Former Leaf enforcer Tie Domi has never looked so uncomfortable as he does when figure skater Barbara Underhill grabs his hand for a turn on the ice.
It's one of many priceless moments CBC packaged together for a brief glimpse of the rehearsal for their new competition series, Battle of the Blades (Sunday, Monday, 8 p.m.). Basically Dancing with the Stars on ice, and filmed at Maple Leaf Gardens, the series puts retired NHLers such as Domi, Glenn Anderson, Bob Probert and Craig Simpson in figure skates and pairs them with figure-skating champions, including Underhill, Jamie Salé, Isabelle Brasseur and Shae-Lynn Bourne. The inherently odd couples perform for the judges on Sunday night, and those with the lowest scores return Monday to decide who leaves the show. Who else but Ron MacLean would host the series, with help from Kurt Browning. Choreographer Sandra Bezic is a judge, along with figure skaters Dick Button, David Pelletier and Patrice Lauzon. Guest judging is none other than Don Cherry.
Battle of the Blades looks like a lot of fun, and an improvement on Fox's Skating with Celebrities from 2006. In that show, Browning had to teach eighties pop singer Deborah Gibson how to ice dance, which wasn't always successful. This time he's wisely taken on a co-host and mentor role.
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X-Weighted (Thursday, 8 p.m. on Slice). This season, the series focuses on obese kids and the family habits that contribute to their weight problem.