A lot of drama went on in this segment...
1. Kaetlyn Osmond: As much as I loved this program last season, I wanted to see something new this time. Nevertheless, Kaetlyn is an engaging performer and she did very well in a field where almost everyone else had major mistakes, so she definitely shined here. I’d have her score a couple of points lower, but it’s a very well-deserved lead.
2. Anna Pogorilaya: As soon as I saw her score on the results page (couldn’t watch this live), I breathed a sigh a relief. She was struggling so much in practice, but look at how well she did here! Of course, we still have the FS to go, but a clean SP is a good start. She didn’t have that much fire either, but I think that’s more due to her focusing on not falling, so the presentation will surely improve once she gains more confidence.
3. Maria Sotskova: So will Maria be keeping last year’s dress permanently for this program? I don’t think it really fits the theme. Anyway, solid performance from her as usual, but I think that her program is missing a sparkle. I ended up loving her boring (and unpopular) FS from last season because there were beautiful moments throughout, but this SP feels a bit empty.
10. Marin Honda: I want to say that I’m shocked...but I’m really not. As soon as I heard that she’d be doing a 3Lz-3T, I had a bad feeling. This new program is gorgeous (too much arms in the step sequence though), and I hope that we’ll be able to see a clean version of it next week at COC. Right now, she’s scheduled to skate first tomorrow, so I hope she can go all out.