Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images; Matthew Stockman/Getty Images; Jordan Strauss/WireImageSkating With the Stars judges Laurieann Gibson and Dick Button (pictured, left, with fellow judge Johnny Weir) called EW to give us an idea of what we can expect on ABC’s new skating reality series, premiering tonight at 10 p.m. ET after Dancing With the Stars. Below, 10 things we learned in anticipation of watching actress Sean Young, Mütley Cruüe rocker Vince Neil, Disney kid Brandon Mychal Smith, reality star Bethenny Frankel, soap star Rebecca Budig, and Olympian skier Jonny Moseley take the ice. Chat about tonight’s premiere in the comments! (And don’t miss a clip from Dick Button’s favorite skating movie at the end!)
10. ABC is playing that “Who are these people?” hand extremely close to its vest. “We know who they are and we don’t communicate with them,” says Button of the six contestants. “We certainly don’t socialize with them! It’s all very carefully handled. Sometimes, you know, if you talk to someone and say ‘Heidy-ho, how are you?’ or look at someone else and say “Hi, how’s your little baby?” it’s like you’re being influenced or something.
9. They don’t know who these people are, either. “Honestly, I only knew Sean Young,” admitted Gibson. “I didn’t know really anyone else. But we have the Olympican skier [Jonny Moseley], which is really quite interesting, and then the young black brother [Brandon Mychal Smith] from Nickelodeon. I’ve seen a few things from him online and he seems really into it.” 
8. Reality show contestants are like children. “Look, you criticize your child — if you have one, I don’t know,” says Button. “But if one has a child, one criticizes it. One gives it a lot of attention, but one doesn’t put up with a bad move, you know? I expect them to do well and love the idea of sitting back and seeing the enjoyment of skating, and not having another rule where it says you have to do five twizzles on one foot and five twizzles on the other.”
7. Dick Button’s not gonna be harsh. “I don’t think I ever have been the East German judge!” he says after I wondered if he’d be filling that role. “I have no intention of being strict or not strict. Hopefully I will judge it as fairly and as understandingly as I can. I have no pre-conceived notions as to how I’m going to judge it. I don’t think that I have been harsh and cruel. I think I’ve been factual!”
6. But Laurieann will! “We’re all very opinionated and we’re all very serious because we come from legitimate disciplines,” says Gibson of Button and Weir. “It’ll be an interesting dynamic — I’ll fight for something legitimate and so will they….but I’ll probably eat them alive.”
5. An a–hole on land could be an exponentially worse a–hole on ice. “When you’re out of your element and you’ve been a celebrity and maybe you’ve been given an entitled life, certain things come out when you’re out of your element,” says Gibson. “If you’re an asshole in real life, you know what? You’re gonna be exposed….on ice!
4. Gaga on Ice? “I think it would be beautiful to see them interpret one of my live performances, like ‘Paparazzi’ on the MTV Awards,” says Gibson. “Lady Gaga is an amazing artist, amazing writer, fearless. That collaboration has allowed me to live outside the box, so it would be good for someone to be inspired by that freedom and not care what people think.”
3. Watch your back, Carrie Ann! On fellow former Fly Girl and DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba: “We’re very good friends,” says Gibson. “We’re very proud because it’s difficult to rise up out of what we do as dancers and then as a choreographer and creative director. Just to have these vehicles, we just feel like Yay, we got out! so there’s a camaraderie there … but also it’s like I’m comin’ after you, girl! Raise the stakes! There’s a healthy competition there as well.”
2. They have no idea where they’ll be sitting. “I don’t know if sitting in the middle is head judge or not,” says Button. “Simon Cowell was, and he always sat on the left! I like to be able to hear what both other judges are saying … but I’d be happy to sit anywhere.”
1. Dick Button has a favorite skating movie, and you’ve probably never seen it. “I love Bonita [Granville] in Suspense,” he said. “It’s from the 1940s — one I’m sure you haven’t seen. She was gorgeous, just gorgeous!
(Skating starts at 2:16 when (SPOILER ALERT) someone pops out of a giant skull.)
Share your thoughts on the season premiere below!
Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett
More Skating With the Stars:
‘Skating With the Stars’ pros, host, and color commentator announced
Sean Young on ‘Skating With the Stars’: ‘I’m surprised I am the most famous person’
‘Skating With the Stars’: And the contestants are…
Did he actually say “the young black brother from Nickelodeon”??? Seems a little racist to me. Not to mention that he’s from Disney…which, of course, owns ABC.
Fail, ABC. Just…fail.
If he were black and said that then it wouldn’t be a problem. Overly sensitive people like you are the problem.
That was LaurieAnn, not Dick Button.
That kinda caught me off guard as well.
For what it’s worth, I believe it was Laurieann Gibson that made the comment.
Laurie Ann. I found your headphones
people like you look for racism that is not even there. give it a brake!
The person who made the “black brother’ comment is black. Her name is Laurieanne Gibson. You should actually check the facts before you make an racist remark Is that okay,then? Since she is black, I mean?
for crying out loud- shut it!
Brother is not a racist term. Brother or sister is a term of endearment and comraderie in the black community. Laurieanne, who is black, said it, but it wouldn’t be racist if the white men said it.
I’m black. That doesn’t sound racist too me.
Actually, it was Laurieann Gibson who said that.
LOL I thought the same thing and re read it like 5 times to be sure. Young black brother???? What does that even mean?????? Black brother from a character played on a show or just cause he is a black brother???
Sloppy writing and proofreading leaves the “young black brother” quote unattributed so it can’t (yet) be pinned on Button.
I’ve not seen Smith’s current show (“Sonny With a Chance”) but I read another article that said he had a previous role as the younger of two brothers.
And… given many posters tendency to nit-pick.. it’s entirely possible that show featured a multi-racial cast, Hence: young… black… brother.
It’s very clearly attributed to Laurianne Gibson.
Hmm, maybe you should read with a bit more care. The person who made the” black brother”comment is black. It was made by the “dance expert” judge
When this story originally moved, the quote was unattributed. That’s why I said “…it can’t (yet) be pinned…” Since my post, the line has been edited to include attribution.
So “A” and “yoopergirl”, perhaps the two of YOU should “read a bit more carefully”. At the very least, be less snide lest it blow up in your face again (as it did here).
Get over it monkeys!!! Just shut up and eat your welfare bananas!!!
We have hidden gems for DWTS, so what do we have for this show, hidden snowflakes?
What about Johnny Wier who has to keep nudging Dick Button to show his score?
Is there some kind of law that all fly girls have “Ann” tacked onto their name? Carrie Ann, Laurie Ann…
I know back in the MySpace days, you could pick your “Fly Girl” name by putting a period after your first initial and then having the first two letters of your last name, as in Jennifer Lopez = J. Lo, and Rosie Perez would be… R. Pe?
Allison, isn’t your last name Holmes?
A.Ho
Good show, if you want to warm up the viewers to a new show, get rid of the English co-host..not necessary.
Yeah. That guy’s no Tom Bergeron.
I think you mean the girl. I agree especially when she’s speaking when they’re coming down the ramp & saying they fell in practice!!!
Seriously. The show was awful. I tuned out after Sean Young behaved. Even johhny failed me.
Yeah, it was a pretty epic snoozefest. None of the judges looked like they wanted to be there (hey, maybe they could add Bristol to the panel for maximum boredom), the host lacked anything approaching charisma (just what I want, Price Charles hosting a reality show), and I only knew who two of the people on ice were (and that includes having never heard of any of the pros). Dreadful.
Annie, PLEASE tell me you’ll be re-capping this show–total ice-encrusted ridiculata!!! Felt like the universe was being realigned when I saw that Planet Mirrorballus was connected to The Ice Planet via a subterranean, twinkle-lighted tunnel. There are too many juicy hidden gems on this show NOT to mention. Giant scores that “crack” the ice, parents dressed in African apparel with geeky co-star in tow, not to mention, having both Johnny Weir AND Dick Button on the judges’ panel–completely tweaking the realm of reality. Must.rewatch.dvr.immediately.to.recapture.the.insanity.
