Dancing on Ice 2021

With the benefit of hindsight DoI could have benefited from copying Strictly by starting with a couple compilation episodes to reduce the number of live shows. Then pencil in a couple double eliminations for the two weeks before the final, which could be scraped if more dropped out than expected. They've certainly been unlucky this season.

If Jason doesnt return next week then surely they will have to reduce the number of episodes of the show. It started 2 weeks later than usual this year anyway so shouldn't be too much of an issue. They can easily fill the 6pm-8pm slots on a Sunday with The Chase/Family Fortunes/Tipping Point Lucky Stars etc even if some had to be repeats. Or have a film finish at 6.30pm followed by the news and then only 7pm-8pm would need to be covered by something else.

The other option would be to postpone tonights show and replace with a film or episodes of quiz shows mentioned above. Or Brekkie's idea of a skate off between the top 2 and the winner gets immunity next week. Either way its going to be a long dragged out show tonight if they dont postpone.

I mean I’m sure it’s not that big a deal if the final moves a week or two earlier. They will have planned for this sort of eventuality.

Ultimately though they had the same buffer. Strictly had 7 planned eliminations and 5 in the final. DoI did plan for 9 eliminations (inc a double) and 3 in the final, but unlike Strictly also had two reserves which made up the difference.

The question is whether shortcuts have been taken in training due to the closure of ice rinks, leading to more injuries - or whether it is just purely bad luck.

It’s unlikely ITV have cut corners, I think it’s simply a combination of issues, you have to wonder if it’s back next year whether ITV might have more celebrities so they have a buffer in case people pull out.

Amazing how certain people even now still believe that those who follow the measures in place to the letter and do everything to protect themselves should be immune to the virus, which of course only targets the reckless and irresponsible. If only it worked like that the last year would have been far less painful.

Also alot of misunderstanding over what the social bubbles and cohorts as used by Strictly and DoI respectively are. Strictly used bubbles which basically take advantage of the rule that allows any of us to bubble up with another household if you live alone - so by one or both partners living alone each pair could work within 2m of each other as they were in a bubble.

Close Contact Cohorts, as favoured by Dancing on Ice and ITV in general, are an industry arrangement where pairs or groups of people working together will be able to work within 2m of each other as long as they're not doing so with people outside of that cohort, with regular testing in place. Unlike Strictly I don't think it's required one part of the couple to be in a single household, but I think married pro-skaters are living separately for the show.

More info on that here:
https://www.itv.com/presscentre/sites/default/files/close_contact_cohorts.pdf

Neither Strictly or Dancing are using a "Covid-Free Bubble", which was the solution used for filming Bake Off and I'm a Celebrity,, plus the pro-dances for Strictly/DoI, where the show is filmed in a controlled environment with no contact from the outside world, so in theory once in the bubble everyone is safe.

The broadcasters can only mitigate the risk they cannot eliminate it, and I would suggest from what I know of the arrangements put in place that they do it very well as do many workplaces. Short of putting the celebs under house arrest, they are still able to live their daily lives and as such are susceptible to the virus as much as anyone else.

Worth remembering there are plenty of shows filming right now that are having to do the exact same protocols as DOI and are having to deal with their own Covid drop-outs and issues. You're only more aware of them on DOI because it's a weekly live show.

Still no evidence of ITV taking any shortcuts from what I can see.

To me, the injuries are more the issue than COVID.

Exactly, the question for me is should the show have gone ahead at all with the limited facilities.
I don't think the Covid bubbles are an issue.

If the lack of practice rinks due to lockdown is the problem, then COVID is still indirectly to blame.

Hmm, looks like they're sending someome tonight. That will end well.