Dancing on Ice - ITV1
Is Coleen Nolan About to Become The New John Sergeant?
“It’s a shame it’s still a popularity contest.” So says panto villain judge Jason Gardiner, faced with the choice of voting off ex-Blue Peter presenter Zoe Salmon or former Liberty X singer Jessica Taylor. In the end Jessica was saved and makes it through to next week’s semi final. But does Gardiner have a point? Despite putting in her strongest performance to date, even with a broken wrist, Coleen Nolan still came bottom in the judges’ scoring table. It was yet another public vote that saved Nolan from the dreaded skate-off, much to the ill-concealed astonishment of Gardiner and the other judges.
The British Love An Underdog
There is no denying that Coleen tries her hardest, week in week out, and is by some way the oldest celebrity in the competition. Rather than collapsing in floods of tears with her injury, she laughingly called herself a “drama queen” as people fussed around her, although she was clearly in pain. The fact is, however, she simply cannot skate as well as the others, something she herself would be the first to admit. She also appears to have very low self-confidence, and often appears hesitant on the ice. While others, notably hot favourite Ray Quinn, improve with every passing week, Coleen’s constant nerves do nothing but hold her back. Placing her just before or just after Ray in the skating line-up definitely does her no favours either.
Is another storm in a teacup about to erupt, as it did when John Sergeant waddled his way through Strictly Come Dancing, surviving week after week as the public recognised a true underdog and willed him on? The howls of outrage rang round the land when he gallantly fell on his sword and bowed out without being voted off. Those who shelled out their hard-earned cash to vote for him eventually had their money refunded, but it all left a rather nasty taste in the mouth.
Should The Best Skater Win?
So the same question rises to the fore once again – is this type of show a talent competition, or a bit of light entertainment as ordinary people gawp at “celebrities” trying their hand at something new? Every viewer has their own favourite, but it’s not always the one who gives the best performance. Quinn is obviously the most talented, producing a magnificent Russian split jump this week when others could barely get two feet off the ice at the same time. But does his natural ability automatically mean he should win? Dancing on Ice is not about producing future Olympic champions, merely a pleasant way to pass a Sunday evening.
Programme makers love reality television, without or without celebrity involvement. The format is simple and people tune in by the million, which means lots of cash flowing in as viewers are urged to vote for their favourite to keep them safe from elimination. But the taint of voting irregularities already hangs over The X Factor and I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here – if they are not careful, ITV might alienate the public once more. If Coleen jumps before she is pushed, viewers may vote with their remote and refuse to tune in. It will be very interesting to see if the public gets what the public wants.
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