Battle of the Blades (season 3)

The third season of Battle of the Blades premiered on September 18, 2011 as a part of CBC's fall line-up. Like previous seasons, this season showcases a lineup of 8 couples.

Battle of the Blades
Season 3
Celebrity winner	Tessa Bonhomme
Professional winner	David Pelletier
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	17
Release
Original network	CBC
Original release	September 18 – November 14, 2011
Season chronology

Ron MacLean and Kurt Browning return as the show's hosts, with the addition of Virgin Radio 999 DJ Maura Grierson as the "Battle Correspondent", providing viewers a look backstage during the competition. Sandra Bezic continues as the head judge, with Jeremy Roenick as the other regular judge. This season will continue to have one rotating guest judge every week. The show venue for this season is MasterCard Centre in Toronto, Ontario.[1]

Like the previous season, the September 18th season premiere was actually a preview of the competition, entitled "Battle of the Blades: Game On". It documented the announcement of the cast, training camp and partner assignments of the eight couples, and was dedicated to deceased competitor Wade Belak.[2] The first competition night was broadcast live on Sunday, September 25, 2011. Due to public demand, there was no elimination in week 1, with the first couple eliminated in week 2.

This season introduces "The Judges' Save", which can be used to save a couple from elimination should they be voted off after the Monday night Skate-Off. However, it can only be used once during the entire season and only with the consensus of all judges.

Casting

The official cast announcement was made on the morning of August 22, 2011 on the show's website. It was revealed that the first female hockey player competitor would be cast this season: Olympic Women's Hockey gold medalist Tessa Bonhomme. She is partnered with Olympic Pairs Figure Skating gold medalist David Pelletier. The announcement also revealed six of the seven remaining male NHL hockey players and the all skating professionals. The seven female professionals this season include previous participants Marie-France Dubreuil (season 1 second runner-up), Anabelle Langlois (season 2), Violetta Afanasieva (season 2), and first-timers Elena Berezhnaya, Tanith Belbin, Kim Navarro, and Marcy Hinzmann-Harris. The partnering of competitors beyond Bonhomme & Pelletier were not announced at the time.[3]

On August 30, 2011, former Calgary Flames team captain Todd Simpson confirmed on his Twitter page that he is the eighth hockey player participant of the season.[4]

On August 31, 2011, competitor Wade Belak died less than one month before the scheduled premiere.[5] CBC stated that Belak's death would not affect the show's premiere but did not announce at that time if Belak's spot would be replaced by another hockey player.[6] CBC announced the season would open with a dedication to Belak, with footage of his final days training for the competition shown during the preview show, "Game On".[2]

At the end of the programme "Game On", it was announced that Kim Navarro, originally Wade Belak's partner, would now be skating with former participant Russ Courtnall. Courtnall participated in season 2 with Christine Hough-Sweeney and was the first couple eliminated. Courtnall and Navarro are competing for Belak's original charity of choice, Tourette Syndrome and Neurodevelopmental Clinic at the Toronto Western Hospital.[7] Courtnall is the first hockey player participant to compete in more than one season.

Couples

Hockey player	Team(s) played	Professional partner	Charity playing for	Status
Todd Simpson	Calgary Flames Florida Panthers Phoenix Coyotes Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Ottawa Senators Chicago Blackhawks Montreal Canadiens	Marcy Hinzmann-Harris	YMCA's Y Strong Kids Campaign (Simpson) Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (Hinzmann-Harris)	Eliminated 1st on October 3, 2011
Russ Courtnall	Toronto Maple Leafs Montreal Canadiens Minnesota North Stars Dallas Stars Vancouver Canucks New York Rangers Los Angeles Kings	Kim Navarro	Tourette Syndrome and Neurodevelopmental Clinic at the Toronto Western Hospital	Eliminated 2nd on October 10, 2011
Brad May	Buffalo Sabres Vancouver Canucks Phoenix Coyotes Colorado Avalanche Anaheim Ducks Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings	Anabelle Langlois	Autism Speaks	Eliminated 3rd on October 24, 2011
Cale Hulse	New Jersey Devils Calgary Flames Nashville Predators Phoenix Coyotes Columbus Blue Jackets	Violetta Afanasieva	Canadian Cancer Society	Eliminated 4th on October 31, 2011
Curtis Leschyshyn	Quebec Nordiques Colorado Avalanche Washington Capitals Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes Minnesota Wild Ottawa Senators	Elena Berezhnaya	Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan	Eliminated 5th on November 7, 2011
Boyd Devereaux	Phoenix Coyotes Edmonton Oilers Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs	Tanith Belbin	Epilepsy Ontario, Huron-Perth-Bruce (Devereaux) Montreal Neurological Institute (Belbin)	Third Place on November 14, 2011
Bryan Berard	Columbus Blue Jackets Chicago Blackhawks Boston Bruins New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs New York Islanders	Marie-France Dubreuil	Do it for Daron (DIFD) with the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health	Second Place on November 14, 2011
Tessa Bonhomme	Toronto Furies Mississauga Chiefs Ohio State Buckeyes	David Pelletier	Run for the Cure (Bonhomme) Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada (Pelletier)	Winners on November 14, 2011

