2025-26 U.S. Ice Dance News, Updates & Discussion - Backstreet Boys & Spice Girls

[Debbie S]

As far as politiks are concerned, Spilband must have been hibernating for a long time, because for years after the split it hadn't seemed to help his top-level teams, aside from shopping for spare parts and putting Chock/Bates together, because they left him over time,

C/B teamed up in 2011, pre-split (2012). I don't think they ever publicly said why they chose to go with Igor, but we can probably assume it was the ability to get more attention and be more of a top team/priority, which they wouldn't have been with Marina.

IIRC, Igor did work with some top int'l teams during the early years, like Pechalat/Bourzat and Cappellini/Lanotte (although the latter i think was short-term/summer).

 

[Stephanie]

C/B teamed up in 2011, pre-split (2012). I don't think they ever publicly said why they chose to go with Igor, but we can probably assume it was the ability to get more attention and be more of a top team/priority, which they wouldn't have been with Marina.

IIRC, Igor did work with some top int'l teams during the early years, like Pechalat/Bourzat and Cappellini/Lanotte (although the latter i think was short-term/summer).

Chock was always a big Igor favorite, which was probably a big reason they went with him.

 

[skategal]

Chock was always a big Igor favorite, which was probably a big reason they went with him.

Yes it was a bit of a controversial pairing at the time as Evan split with his former partner Emily Samuelson and they had alot of success and fan support.

I’m sure Madison and Evan wanted to go with a very supportive coach.

 

[kwanfan1818]

IIRC, Igor did work with some top int'l teams during the early years, like Pechalat/Bourzat and Cappellini/Lanotte (although the latter i think was short-term/summer).

Certainly no challenge to the top teams at the time in the Sochi cycle.

 

[Vagabond]

Plus, one of the reasons Alex is so heavily criticized (aside from the obvious reason, which is the abuse) is that the Shibutanis spent their entire careers carefully putting together the most pristine and calculated brand of the perfect siblings who always "choose each other" (a line that became their go-to in recent interviews).

Back in the day, someone on FSU posted a link to a poorly acted YouTube video of the Shibutanis on vacation in Hawaii with Ross Miner. It was meant to convey a wholesome image.

 

[VGThuy]

Back in the day, someone on FSU posted a link to a poorly acted YouTube video of the Shibutanis on vacation in Hawaii with Ross Miner. It was meant to convey a wholesome image.

Yeah, both Alex and Ross Miner’s images are tarnished now… that video is now a retroactive yikes.

 

[Aceon6]

that video is now a retroactive yikes

Isn’t it ironic that the ones who go out of their way to portray how wholesome they are…
I like my athletes unapologetically messy. Not messy as in felonious behavior, but messy as in human.

 

[VGThuy]

Isn’t it ironic that the ones who go out of their way to portray how wholesome they are…
I like my athletes unapologetically messy. Not messy as in felonious behavior, but messy as in human.

I myself appreciate people being careful and conscientious because lord knows we can use less mess from everyone these days given what we see as normal social media behavior. But I also don’t want people to act like an image. You can still be yourself and careful.

 

[clairecloutier]

nm

 

[Aceon6]

Yes it was a bit of a controversial pairing at the time as Evan split with his former partner Emily Samuelson and they had alot of success and fan support.

I’m sure Madison and Evan wanted to go with a very supportive coach.

I still think about what Samuelson & Bates might have achieved. Gawd, she was soooooo good!

 

[Tinycities]

The shibutanis are truly getting most of the US Olympic press attention

Exclusive: The Shib Sibs Are Back On The Ice — And Their Bond Is Stronger Than Ever

Olympians Alex and Maia Shibutani discuss their return to competitive ice dancing and their enduring skating partnership, built through teamwork and their sibling bond.

www.bustle.com

 

[skatingcheckers]

I still think about what Samuelson & Bates might have achieved. Gawd, she was soooooo good!

