6. The fact that this was Brendan's fourth competition in a row scoring 210+ when at last year's Skate America he broke 200 for the very first time. Talk about improvement!
1. shibs SD. Everything about it is perfect.
2. All mao everything
3. James/Cipres short. The rippon throw, their hotness, etc.
4. Back to back showgirl programs with Mariah and Soyoun in the short
5. Shoma's long with his amazing quads and hair
Honorable mentions:
Boyangman's cheese fest short
Elena ilinykh slaying all day. Sighhh ruslan is ok.
Not a particular order but I just randomly list. Overall I was disappointed with the way the event handled to try so hard for their skaters to get medals, but I still can find gems, so why only 5 for me.
1. Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue FD - finally clicked to the program
2. Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitri Soloviev FD - stylish and hot.
3. Isabella Tobias / Ilia Tkachenko SD - creative and unique
4. Boyang Jin SP & FS - so adorable programs that suit his personality
5. Gabrielle Daleman FS - great energy and huge jumps
6. So Youn Park SP - gorgeous performance, but so underscored.
7. Adam Rippon SP - except his sleeveless top
8. Gracie Gold SP and FS - still off days for her, but the programs can be something extraordinary if she is on, so I hope she comes back strong.
9. Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau FS - so lovey dovey program
10. Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov SP - nice new outfits for the program though it needs more sparks
11. Vanessa James / Morgan Ciprès SP - two amazing programs but a lot of mistakes...I really want to see two clean performances in one event
1. Rippon FS
2. Wagner FS
3. Bell FS
4. H/D FS
5. D/F FS (so good to see them back, and I think it takes incredible bravery and determination for her to go out and do the exact thing that got her so injured).
1) Adam's FS - Great theme, very captivating! This program is a nice contrast to the SP.
2) Gabby's FS - Awesome jumps, much-improved artistry - I loved her interaction with the audience/judges.
3) Mariah's FS - This was a huge moment for her.
4) Jason's SP - Classy, quality skating - I'm also very happy to see Jason in simple costumes this year so that his lines are more visible.
5) Shibutanis' SD - I really like their mix of the music styles. I think their costumes work well too.
Gala: Mao! I loved her choice of music. She demonstrated wonderful skating skills throughout.