Scoring Chart

Red numbers indicate the couples with the lowest score for each week.

Green numbers indicate the couples with the highest score for each week.

     indicates the couple eliminated that week.

     indicates the returning couple(s) that finished in the bottom two/three.

     indicates the returning couple that was saved by the judges using "The Judges' Save" after being eliminated in the Skate-Off the same night.

     indicates the winning couple.

     indicates the runner-up couple.

     indicates the third-place couple.

Team	Place	1	2	1+2	3	4	5	6	7	8^[a]
Tessa & David	1	17.0	16.6	33.6	16.4	17.1	17.1	17.5	17.6	✔
Bryan & Marie-France	2	16.5	16.6	33.1	16.7	16.9	17.5	17.4	18.0	✔
Boyd & Tanith	3	16.2	17.1	33.3	16.5	17.0	17.3	17.8	17.7	✔
Curtis & Elena	4	16.4	16.5	32.9	16.3	17.1	17.2	16.9	17.4
Cale & Violetta	5	16.6	16.4	33.0	16.6	17.2	16.8	17.6
Brad & Anabelle	6	16.2	16.9	33.1	16.7	16.9	16.8
Russ & Kim	7	16.7	16.5	33.2	16.7
Todd & Marcy	8	16.5	16.6	33.1

Skate-Off Chart

Week	Bottom Two Couples (Weeks 5, 7: Bottom Three)	Music	Judges' Vote to Eliminate	Eliminated Couple	"The Judges' Save" Used
2	Cale & Violetta	"Love to Love" – Jill Scott	0 (NIL)	Todd & Marcy	No
	Todd & Marcy	"Apologize" – OneRepublic	3 (Theo, Sandra, Jeremy)
3	Russ & Kim	"Dancing Fool" – Barry Manilow	2 (Sandra, Shae-Lynn)	Russ & Kim	No
	Boyd & Tanith	"She Wants to Move" – N.E.R.D (featuring Alesha Dixon)	1 (Mark)
4	Cale & Violetta	"She's So High" – Tal Bachman	0 (NIL)	Brad & Anabelle ( Saved using Judges' Save )	YES
	Brad & Anabelle	"Come Fly with Me" – Michael Bublé	3 (Bryan, Sandra, Brian)
5^[b]	Curtis & Elena	"Give Me Everything" – Pitbull (featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer)	0 (NIL)	Brad & Anabelle	Not Applicable
	Brad & Anabelle	"Electric" – Shawn Desman	3 (Chris, Sandra, Jeremy)
	Cale & Violetta	"Suddenly I See" – KT Tunstall	0 (NIL)
6	Cale & Violetta	"Love Potion No. 9" – The Clovers	3 (Katarina, Sandra, Jeremy)	Cale & Violetta	Not Applicable
	Boyd & Tanith	"Tore My Heart" – OONA	0 (NIL)
7^[c]	Curtis & Elena	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – Casey Desmond, Jeff Jenkins	3 (Christopher, Sandra, Jeremy)	Curtis & Elena	Not Applicable
	Bryan & Marie-France	"If I Can't Have You" – Etta James, Harvey Fuqua	0 (NIL)
	Tessa & David	"It's Only Love" – Bryan Adams, Tina Turner	0 (NIL)

Notes

• a ^ Skates in Week 8 were not scored by the judges.
• b ^ Week 5 resulted in a Three-Way Skate-Off due to 0.03% separating 4th and 5th place after the combination of judges' score and viewer's voting. The organizers decided that because of the close margin, the 4th place couple would also participate in the Skate-Off. However, the exact placements of the Bottom 3 couples were not revealed.
• c ^ Week 7 resulted in a Three-Way Skate-Off due to 0.002% separating 2nd and 3rd place after the combination of judges' score and viewer's voting. The organizers decided that because of the close margin, the 2nd place couple would also participate in the Skate-Off. However, the exact placements of the Bottom 3 couples were not revealed.