I still think about Emily after all these years. It left a bad taste in my mouth the way Evan ended their partnership and then very quickly paired up with Chock. I've never gotten completely over it and it has influenced the way I feel about C/B, despite all that they've achieved. Emily and Evan would definitely have had a different vibe.

 

[Karen-W]

The shibutanis are truly getting most of the US Olympic press attention

Exclusive: The Shib Sibs Are Back On The Ice — And Their Bond Is Stronger Than Ever

Olympians Alex and Maia Shibutani discuss their return to competitive ice dancing and their enduring skating partnership, built through teamwork and their sibling bond.

www.bustle.com

All this says is they have a really good LA-based PR team who are reaching out to all of their media contacts to get them as much air/print space as possible. I expect this may actually backfire on them this week, to be honest.

 

[Tinycities]

All this says is they have a really good LA-based PR team who are reaching out to all of their media contacts to get them as much air/print space as possible. I expect this may actually backfire on them this week, to be honest.

Crossing my fingers your words are true.

 

[PRlady]

They’re going the Timothee Chalamet route. It didn’t get him the Oscar last year and will probably backfire this year as well.

I just hope it doesn’t get in the heads of the American teams who should go to Milan.

 

[her grace]

I’m hoping Wolfkostin/Tsarevski beat them again

No pity pewters like Cohen got. Justice for Christina Gao.

 

[Karen-W]

I’m hoping Wolfkostin/Tsarevski beat them again

No pity pewters like Cohen got. Justice for Christina Gao.

I'll settle for off the podium - may CarPon and GreenP beat them soundly.

 

[Willin]

I still think about Emily after all these years. It left a bad taste in my mouth the way Evan ended their partnership and then very quickly paired up with Chock. I've never gotten completely over it and it has influenced the way I feel about C/B, despite all that they've achieved. Emily and Evan would definitely have had a different vibe.

Emily was a much better partner for Evan. They would be winning and obviously deserved it. It's such a shame that they broke up.

All this says is they have a really good LA-based PR team who are reaching out to all of their media contacts to get them as much air/print space as possible. I expect this may actually backfire on them this week, to be honest.

They're very well connected in LA and do a bunch of promo for various events there. I don't even know how much is PR team and how much is just that they're the most easily accessible team to the reporters.

 

[Vagabond]

Isn’t it ironic

If the Shibutanis stay together and compete next season, they should skate to Alanis Morisette. It would demonstrate that they aren't dependent on Coldplay.

 

[~tapdancer~]

All this says is they have a really good LA-based PR team who are reaching out to all of their media contacts to get them as much air/print space as possible. I expect this may actually backfire on them this week, to be honest.

It has already backfired for me. I despise that they came back. I just watched them do RD in practice...they look NOTHING like they used to and the music is terrible. Significant difference in the applause for CarPon and the lukewarm applause for Shibs.

 

[~tapdancer~]

I'll settle for off the podium - may CarPon and GreenP beat them soundly.

The Shibs shouldn't be anywhere near the podium. Not even remotely. That RD won't help them at all. I just want to forget they are even here. We have amazing ice dancers that have worked their tails off over the last quad and the attention should be FULLY on them.

 

[jlai]

I don’t care for the Shibs this season and think they won’t be near the podium. But I don’t get the emotional responses against them. (I still like Maia even if I don’t like Alex)
Most skaters who come back do end up with middling results (k Witt, Weir, lysacek, etc) so this should bot be a surprise.

 

[Willin]

@jlai Honestly, I really liked the ShibSibs pre-comeback. They were fun and so different from other teams. While Coldplay got stale it wasn't V/M Shipbaiting or generic classical ballroom or just generic skating warhorses. They rose above that.

The backlash I think is a lot due to the way they've handled it. Just immediately coming out with a media blitz and overshadowing all the other ice dancers who have stuck with it - and who the fans came to love. Then poorly managing what's leaked or known about the comeback. It's just not a good look.

