Higgins and Daneyko out on Battle of the Blades; Yamaguchi in as guest judge

From a media release:

JODEYNE HIGGINS AND KEN DANEYKO ARE THE NEXT TO BE ICED ON CBC-TV’s BATTLE OF THE BLADES

• Christine Hough-Sweeney and Tie Domi back for another week

Jodeyne Higgins and Ken Daneyko, after a heartfelt and soulful performance, were the fourth pair iced, as the results were revealed during tonight’s broadcast on BATTLE OF THE BLADES. Christine Hough-Sweeney and Tie Domi are the fourth pair to be saved, joining the three remaining pairs for a chance to win $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

The two pairs with the fewest votes in the fourth week of competition were Higgins and Daneyko, who skated to James Brown’s I Got You, and Hough-Sweeney and Domi, who performed their routine to Robin Thicke’s Superman. Both pairs performed again before regular judges Sandra Bezic, Dick Button and guest judge Lanny McDonald for a final chance to remain on the show. McDonald is renowned for his years with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.

For their efforts, Higgins and Daneyko’s Canadian charity, Foundation Fighting Blindness, will receive a $25,000 donation. Foundation Fighting Blindness is a national charity organization that funds research into the causes, treatments and ultimately the cure for all retinal disease. Its annual Ride for Sight event is Canada’s largest motorcycle charity fundraiser in support of the Foundation.

The four pairs returning to compete on Sunday, November 1 are: Shae-Lynn Bourne and Claude Lemieux, Marie-France Dubreuil and Stéphane Richer, Christine Hough-Sweeney and Tie Domi, Jamie Salé and Craig Simpson. All will perform to songs inspired by movies and musicals.

Olympic gold medalist and figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi and her husband Bret Hedican, who won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes, will reside as guest judges for the fifth week of BATTLE OF THE BLADES, Sunday, November 1 and Monday, November 2. Yamaguchi and Hedican will draw from their knowledge of both sports to provide a combined score alongside regular judges Bezic and Button. All four will also determine who of the bottom two ranking pairs—as determined by viewer votes—gets iced on Monday’s skate-off show.

Viewers can learn more about the competitors at www.cbc.ca/battle, the official online portal for the series and the source for everything about BATTLE OF THE BLADES. In addition to videos and behind-the-scene photos, the site offers viewers the opportunity to become fans of their favourite pair and track each participant’s activity as they strive to be the final pair remaining at the end of the series.

BATTLE OF THE BLADES is the brainchild of Kevin Albrecht with development by Sandra Bezic. BATTLE OF THE BLADES executive producers are John Brunton, Barbara Bowlby and Kevin Albrecht. It is produced by Insight Productions in association with CBC Television.