Average chart

Rank by average	Place	Couple	Total	Number of skates	Average
1	2	Bryan & Marie-France	119.6	7	17.09
	3	Boyd & Tanith
3	1	Tessa & David	119.3		17.04
4	5	Cale & Violetta	101.2	6	16.87
5	4	Curtis & Elena	117.8	7	16.83
6	6	Brad & Anabelle	83.5	5	16.70
7	7	Russ & Kim	49.9	3	16.63
8	8	Todd & Marcy	33.1	2	16.55

Weekly themes and guest judges

Week	Theme	Guest Judge(s)
1	Rock N' Roll	Darcy Tucker
2	Passion	Theoren Fleury
3	The Beat	Mark Napier Paul Martini (substituting for Jeremy Roenick on Sunday) Shae-Lynn Bourne (substituting for Jeremy Roenick on Monday)
4	The Great Canadian Songbook	Bryan Trottier Brian Orser (substituting for Jeremy Roenick)
5	Fans' Music Choice	Chris Nilan
6	Hallowe'en	Katarina Witt
7	Duets	Christopher Dean
8	Skaters' Choice & Reprise Skate	Don Cherry (Sunday only)

Individual scores & songs

Week 1

Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:
Darcy Tucker, Sandra Bezic, Jeremy Roenick.

Running order

Couple	Score	Music
Brad & Anabelle	16.2 (5.4, 5.4, 5.4)	"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" – Nickelback
Cale & Violetta	16.6 (5.5, 5.6, 5.5)	"E.T." – Katy Perry
Boyd & Tanith	16.2 (5.6, 5.3, 5.3)	"Innocent" – Our Lady Peace
Bryan & Marie-France	16.5 (5.5, 5.5, 5.5)	"Rocketeer" – Far East Movement (featuring Ryan Tedder)
Russ & Kim	16.7 (5.6, 5.6, 5.5)	"Hero" – Chad Kroeger (featuring Josey Scott)
Curtis & Elena	16.4 (5.5, 5.4, 5.5)	"Animal" – Neon Trees
Todd & Marcy	16.5 (5.5, 5.5, 5.5)	"Fire" – Raghav
Tessa & David	17.0 (5.7, 5.7, 5.6)	"Hit Me with Your Best Shot" – Pat Benatar

Week 2

Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:
Theoren Fleury, Sandra Bezic, Jeremy Roenick.

Running order

Couple	Score	Music
Cale & Violetta	16.4 (5.5, 5.4, 5.5)	"Love to Love" – Jill Scott
Todd & Marcy	16.6 (5.4, 5.6, 5.6)	"Apologize" – OneRepublic
Russ & Kim	16.5 (5.6, 5.4, 5.5)	"Buttons" – Pussycat Dolls
Curtis & Elena	16.5 (5.5, 5.5, 5.5)	"The Crow and the Butterfly" – Shinedown
Tessa & David	16.6 (5.6, 5.3, 5.7)	"Cold as Ice" – Foreigner
Bryan & Marie-France	16.6 (5.5, 5.5, 5.6)	"Lost Together" – Blue Rodeo
Boyd & Tanith	17.1 (5.7, 5.7, 5.7)	"Jar of Hearts" – Christina Perri
Brad & Anabelle	16.9 (5.6, 5.6, 5.7)	"I am a Natural Born Lover" – David Wilcox

Week 3

Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:
Mark Napier, Sandra Bezic, Paul Martini.

