Well there is your question. I personally think TPTB made a mistake in picking her as she knows diddly squat about skating- and judging on performance appears to be a problem for her now.

Why can't TPTB go all out to get Krez back

Because they can't afford the plane fares back and forth to the States?

Ruthie's actually grown on me and I liked the way she was talking about last night's episode when she was on Titchmarsh today.

Mind you, I still think Anita Harris, who is a superb actress, singer and dancer and is also very accomplished skater would have been a better judge.

What did she say- I missed it

Edit- I wouldn't mind Anita, she'd be better than Ruthie

She was bang on about Nicky this week. His voting was farcical.

Its Nicky I would kick out his scores last night were shocking.

You need to hear the inflexions in tone and see the expressions on Ruthie and Alan's faces to get the whole picture but this is a transcript of the interview. Well, more or less: Alan keeps mumbling so I can't make out what he's saying half the time

I don't know why I liked it so much but I did. Perhaps it's because she explains why she's on the panel and because her attitude towards Todd is so different from Jason's attitude towards the poorer contestants.

~ * ~ * ~

I'm missing part of the intro...

AT: ...so what on earth possessed her to sign up for a job that sees her sitting behind a desk speaking her mind?

Montage of Ruthie commenting on Sunday's show.

AT: Welcome. You're turning into the Sharon Osborne of the ice rink!

RH: [laughs] I'm not!

AT: No, I know you're not. But it's interesting judging your comments on it because you're judging from a performance point of view...

RH: Yes. [nods]

AT: ...rather than from a technical ice skating point of view, which kind of puts you in a different place to where the rest of the judges are, doesn't it?

RH: Very different. And I think that's why they asked me to come on the panel because there was only Jason who was coming from that point of view and then three skating judges and it used to be four, so he was very much on his own and, of course, the show is Dancing on Ice. It's not Skating on Ice, it's not Hoofing on Ice, it's Dancing on Ice and dancing has to be about a performance, so that's where I'm coming from.

AT: Well, Jeremy Edwards went out...

RH: Yes, he did.

AT: ...but, I mean, Todd Carty - the John Sergeant of Dancing on Ice. [Ruthie shakes her head kind of in despair at that point] I gather yesterday he couldn't stop and he went straight down the tunnel from the ice rink!

RH: Straight down the tunnel, fell on his bum and somebody picked him up and pushed him back on again! The director was laughing so hard somebody had to take over and direct because he could not get himself together. It was... I mean, we had a wonderful view because he shot off into that tunnel and we were right there, just... [that was the expression on her face because she just couldn't find the words]. I mean, how do you mark that because you know it's technically absolutely awful, I mean possibly the worst that Dancing on Ice has ever had but it's so entertaining. I mean, I was praying that he wouldn't go out because if he was in that skate-off what do you do? You can't... you couldn't compare him with anyone really and say, "Gosh, em, you weren't as good as Todd tonight, you know, we're going to have to keep Todd." And I thought, "We've got to have him!"

AT: Well have you learnt anything in a way from the Strictly débâcle with John Sergeant in that when it's a Saturday, well it's a weekend evening programme - we want entertaining! [Alan says that in a kind of helpless-little-child-pleading voice]

RH: Absolutely! I think there's a place for that. I mean, I said to Todd, I saw him after the first show and I said that "You are absolutely what a show like this needs because we need to see the underdogs come up if they can, which we're hoping he will - and I did see a slight improvement - and we need people to reach for, which is the Ray Quinns, who's extraordinary.

AT: But the danger, we've had quite a few guests. We've had Melinda Messenger, she's been on the show. Coleen Nolan's been on the show, Jeremy Edwards was on last week before his demise, and they are all... Jeremy came down the stairs and sat down and as he was about to go off he said, "I was lucky to get down those stairs, I've hurt my hip. I don't know if I can get back up them." And Coleen with bruises everywhere and Melinda with bruised ribs and you think: gosh, it really is, you know... you put yourselves through it bodily and physically, don't you?

RH: Well, that's what I think is so good about the show is that there really is jeopardy. It's not just that they might fall over or, you know... Oops! They might get seen saying something.

AT: This is what makes it such a good watch because it's potential loss of limb really, isn't it? [Couldn't hear the next bit AT said because he mumbles - something about something being sawn off tonight]

RH: Yeah, well look at our Michael from last year. And he wasn't even skating at the time. He just, I think he was stopping and, you know, broke an ankle and that's it.

AT: Who do you think's going to, you know, who do you rate? Who do you think is pretty top?

