I mean, in what world does it make sense that Chock/Bates got a season's best with a fall? Unless, of course, the fix was in...
Those scores in ice dance were trending up in both ice dance event segments! I think it was indicative of the huge depth of talent in ice dance, among other factors.
Most teams were receiving Season's best scores, regardless of whether their performances were the best of the season. LOL!
I don't think the Italians deserved to be on the podium in silver position over Piper/Paul. Ice dance and pairs teams who won Euros (both from Italy) clearly got a political boost at Worlds. Meanwhile, Piper/ Paul lost momentum due to Piper's surgery and recovery preventing them from competing at 4CCs.
I think F-B/S deserved to be on the podium. If anything, the Italians in 4th, and the Brits in 5th. Chock/ Bates already had a huge lead in the RD, so they were bound to win. The fall was not on an element. If it had been, they would have lost more points. Sure, the very high score was surprising. Still, the fall received a deduction. The fact is, C/B improved their programs and became stronger over the course of the season. So, it was one of their season's best performances, even with the fall.
FYI -- in ice dance and in fs altogether, "the fix is always in," politically, and in terms of reputation and perception scoring. Who knows if/ when judges have consensus understandings in general, regarding placements? They do tend to watch practices, which is part of the perception process. Sometimes great performances or poor performances factor in. The Czechs finally placed over their rivals, the Finnish team.
The interesting thing to me is how the scores kept trending high. Most teams were overjoyed with their scores in the kiss 'n cry, only to see the scores continue to move higher for other competitors. Another factor that can't be ruled out is that the judging panel didn't seem to want two Canadian teams nor two I.AM teams on the podium.
Honestly, the Canadians were given the short end of the stick in pairs too. Deanna/Max should have at least placed third in the sp. It was clear to me that no matter what, Conti/Maci of Italy were being favorited for bronze, with Miura/Kihara favorited for gold. Meanwhile, Lia/Trennt skated well, and were treated well by the judges as a new team making their Worlds debut. At least Piper/ Paul were not shut out of the podium. Without a doubt though, they lost momentum having to skip 4CCs. It seems as if F-B/S were being regarded as second place Canadians seen as expendable. As I said, I think they should have been on the podium, not the Italians.
It is what it is, but Piper/ Paul did not lose ground because of C/B getting season's best with a fall.
Most of all, I despise what happened to Conrad Orzel. He had a very good season. Unfortunately, he had one pop in the sp at Worlds, and he lost a bunch of points despite landing a quad. That, combined with low PCS, and skating in the first group because he's new to Worlds, deep-sixed his chances to make the cut. The men were excellent from top to bottom. We witnessed a very high caliber of competitive talent. I just don't think the ISU should have decided to cut 10 guys in the sp.
Moreover, clearly certain guys were protected in the sp, including Nick Starostin of Germany, Sota Yamamoto of Japan, and Morisi K of Georgia by way of Russia.