Running order

Couple	Score	Music
Boyd & Tanith	16.5 (5.6, 5.5, 5.4)	"She Wants to Move" – N.E.R.D (featuring Alesha Dixon)
Brad & Anabelle	16.7 (5.6, 5.6, 5.5)	"I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" – Scissor Sisters
Bryan & Marie-France	16.7 (5.5, 5.7, 5.5)	"Elevatas" – Robin Thicke
Tessa & David	16.4 (5.5, 5.4, 5.5)	"Return of the Mack" – Mark Morrison
Cale & Violetta	16.6 (5.6, 5.6, 5.4)	"Mr. Saxobeat" – Alexandra Stan
Curtis & Elena	16.3 (5.5, 5.4, 5.4)	"Hello" – Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Russ & Kim	16.7 (5.6, 5.6, 5.5)	"Dancing Fool" – Barry Manilow

Week 4

Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:
Bryan Trottier, Sandra Bezic, Brian Orser.

Running order

Couple	Score	Music
Bryan & Marie-France	16.9 (5.6, 5.8, 5.5)	"Sk8er Boi" – Avril Lavigne
Cale & Violetta	17.2 (5.6, 5.8, 5.8)	"She's So High" – Tal Bachman
Tessa & David	17.1 (5.7, 5.7, 5.7)	"Long Time Running" – The Tragically Hip
Curtis & Elena	17.1 (5.7, 5.7, 5.7)	"Let's Go Higher" – Johnny Reid
Brad & Anabelle	16.9 (5.7, 5.6, 5.6)	"Come Fly with Me" – Michael Bublé
Boyd & Tanith	17.0 (5.7, 5.7, 5.6)	"Black Velvet" – Alannah Myles

Week 5

Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:
Chris Nilan, Sandra Bezic, Jeremy Roenick.

Running order

Couple	Score	Music
Brad & Anabelle	16.8 (5.6, 5.6, 5.6)	"Electric" – Shawn Desman
Tessa & David	17.1 (5.7, 5.7, 5.7)	"Breakaway" – Kelly Clarkson
Boyd & Tanith	17.3 (5.8, 5.7, 5.8)	"Fever" – Michael Bublé
Cale & Violetta	16.8 (5.6, 5.6, 5.6)	"Suddenly I See" – KT Tunstall
Curtis & Elena	17.2 (5.7, 5.8, 5.7)	"Give Me Everything" – Pitbull (featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer)
Bryan & Marie-France	17.5 (5.7, 5.9, 5.9)	"Can't Help Falling in Love" – Elvis Presley

Week 6

Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:
Katarina Witt, Sandra Bezic, Jeremy Roenick.

Running order

Couple	Score	Music
Curtis & Elena	16.9 (5.6, 5.6, 5.7)	"Ladies and Gentlemen" – Saliva
Bryan & Marie-France	17.4 (5.8, 5.8, 5.8)	"Tainted Love" – Marilyn Manson
Boyd & Tanith	17.8 (6.0, 5.9, 5.9)	"Tore My Heart" – OONA
Cale & Violetta	17.6 (5.8, 5.9, 5.9)	"Love Potion No. 9" – The Clovers
Tessa & David	17.5 (5.9, 5.8, 5.8)	"Haunted House" – Elvira

Week 7

Individual judges scores in charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right:
Christopher Dean, Sandra Bezic, Jeremy Roenick.

Running order

Couple	Score	Music
Tessa & David	17.6 (5.8, 5.9, 5.9)	"It's Only Love" – Bryan Adams, Tina Turner
Curtis & Elena	17.4 (5.8, 5.8, 5.8)	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – Casey Desmond, Jeff Jenkins
Boyd & Tanith	17.7 (5.9, 5.9, 5.9)	"Falling Slowly" – Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová
Bryan & Marie-France	18.0 (6.0, 6.0, 6.0)	"If I Can't Have You" – Etta James, Harvey Fuqua

Week 8

None of the skates in Week 8 were scored.

Running order

Couple	Score	Music
Tessa & David	Not scored	"I Wanna Dance With Somebody" – These Kids Wear Crowns
	Not scored	"Long Time Running" – The Tragically Hip
Bryan & Marie-France	Not scored	"Wish You Were Here" – Avril Lavigne
	Not scored	"Sk8er Boi" – Avril Lavigne
Boyd & Tanith	Not scored	"Seven Day Fool" – Jully Black
	Not scored	"Jar of Hearts" – Christina Perri

Weekly ratings

Weekly ratings and rankings are measured by BBM Canada, an audience measurement organization for Canadian television and radio broadcasting. Weekly ranks are based on weeks starting on Monday and ending on Sunday.

