the contestant while he’s been a trainer – this year, obviously, the roles are reversed) – they divorced in 2010.  My heart broke a little at this news.

BUT.  There’s a silver lining here.  Because David is now SINGLE (as far as  I know). 

And that, of course, makes watching him on Battle of the Blades that much more fun.

Naturally, he and Tessa got the highest marks from the judges out of all the performances this week. 

My David’s gonna win this thing. :)

14 comments:

Nicole said...

Oh that is so a show I could get into watching! And him with the baby, yeah he's good looking, but why does it seem like those pro skaters get married and then divorced.

Amanda said...

OMG, your fruity male figure skater made me laugh out loud as my Director came out of her office and she asked what was so funny so I showed her..she giggled and gave me a weird look and walked away... LOL

Unknown said...

Sounds like a fun show- I totally would have loved that - so sad to hear they divorced though :(

~Becca

Kristine said...

I've never ever seen that show but will start now that I know Pelletier is competing. YUMMO!!

Jen said...

I love that you actually googled “Fruity Male Figure Skater” and got that picture....bhahahaha!!!

Vikki said...

An FYI this e-mail is from Stephanie Richardson...please make sure to vote:)

"You won't believe it - Bryan Berard is making DIFD his charity of choice for Battle of the Blades!!
We need to spread the word and get people voting for him.
We are completely overwhelmed.

P.S.
Bryan said its a 25K donation towards the charity just for competing in Battle of the Blades
The further we go in the show the more $ the show donates
30K for 3rd place
35K for 2nd place
100K for 1st place
And he would do his best to win it!!

Jill said...

Thanks for posting that, Vikki! I missed Bryan's skate on Sunday, but will definitely vote for him next week. I love David, but DIFD is more important for sure!!

Impulsive Addict said...

Aww...they divorced. And they had such a cute adorable baby. Boo. But wow! He is pretty cute! I bet your tv lineup is totally different than ours down here huh. i never even thought about that. Do we have any shows in common?

Thanks for linking up with us! MUAH!

Nay said...

you make me laugh - but he's male, who cares if he's a figure skater?!

Stacie said...

Oh, I loved them together, I'm so bummed it didn't work out, but he is still a hottie!

Mom of 12 said...

I like watching skating. Such amazing athletes.
Sandy

Amber said...

Is that Sir Evan fluttering his way across the ice in that feathery leotard you have pictured?? Fruity male figure skater, hahaha

I LOVE DWTS so I'm almost sure I would love this. I actually think there may have been something like that down here, but I wasn't a DWTS fan then so I probably wouldn't have watched it.

Shawn said...

Sorry I missed you last week but I was busy getting ready for IA;s visit!

I have never heard of this show but I do recognize the couple. How sad is it that they're divorced, it's good for you though right> Good luck!

Missed you this week at TTUT, hope to see you back soon!

Cinesnatch said...

"... He’s not your typical fruity male figure skater. You know. Like this guy. [Picture of Johnny Weir]"

You're a real [redacted] for writing this. Sorry, not sorry.