lMO, Efimova/ Mitrofanov (Efi/Mit) and Stellato/Deschamps (Deanna/Max) had the best overall programs choreographically and re performance execution, obviously aside from Alisa doubling her sbs jump, and Deanna singling her sbs jump. Sigh... Oh, well. I think Efi/ Mit's program slightly edges Deanna/ Max, but both are standouts in this field.
McBeath/ Parkman (Katie/Daniil) skated the cleanest in the sp. And they have a very lovely sp. Despite moving a bit tentatively into their throw, and Katie landing with her upper body a tad forward, they were great with probably the best executed sbs jumps, and they did everything well. The main drawback for them is not being fully backed in the way they should be for their huge talent and promise. I hope they are given multiple competitive opportunities this season. For me, they even look good enough to be sent to Beijing, despite Daniil not being a citizen and thus ineligible for the Olympics even if they performed well enough to cement a third spot for the U.S. For me, where Katie/ Daniil could further improve is in exhibiting greater confidence and swagger, because they definitely have what it takes. They look more polished and well-tuned together, so why not let Daniil rev things up a bit and show his personality more, not wild the way he used to do, but controlled and dynamic. And let Katie respond and shine, too. That depends on finding the right vehicle to demonstrate their personalities more.
Arguably, Katie/ Daniil should be first, but they don't have the prestige standing and politics behind them. I would also place their program itself around 4th best. I think Shin/ Nagy's program is third best in terms of choreo, interest, and execution (aside from Audrey's fall on the throw; Sigh). Chan/ Howe's old program revamped is also mature and dynamic. Alas, C/H botched their sbs jumps, but jumping elements are not their strong suit.
The Russian-Armenian team had a strong debut, but I hope the judges' exercised some restraint in over-rewarding them. They moved okay but a bit labored, IMO. They are still young and need more time and experience, despite having great skill on the money pairs elements. Rakhmanin landed forward on the sbs jump, plus the tail end of their pairs sbs spin was out of sync. Also, Akapova used her mid-section to sit down into the death spiral. That's not a good look. Overall, their program is a bit boring, IMHO. They had the best throw jump execution, but while their twist is very good, it's not the best in this field.
Re twists: top ones are Deanna/ Max; and Katie/ Daniil. Efi/Mit also have an excellent 3-twist, along with Liu/Bedard; then Akapova/ Rakhmanin; Chan/Howe; Williams/ Lewer. Shin/ Nagy's 3-twist is right up there with the aforementioned second group. S/N's 3-twist has mightily improved, which means Audrey has gotten the hang of it, cuz Balazs is one of the best in the business re 3-twist execution. Fairly new Austrian team Izzo/ Maierhofer are looking very much improved. They skated clean, but still just have a 2-twist, and still need time to work on polishing and fine-tuning. But they are very promising, with sbs jumps their obvious strength!
Liu/ Bedard have wonderful sync on their spins for a new team, and they look confident together. Too bad about Chels still needing to figure out perfecting her landings on the sbs jumps and throws! Her issue is the length of her legs which means she needs greater height, better snap on the rotations and control in the air. Seeing Linzy of Fitzpatrick/ Bearinger still struggling on the sbs jumps and throw landings, plus Naomi of Williams/ Lewer falling on both jump elements, too, made me think U.S. fed should be instituting a sbs jump and throw landing clinic for their pairs girls. It's a tough element for many pairs internationally, but a lot of teams in the U.S. have so much else going for them, aside from being weaker on jumps and throws. Thus, a clinic seems sorely needed.
I'm not sure what happened to Flores/Wang with Liv stumbling on the sbs jump and falling on the throw, and then Luke having to set Liv down on the tail end of their lift. That's too bad, as they clearly have the skill and talent to perform much better. I hope they can pull up in the fp. [okay, they competed in juniors: Herrera/ Khobta look good together and skated well, but they are doing simpler elements at the moment, as Herrera gains pairs mastery and they continue learning together as a new team]. Schaller/Mayr look somewhat improved, but they had too much contact on their 3-twist dismount, along with errors on jump elements.
I mean, now that's been done in competition and they can be seen as the first team ever to perform it, they can get rid of it, my opinion... 
)
