Missed the first group, just in time for second warm-up group. (I will add in the music later when I have time to confirm)
Shawn Sawyer (Canada): I like Shawn Sawyer. He already shows more grace than most of the women right off the bat, but he stumbles out of his first jump! doh. Triple flip/triple toe is ok, triple lutz. Inside edge spinning here is nice, as are his other spins. I like this footwork sequence. I think he might be able to add some speed to it but it's really not as noticeably slow as some have been tonight. Sick spin extension at the end there. I'm pretty sure other skaters would kill for that flexibility. 70.15. That should not hold up..
Denis Ten (Kazahkstan): Triple axel...ugh turns out of the landing. That jump was off in the air. Triple lutz/triple toe is a nice comeback. Triple flip he holds onto. Phew. Denis Ten is another skater with some great flexibility in his spins. I like his footwork and his spins. They are fairly crisp until the catchfoot at the end/ Frank Carroll is auditioning for a mafia movie right now. Black on black. 68.74. Fourth place.
Adrien Schultheiss (Sweden): Wow, the man who scares me, literally. I am hoping he is less scary this year. I totally missed the beginning of his first triple, but he completed the combination and it looked ok. Triple axel - shaky landing but should be full credit. Spins are not fab. He just did a move that could only be described as a gyration. But I would not say he gyrated. Anywho...Triple lutz looked really weird too..not sure what his GOE will be. Nothing about this program is keeping my attention. Bring back straight jacket! Fear is an attention-grabber. Footwork at the end is pretty run of the mill. Kind of slow. 62.24. Eighth place.
Kevin van der Perren (Belgium): this guy loves a bodysuit like no other. Er doubled his axel. Not gonna fly. Triple lutz/triple toe not very strong but completed. Sit spin is good...the footwork is looking a little sloppy here. Annnd he pops his last jump. Not a great performance although I do like some of his spins here at the end. And a forgettable program. 55.31. ninth place.
Daisuke Takahashi (Japan): Please save this competition! Your flowered shirt alone is not going to pull it off. Great initial triple/triple combo. Puts his hand down on the triple axel, booo. Triple flip is solid. Like the first spin combination...not so much the second one. The step sequence is obviously ridiculous. It seems a little slower than I expect it will be in a few months but it's still amahhhzing and heads and tails above anything else we have (or will) see tonight in this second group unless Stephane Lambiel somehow applies for eligibility again and receives a last minute birth to the competition before the end of the night. I just love his skating. That triple axel mistake will definitely cost, though. 78.04, first place.
Jeremy Abbott (USA): Wowee I have not seen Abbott's costume, very interesting dual sided. Look at this hair! Slick slick slick. There is room for Abbott to sneak in here definitely. Triple/triple. Slow but clean. Triple axel is great. This costume is distracting me! It looks like part of his coat fell off. Abbott's spins are swonderful in this part. Final triple is ok. This program is going to take a bit for me to warm up to, I think. But I am liking his step sequence. It's different from what we've seen him do in the past but it's different in a good way...I think. Maybe. Well that was a great performance! Ugh I hate watching replays with no commentary. Everything looks underrotated but..is it? I dunno. 74.62. Can't wait to see the full score breakdown. Abbott is in second!
American Ross Miner is in seventh place with 64.85.