Luxe Life Blog
Vince Neil faces first elimination on Skating With the Stars
Vince Neil and Jennifer Wester on Skating With the Stars on Nov. 22, 2010.
Photo: Adam Taylor/ABC TV
Will the tango spell trouble for our hometown rock idol Vince Neil on tonight’s first elimination of the new ABC series Skating With the Stars? Or will the Motley Crue frontman turn the tango into triumph and skate full blast in true rock star style with no rules and wow both the judges and the audience?
Vince is on a slippery slope lying bottom of the leader board with just 28 points. He is one point below reality TV star Bethenny Frankel, who admitted flying in from New York for tonight’s broadcast that she is totally exhausted. She says she’s suffering fatigue from juggling a new baby, a second TV show and her own round-the-clock, swing routine ice skating rehearsals. Also watch for a possible meltdown from actress Sean Young, who dumbfounded viewers last week with remarks about her advantages over the other competitors.
But as Vegas DeLuxe readers know from the just-concluded Season 11 of Dancing With the Stars, anybody is in jeopardy of being sent home with packed skates because it has a lot to do with TV viewer voting. Vince could have the entire music world supporting him! (Although would his fans watch SWTS?!) In-studio judges who account for 50 percent of the votes are figure skater Johnny Weir, legendary Olympic figure skating champion and veteran sports broadcaster Dick Button and celebrity choreographer Laurieann Gibson.
Vince admitted to friends that he was too cautious on last week’s premiere because he simply didn’t want to fall during the live telecast. One show insider told me: “He did really well in his rehearsals when he didn’t care if he fell. He’d just laugh, pick himself up and go all over again. He had that brazen rocker attitude. But on the show, he became much more tentative and thus looked hesitant and stiff.
“But watch out for this week. He’s determined to stay on the show. He’s put so much work into it. You would never think with his reputation that he’d buckle down and skate rehearsing from dawn to dusk. Vince has amazed us all with his dedication -- so much hard work and determination.
“Even when he falls, he skates so well off camera, you could easily see him making it to the finals and actually winning. But he’s got to be looser this crucial week. I think you might very well see him just go all out -- and not worry what happens. He’s really psyched up to not really give a damn and just go full blast.”
Vince is partnered with ice skating champion Jennifer Wester, and she’s said that she’s ready and willing to let him take off like a rocket. She’s already demonstrated her willingness to let him clutch onto her -- in some TSA pat down places -- to prevent those falls. Vince laughs that it’s just habit!
The rocker’s new flame, KSNV Channel 3 entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs, will be at the ABC ice rink studio to root him on, and I’ll fly in to watch it and report first hand. Check my Twitter postings via @Robin_Leach from L.A. tonight. Former Fantasy headliner at the Luxor and Baywatch beauty Angelica Bridges also will be there to cheer Vince onto victory. Angelica is set to be named captain of the new Las Vegas Lingerie Football League team this Friday.
Rehearsals here at the Las Vegas ice rink were a grueling 6- to 8-hour daily session all last week, including Thanksgiving. But Vince did get a brief evening break for two consecutive nights at the Palms. Alicia, friends and he had Thanksgiving dinner at Simon in Palms Place, and then Alicia and he hit N9NE Steakhouse the next evening for a quiet dinner date, sharing a Caesars salad and carrot cake. Hopefully it’s the dinner of champions!
Vince arrived in Hollywood last night in advance of tonight’s show and will rehearse on a practice rink, alongside the ice castle set, right up until show time.
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.
Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.
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