Some of it isn't their fault: as I said, they're in a unique position to get attention. Former Olympic medalists, well connected in LA (maybe not even D-list, but they do get invited to things with influential people in LA and sports media), PR savvy, and with more name recognition than other skaters. Of course they'll get a lot more coverage than most teams - especially when a lot of the dance teams in closer contention are keeping their heads down and training so their skating can do the talking.

But there's also been a series of unforced errors. For instance, the leaked video the showed Alex being awful was entirely out of their control. Their positively terrible response to said video was an entirely unforced error. At least "no comment" that one. Or this injury - there was SO much talk about them skipping Champs Camp and Senior Bs. An injury is not their fault and out of their control. Yet they did nothing to explain the absences until well after the fact, which made them open to criticism - especially since injury isn't an excuse to miss Champs Camp for most skaters.

 

[kwanette]

They were in Paris for the Summer Olympics..never said ONE word about Team USA getting their long over due gold medal..I get it if there was bad blood w the two Madisons and Zach and Evan..but Nathan, Vincent, Karen, Alexa and Brandon? That pissed me off..big time..

 

[MacMadame]

The shibutanis are truly getting most of the US Olympic press attention

Exclusive: The Shib Sibs Are Back On The Ice — And Their Bond Is Stronger Than Ever

Olympians Alex and Maia Shibutani discuss their return to competitive ice dancing and their enduring skating partnership, built through teamwork and their sibling bond.

www.bustle.com

They are not getting most of the US Olympic press attention. Ilia, Chock/Bates, Alysa and Amber are getting most of the attention. They are everywhere. Skating at Rockefeller Center, being featured on the social media of USFS, getting articles written about them in many places.

Amber, for example, appeared in an article in People Magazine two days ago.

 

[Allskate]

Or this injury - there was SO much talk about them skipping Champs Camp and Senior Bs. An injury is not their fault and out of their control. Yet they did nothing to explain the absences until well after the fact, which made them open to criticism - especially since injury isn't an excuse to miss Champs Camp for most skaters.

ITA. So many unforced errors. There were skaters with injury and equipment problems who showed up at Champs Camp. And they could have competed earlier. Like last season, or at least earlier this season. Maybe then they wouldn't be changing their RD at Nationals. They either were incredibly arrogant, assumed that they would make the Olympics regardless of how they skated, or they were just "coming back" for the hype and media.

I do think they are seeking out media attention. But, they definitely are not getting the most attention. I've seen ads with C&B. (Cute dogs.) Ilia and Alysa are getting much more attention as well as endorsement deals. Amber is getting press and endorsements, too. Isabeau's Red Bull piece with a hockey player has racked up millions of views.

 

[sk9tingfan]

Somehow, The Washington Post provided Dave Lease with a major article about his life and figure skating. He's not one of my favorites by far.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2026/01/07/david-lease-the-skating-lesson/

 

[Rukia]

Somehow, The Washington Post provided Dave Lease with a major article about his life and figure skating. He's not one of my favorites by far.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2026/01/07/david-lease-the-skating-lesson/

I notice they fail to mention his mean gymnastics blog ages ago but I guess that doesn't play into the "woe is me i was cancelled because i'm right" angle

 

[PRlady]

Of all the non-stories the WashPo has run since it fell off a cliff last year, this might be the dumbest.

 

[Karen-W]

I do think they are seeking out media attention. But, they definitely are not getting the most attention. I've seen ads with C&B. (Cute dogs.) Ilia and Alysa are getting much more attention as well as endorsement deals. Amber is getting press and endorsements, too. Isabeau's Red Bull piece with a hockey player has racked up millions of views.

I woke up this morning to Alysa featuring in an ad for Venus razor blades on my TV. Madi landed a Team USA SKIMS deal (along with a couple of other Winter Olympians/Paralympians).

I don't think the Shibs have added any new endorsement deals - what we're seeing from them are the high-profile ones they had 8 years ago - Delta and Ralph Lauren - but even those two have other Team USA figure skaters (Amber & Madi/Evan respectively) as part of their promotional content this season.