RH: Well, I mean, I've never seen anybody so extraordinary as Ray Quinn. Because he comes from a dancer's background, he just knows how to use his body and he really is dancing on that ice. I mean there's no tricks going on at the moment. You know, there are no headbangers, there are no... and that's what I like to see.

AT: Not intentional ones, anyway.

RH: Not intentional ones, yeah. But that's what I like to see because then you're watching somebody skate so beautifully. I mean, em, Jessica is technically wonderful but at the moment I, I, I can't feel the, em... I can't feel the lurve from her yet, it's not transferring... you know, the passion yet.

AT: Can you do it? Can you skate?

RH: [makes a "don't be daft" face] Don't be ridiculous! [laughs] I'm not that stupid that I'd get on the ice. [laughs] Well, apparently we're not allowed on the ice yet for Health & Safety reasons.

AT: Oh, what a relief!

RH: [nods] It's terrible! I did ask but they said, "No," so... [smiles]

~ * ~ * ~

The rest is about what she's doing next - recording albums and things; I've only transcribed the DOI part.

But it's not her call to make - she's supposed to be judging the skating, not the other judges. Maybe Nicky privately thinks she overmarked Zoe (none of the other professional skaters lavished marks on that stumbling performance). But if he thought that, at least he had the good grace not to say so.
I certainly wouldn't miss her if she went. Why do we need two panto villains - are they meant to be the ugly sisters?

I won't quote your post memmh, but thank you for transcribing that.

I like Ruthie.... so no its not time for her to leave

Nicky Knows about Ice skating, Ruthie does not so why should Nicky get kicked out just for his scoring, he scoring how he think the performace went in his opinon

Colleen did not skate a 4.5 score skate and Ruthie was right how can Nicky say that Ray was only 0.5 better.

Sorry but I like Ruthie and the ones I would kick off would be Nicky and Jason.

Ruthie isn't even a skater. If this was a show auditioning hopefuls for a West End show then I could understand her presence. As it stands, the other judges are more than capable of judging both the technique and the performance because they had to master BOTH for their careers.

Nicky must have been drunk then.

Ruthie might have been right it what she said but she should not have called Nicky out on his marks on the live show! She should have left it till after - in the bar - the dressing rooms - the corridor ... or just not said anything!

She can't have a go at Nicky and then mark Zoe high even after a stumble!

Stumbles don't matter that much if the rest of the performance makes up for it and Zoe had better lifts than anyone else. If she is meant to be focusing on performance and Zoe had the best of the girls Zoe should get a decent mark from her even with a stumble - more so if the skating judges are marking down on basics like not stumbling. Its the same with any marking scale properly administered - a first class argument with a mistake will still get a first wheras a 2.2 argument flawlessly laid out is still a 2.2 argument.

Nicky's mark for Colleen was far too high and left him unable to make any sense after it. As being too generous and random made other people's marks look odd it was pretty inevitable someone would explain why their marks were different to Nicky's.

Can't take to Ruthie - Anita would bring a far more knowledgeable perspective to the competition.

Wonder why she wasn't asked?

Who is Anita????

It's possible she might have been asked and said no, I suppose?




Anita Harris. A superb actress, singer and dancer who is also a very accomplished skater.

Memmh - I applaud you! Thank you for the transcript certainly puts Ruthie in another light.

Personally I like her and think her comments regarding performance are valid. The performance imo is as important as the technical ability. Makes it entertaining.

Do you know why her lifts are so good.....
Because she has Matt, and he carrys everyone he has around the ice imo. Don't like him as a skater at all.

IMO Ruthie did a bit of the pot kettle.
STUMBLES do matter. And in the real world of Skating which Ruthie knows nothing about you get deductions for that.

IMO Ruthie knows nothing about Skating and tbh, she always picks a women as her favourite and Zoe is hers.

Thanks


Yes but Nicky, Robyn and Karen will know more about performing on ice than Ruthie given they were professional ice skaters. She's pointless.

Sheila - I agree they certainly know much more about skating and performance would come into that. Surely though in the competitions they were involved with professionally, the skating was paramount.

I would think Ruthie has more knowledge of the dancing side of performance.

No not really. I've followed ice skating for many years and there's always been equal weight given to technical merit and interpretation. And dancing on ice is so different to dancing on stage. All Ive ever heard Ruthie comment on about is the whether the celebs are smiling or whether they look confident - it's a load of twaddle! We really don't need her. She doesn't add anything.

Anita Harris - I love her, but the producers probably think she's too old at 66.

To be honest, I've really warmed towards Ruthie . Some of her scores are ridiculous at times, but theres always one Judge that scores shockingly at one point.

I really like her . Although, I'd rather have Anita Harris as part of the panel.