Figure Skating Champions SURVIVOR: Pairs FINAL (Vote for the winner)

[allezfred]

So Savchenko & Szolkowy get the bronze, but who will be the winner?

• Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze: Worlds 1998, 1999, Olys 2002
• Shen & Zhao: Worlds 2002, 2003, 2007, Olys 2010

I'd make a list of who finished where, but I can't be arsed.

[gingercrush]

I am voting for Shen & Zhao. They haven't always been perfect but I feel there was no doubt they were the winners in 2010 whereas mistakes made by B&S allowed the media to narrate a story that the Canadians were robbed.

[Marco]

Shen & Zhao. They become who they are through 16 years of competition while coming from a country with virtually no skating background, coaching experience, training facilities and political clout.

If B&S got the gold, you just know there will be a huge outcry and the runner up will ultimately be awarded another set of gold. Plus their names are too difficult to spell or pronounce.

[Macassar88]

Voted for Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze for their amazing skating and emotion.

[kwanette]

I voted for S and Z. I love B and S..but having been at Worlds in 03 and being swept up in the emotion of that free skate....amazing..When there are great skaters..it boils down for me to "How did they make me feel"?

[pollyanna]

I voted for S and Z. I love B and S..but having been at Worlds in 03 and being swept up in the emotion of that free skate....amazing..

So hard, I love both. Loved loved loved B&S's Chaplin LP, among others, but voted for S&Z for same reason as kwanette. Worlds 2003 was epic, and I was also very moved by their 2004 LP performances.

No matter which pair I vote for, I consider them both great teams.

[crankyintheAM]

I'll be happy with any of these pairs winning. I love S/Z but in the end, decided to vote for B/S.

S/S in third place was a bit unexpected but welcome too. I love them too.

[t.mann]

B&S

[blue_idealist]

I'm surprised this is going toward S&Z after the voting in the last round, but pleasantly surprised. I agree with gingercrush that one of the reasons they should win is that their OGM was pretty much unquestionable. I know there are a few people who say Pang and Tong should have won, and more than a few that say Pang and Tong should have won the LP, but most people do not dispute Shen and Zhao as the OVERALL winner. S&Z also managed to win medals at three different Olympics, that's another feat right there. Plus, I dislike B&S lol.

[DaiKozOda]

Easily Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze. They had it all: the skating skills, beautiful technical elements, musicality, amazing lines, interesting artistic presentation.

[Jaana]

I like both pairs very much, and my vote went to Shen & Zhao.

[Cherub721]

I don't know that I agree with S&Z's win being more unquestionable. They only won the SP and not the LP.... pretty much the first pairs skaters I can remember who won the OGM without winning the LP (I don't believe it's happened in ice dance, but it happened with some single skaters during the figures era). In a historical context, never having won the LP in any of their Olympic appearances is a big blemish really. B&S did win both programs, obviously the LP win was controversial, but they did win on the night.

S&Z do have a better overall haul with one extra medal and one additional world title, but that's mostly because B&S' career was incredibly short, at only 6 seasons (2 golds, 1 silver [which should have been gold] in 4 Worlds appearances). But I don't know that B&S should be penalized for achieving the OGM sooner and then retiring. S&Z also had considered retiring after 2002, but the Chinese fed encouraged them to stay, and then they decided to come back to try for a gold in 2010. B&S won their gold and retired. Had S&Z won in 2002, they may have retired and then they would have a much less impressive record. I personally distinguish skaters who achieved longevity and more titles because they stayed in longer trying to win OGM (like Kwan or Joubert) from those who won an OGM and then returned to compete and win more (like Plush or Witt). The latter is more impressive to me.

Also, if people are mentioning S&Z's background (which is impressive indeed), I have to say it's pretty damn incredible that Berezhnaya was able to come back after a head injury that nearly rendered her unable to walk, much less to skate, and she became OSM and World champion within two years of that.

But those aren't the reasons I voted for B&S. I voted for them because they have all the qualities I love about pairs skating in addition to an incredible career. They have the grace, elegance, polish, and interpretation of G&G, but I've never loved G&G because their choreography was lacking. B&S combine their qualities with the amazing transitions and choreo that M&D or V&V had from Moskvina. This makes them the most balanced pair of all time, IMO.

[blue_idealist]

I don't know that I agree with S&Z's win being more unquestionable. They only won the SP and not the LP.... pretty much the first pairs skaters I can remember who won the OGM without winning the LP (I don't believe it's happened in ice dance, but it happened with some single skaters during the figures era). In a historical context, never having won the LP in any of their Olympic appearances is a big blemish really. B&S did win both programs, obviously the LP win was controversial, but they did win on the night.

S&Z do have a better overall haul with one extra medal and one additional world title, but that's mostly because B&S' career was incredibly short, at only 6 seasons (2 golds, 1 silver [which should have been gold] in 4 Worlds appearances). But I don't know that B&S should be penalized for achieving the OGM sooner and then retiring. S&Z also had considered retiring after 2002, but the Chinese fed encouraged them to stay, and then they decided to come back to try for a gold in 2010. B&S won their gold and retired. Had S&Z won in 2002, they may have retired and then they would have a much less impressive record. I personally distinguish skaters who achieved longevity and more titles because they stayed in longer trying to win OGM (like Kwan or Joubert) from those who won an OGM and then returned to compete and win more (like Plush or Witt). The latter is more impressive to me.

Also, if people are mentioning S&Z's background (which is impressive indeed), I have to say it's pretty damn incredible that Berezhnaya was able to come back after a head injury that nearly rendered her unable to walk, much less to skate, and she became OSM and World champion within two years of that.

But those aren't the reasons I voted for B&S. I voted for them because they have all the qualities I love about pairs skating in addition to an incredible career. They have the grace, elegance, polish, and interpretation of G&G, but I've never loved G&G because their choreography was lacking. B&S combine their qualities with the amazing transitions and choreo that M&D or V&V had from Moskvina. This makes them the most balanced pair of all time, IMO.

Sorry, I forgot that Shen and Zhao DIDN'T actually win the LP at the 2010 Olympics. I also forgot that they never won a LP in any of their Olympic appearances. However, I still want to vote for them!

[casken]

Are Shen and Zhao really winning, or are people not understanding you are supposed to be voting for the person you want to see win, not voted out?

There is not one single thing that S&Z do better than B&S, other than play to people's emotions. Ugh.

[aftershocks]

I vote for S/S all the way to Sochi!!!

Okay, in the absence of S/S being in the final FSU friggin' two, it gotta be Shen/ Zhao -- they have had way more incredible, can't take your eyes off them skates in big moments than B/S.

While B/S were generally mesmerizing to watch, they never quite lived fully up to their gorgeous outsized talent. The nerves always got them in one way or another.

[falling_dance]

I vote for S/S

Seconded.

[aftershocks]

^^

Voted for Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze for their amazing skating and emotion.

Anton's emotion was always more palpable than Elena's (I think she's shy -- albeit getting into character in the Chaplin program really helped her shed some of her shyness).

[shady82]

I'd be happy with both teams winning, they were both incredible. I gave the edge to S/Z though, because even though B/S are amazing skaters, they don't usually skate to their potential. They didn't have a lot of lights-out performances at major competitions. Lady Caliph at the 2002 Olympics was great, but it wasn't as amazing from my eyes as other people have made it out to be. But I think either team could deserve 1st.

[SamuraiK]

Shen/Zhao have left a bigger mark/legacy in the sport. They should win.

[shan]

I voted for B/S just for the sheer beauty of their skating.