Annie- PLEASE PLEASE be writing the recaps,and continuing the Hidden Gems ridiculata! PLEASE!
Have been a skating fan since Peggy F, so am hoping for this show!
However, I actually fell asleep before it ended- incredibly boring, and what’s with the Hugh Hefner boudoir decor?? (red tufted velvet everywhere?)
Tanith seemed to have prescripted EVERY remark- and made them whether or not they were accurate (telling me that the audience was electric when they were clearly comatose is sticking TOO much to the script, dear! lol)
I agree so i also tuned out. Don’t think I can watch again. Bummer. Iwas so looking forward to Johhny and D i c k. Tannith, you will never make it as a host. You are a robot. And the skating was a bore. How can that happen. Sob.
I just don’t see it rising to the level of epic campiness that is DWTS.
no comment….didn’t watch it! Reality sucks!!!!
I’m watching the show now it sure won’t be in my weekly viewing. The judges aren’t charismatic they have no appeal at all.
The girl announcer(didn’t get her name) made it sound like a torture session, and the guy announcer is the pits.
The judges have on personalities, Red Buttons sounds and looks exactly like he is an old man, no influx of tone in this voice.
Where is the excitement???
I think Skating is too specialized a sport to have amatures competing.
Unlike Dancing with the starts, or You Think you can dance.. Everyone dances and it’s exciting to see the competition.
Other shows like America’s Got Talent are real competitions that all get a kick out of..
Skating with the Stars should be an embarassment to ABC and Disney
It could be good. It needs a well-known host. Get rid of the girl host. Make it one score not tech and then presentation. Inject some fun A host like Drew Lachay who is just naturally funny would be great! I hope it works itself out.
I LIKED IT – SO THERE !!!
I liked it too. I think these people commenting aren’t skating fans. From what I can see, Tanith Belbin is there to educate the audience who don’t watch skating about the techniques on the ice, much as was done early in DWTS. But skating has always been judged on both technical merit and presentation, so why wouldn’t the show be.
Agree about the host, though. Would Cat Deeley jump over in the off-season? She’d be fun.
It’s Dick Button, not “Red” Buttons.
Red Buttons – Ha!
I am a skating fan, but it was awful. No fun, no charisma, no way.
can’t get thru to vote for Sean Young!
why would you want to?? she was terrible!! not to mention she is a total b**ch!!
I got to see Johnny Weir skate. That’s more than good enough. I’ll keep watching in case he gets to skate on other shows in this series.
I watched it to hopefully see someone eat it on the ice, but it was just boring. The judges and commentators are awkward (except for Johnny Weir) and it just didn’t work for me. I also think that it doesn’t help that they are using the word “star” very loosely (even more so than our teen activist Bristol Palin who at least has a famous mom)…The only people I had even heard of were Bethanny Frankel and Johnny Moseley. I didn’t watch Dancing with the Stars for the first few seasons, so I have no idea if it was as awkward when it was first starting out, but I’m not planning to stick around to see if Skating with the Stars gets better.
I’m in Wisconsin and none of the phone lines work.. BRAVO SWTS. I was enjoying it and really wanted to vote for Bethanny who got robbed.
I agree. Bethenny and her partner were better than Sean Young and her partner but got lower scores. I don’t think I’ll be a regular viewer for this show.
What the hell was ABC thinking!!!!! Terrible host, terrible judges and the stars are not stars. Very disappointing after the lady gaga performance I turned it off and will not be watching again. I am a huge dancing with the stars fan and was expecting so much more. Why the hell did they not get Kristi Yamaguchi to be a big part of this show since she was such a hit on her season of dancing with the stars. This was a total joke the critics are going to tear ABC apart for this. Who ever approved for this to air needs to be fired.
Yes it was horrible. All of what you said and more. Crappy choreography and music, as well as stiff and boring skaters. The judges are awful and Weir’s performance was weird.
you feel better now?
Wait, this is a thing?
Sean Young you were fabulous!! I always thought you should have played Scarlet O’Hara on the sequel. A true beauty and talent!
She looked like a box with legs. WTF?!
Yeah. Too bad she’s OUT OF HER STINKIN’ GOURD!