people totally underrating Zabijako / Enbert
I'll go on a limb and say they will win the GPF.
the new Zabijako (Stolbova haircut) looks ready for the kill...
Yeah, the haircut. But it's Zabijako going for the Vanessa James short haircut look. Stolbova was copying Meagan Duhamel anyway. Today, plenty of pairs teams are copying James/Cipres' costumes, music and moves, etc., but they can't match the magical connection that Vanessa & Morgan have! The other thing is that Vanessa/Morgan have helped energize the pairs discipline with the help of their coaches and choreographers! They and their team have come up with great sps and fps three years in a row!!! And that's a WOW!
Z/E are a lovely team in terms of their long lines and their technical skill and the traditional Russian aesthetic. I think they are nice people too, but their personalities are simply too bland on the ice, and they don't exhibit any palpable connection whatsoever. To compensate for that, they were given very dramatic music this season. And Zabijako also got a dramatic short haircut, which is reminiscent of Vanessa's striking short hairstyle we saw her begin rocking last season. IMO, Z/E are trying to channel Savchenko/Szolkowy's 2007 fp to the
Mission in their sp, and in their fp, Z/E seem to be trying to channel Kavaguti/ Smirnov's
Manfred Symphony fp that was so good it was used by K/S for three straight seasons 2013-2017. And I emphasize the words, "trying to channel," because Z/E have a long way to go to build a sense of excitement in their performances. But at least their team is trying to make something work for them to compensate for their blandness.
While it's fine and not uncommon to copy what you see working for others, or to be inspired by music and themes explored successfully by other skaters, the issue for Z/E is that they don't exhibit any exciting energy or connection with each other and with the audience to back up what they are doing. But sure, when they skate clean, the judges don't care. Z/E and T/M (even with mistakes) will get everything and the kitchen sink and then some from the judges. Z/E's PCS scores are so overly high. And while their consistency has improved somewhat since they first partnered, and I understand what their coaches are trying to do for them to inject more excitement into their skating, the end result is still very bland. They are just checking off the elements one-by-one, and while they might look good doing that, there's nothing substantial between them to draw me into their skating.
I'm not even sure why you would think that Z/E would win GPF, except for how the judges like to throw PCS gifts at them, and because they are a Russian-Mozer team. The only way a Z/E win happens is if T/M and J/C both mess up. OTOH, I can see the judeges pushing back on J/C to maybe even try to keep them off the GPF podium. Sad to say that, but it's what I sense the way J/C have tended to be looked down on too often. They've had to constantly prove themselves over and over again, and they have to be perfect just to receive competitive scores. Apparently scores out-the-wazoo are being reserved for T/M and now maybe even for Z/E too.
Instead of J/C genuinely being viewed as a leading team, we have the judges trying to put young inexperienced teams on their level. It's not a conspiracy either, it's just a snobby conceit and a show of reluctance to reward J/C in the same way T/M are rewarded when they make mistakes. Z/E really don't match up well against J/C's strengths: boffo programs, difficult transitions, exciting lifts, charisma and connection. Prior to recent IDF, J/C were also showing a great deal of confidence and consistency. Z/E had a poor outing against a weak field at their first GP, and then an easy walk-through at their second where they were more consistent and received huge gifts from the judges. Comparing Z/E to Della Monica/Guarise, I prefer the latter. But D/M didn't look like they were very eager to beat Z/E when they had the opportunity this season.
. He speaks English like a Russian would do... cutting off almost all articles!
It's frustrating to see them constantly crumble when its clear the judges want to put them on top. And they still need better programs too! 
).
