Try channeling their inner Scott Hamilton? "What he did, he did well."
I can just imagine Jonathan saying, "she has EVERY quality you'd want in a ladies figure skater." LOL.
Being analytical (Dave's great +5/-5 series) is great. Being critical is part of analysis. But being mean, is well, mean.
Perhaps "unaesthically pleasing" instead of "ugly."
"Maximized her ability" instead of "lost cause" or "needs to quit."
When you litter your commentary with descriptors like "offensive," "atrocious," "hopeless" and then have a change of heart/mind about a skater, they comes across as even meaner.
But it's his/their show and they can choose whatever voice and content they want.