Episode Number	Episode	Viewers (in millions)	Timeslot Rank	Nightly Rank	Weekly Rank	Reference
300	Game On (Airdate: September 18, 2011)	1.195	#2	#2	#13	[8][9]
301	Week 1: Performance (Part I) (Airdate: September 25, 2011)	1.307	#2	#4	#27	[10][11]
302	Week 1: Performance (Part II) (Airdate: September 26, 2011)	0.822	#4	#9	#45	[12]
303	Week 2: Performance (Airdate: October 2, 2011)	1.058	#3	#5	#33	[13]
304	Week 2: Results (Airdate: October 3, 2011)	0.786	#4	#8	#40	[14]
305	Week 3: Performance (Airdate: October 9, 2011)	1.176	#2	#4	#34	[15]
306	Week 3: Results (Airdate: October 10, 2011)	0.873	#4	#10	#39	[16]
307	Week 4: Performance (Airdate: October 16, 2011)	1.277	#2	#4	#24	[16][17]
308	Week 4: Results (Airdate: October 17, 2011)	0.686	#4	#11	#44	[18]
309	Week 5: Performance (Airdate: October 23, 2011)	1.098	#2	#5	#31	[18]
310	Week 5: Results (Airdate: October 24, 2011)	0.679	#3	#9	#48	[19]
311	Week 6: Performance (Airdate: October 30, 2011)	1.175	#3	#6	#29	[19][20]
312	Week 6: Results (Airdate: October 31, 2011)	1.009	#2	#7	#39	[21]
313	Week 7: Performance (Airdate: November 6, 2011)	1.066	#3	#6	#36	[21]
314	Week 7: Results (Airdate: November 7, 2011)	0.832	#4	#10	#48	[22]
315	Week 8: Performance (Airdate: November 13, 2011)	1.341	#2	#5	#27	[22][23]
316	Week 8: Results – Season Finale (Airdate: November 14, 2011)	0.897	#4	#11	#44	[24]

References

1. "Twitter statement from Battle of the Blades Official Account". Twitter. 2011-09-09. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
2. "Season 3 Begins: Sept 18". CBC.ca. 2011-09-08. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
3. "Battle of the Blades: And the season 3 competitors are... – August 22". CBC.ca. 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
4. "Twitter statement from Todd Simpson". Twitter. 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
5. "Former NHLer Belak found dead in Toronto condo". CBC.ca. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
6. "Battle of the Blades still a go". Toronto Sun. 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
7. "Russ Courtnall goes to Battle... Again". CBC.ca. 2011-09-18. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
8. TV Feeds My Family Blog – Ratings on September 18, 2011 Archived March 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-09-23
9. BBM Weekly Ratings for week of Sept 12 – Sept 18, 2011 Archived March 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-09-24
10. The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending September 25, 2011 Archived October 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Toronto.com article Retrieved on 2011-09-23
11. BBM Weekly Ratings for week of Sept 19 – Sept 25, 2011 Archived 2012-06-09 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-10-02
12. TV Feeds My Family Blog – Ratings on September 26, 2011 Archived November 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-09-23
13. TV Feeds My Family Blog – Ratings on October 2, 2011 Archived November 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-10-04
14. TV Feeds My Family Blog – Ratings on October 3, 2011 Archived November 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-10-06
15. The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending October 9, 2011 Toronto.com article Retrieved on 2011-10-12
16. The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending October 16, 2011 Retrieved on 2011-10-19
17. BBM Weekly Ratings for week of Oct 10 – Oct 16, 2011 Archived 2012-06-09 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-10-21
18. The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending October 23, 2011 Archived October 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-10-26
19. The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending October 30, 2011 Archived January 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-11-05
20. BBM Weekly Ratings for week of Oct 24 – Oct 30, 2011 Archived 2011-11-11 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-11-05
21. The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending November 6, 2011 Archived December 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-11-09
22. The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending November 13, 2011 Archived November 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-11-17
23. BBM Weekly Ratings for week of Nov 7 – Oct 13, 2011 Archived 2011-11-24 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-11-19
24. The Brioux Report – Ratings for week ending November 14, 2011 Archived June 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2011-11-24

External links

• Official website of Battle of the Blades