Let's see that in slow motion.
Whoa!
I fell and I'm too gross.
-Are you OK? -Yeah, I'm good.
I'm just wet now.
Gigi's background is in ballroom dance coaching,
and she adds her little flare of that to what we do.
When we are doing, like all the dancing,
you have to be very careful to really follow the beat
and not just to follow the ya da da, you know?
It's always nice that she shows up
and she puts her touch on the program.
We're losing that quality of what it should be,
that rhythmic that they're looking for.
She just brings, like a whole new level
of I want to say sass.
We need to have, like people that will say,
"Wow, they are great."
Because you are great.
-Yes? -"Chess."
She can get, like really, really into details of timing.
And in ballroom, they count quite different
to how we count.
One, two, three, four, it's late.
So if we have a one and a two very clear,
you'll get maybe a little bit more
what I'm talking about to have that...
We need to have that excitement.
And she still to this day will try and teach us
how to count the way she does in ballroom,
but the judges
only count one to eight, and that's how they count.
So as long as we are following
the very obvious beats, she'll make sure of that.
And then we know that the judges
will understand, and that will be clear.
Two, three, four and one.
Two and three, four.
-Hello! -Hey, how are you?
Good. How are you?
You haven't been to the jungle yet?
No, I haven't, but I've heard so many great things,
and this is very exciting for me.
I'd say Madi is like an older sister
of mine in the skating world.
She's always giving me advice whenever I need it
and showing me the ropes at different competitions.
And she's an amazing role model and is just a wonderful woman.
This is very exciting. Oh my gosh.
And look at your kit, it's so professional!
We have a lot of other colors,
if you decide not to go with nude.
Okay.
Well I'm just following your lead
because you're the nail master.
I've liked nails for a long time,
and I have gotten kind of like fake nails extensions
for most of my adult life
because I chewed my nails otherwise.
-Oh. -So when they're like thicker,
or they're not my own,
for some reason I don't chew them.
I kind of got into the world of nails and nail extensions
pretty young, because I always wanted
my nails to look a bit nicer.
There's been some ugly nails along the way.
There's a learning curve.
But I've got the hang of it now.
I think maybe having the chance
to go to the Olympics this season,
I've been told by so many veterans to really take it in.
But I don't know how possible
that is with goals and pressure, and...
In some way you're at the biggest stage of your sport.
And at the same time, even if you win you're a headline
for like five minutes until the next person wins,
-The next event. - at the next event,
It makes you realize like it's not about support.
It's about all coming together and cheering each other on
and trying to be the best you can be.
It feels like it's the pinnacle
of anyone's career to compete at the Olympics,
and it's been a dream since I was a little kid.
And it's one chance every four years.
I don't want to get so in my head
and feel like it's just that one time,
that one performance, and that defines my career.
Once you enter the ice rink,
you're going to see it feels exactly the same.
And it's the same judges, it's the same other competitors.
So like if you don't try to assign
a different meaning to it, it should be easy enough.
I think as someone going into their first Olympics,
I am just really eager to learn, and I have
this wealth of knowledge in all of my training mates
who have been before, including Madi.
I can't believe you did these.
Thank you so much.
-You're welcome. -I cannot believe it.
I feel so badass with these nails.
Yes.
Nice!
The way I got into knifemaking
was I needed when I was cooking
in the kitchen to have sharp knives.
I taught myself a lot of stuff generally through YouTube.
The one you made for me
has a bit more of a hook on the back.
-Yes, more hook. -Which I like.
And it's also like Japanese style.
-It's a bit more. -This is like a classic
French-curve chef knife.
Yeah, I like it a bit more.
You see, I like a deeper curve.
-That's nice. -I like this.
Okay, so his knifemaking, he's actually got
a really cool thing going on, and it makes me a little bit
feel insufficient as like, a man.
Like, I figure skate, I cook and I work out.
I am missing something.
We had no competitions from Russia till Nationals.
But you guys were supposed to be somewhere this week,
What was supposed to happen? Oh yeah, the final.
It's a minor event.
So I'm wondering how you feel
because they're like, "Oh, here we go, COVID all over again,
canceled because of the pandemic."
But it's COVID, right?
So, like, it's a bit of a blessing in disguise
because you get more time to like,
it was what, train
the remaining few days and then have a competition.
Try to manage a couple of days of rest.
But with holidays coming up it would be a short week.
So you panic before Nationals.
-Exactly. -All I know is I'm 30.
Worlds would be the last time I compete.
Doesn't matter what's after it.
How does that feel?
-Retiring? -No, but like knowing that
that's the last time?
There are days that I really wish it was right now.
And then there are days I'm like, "No, no, no.
I want to experience more."
Madi and I have had a very like,
-blessed, successful career. -Yeah.
The only thing we haven't won is Worlds and Olympics.
We love the sport. We like skating together.
We're gonna keep skating together in the future.
But I think that everything will just align if you've done,
you've done what you think you needed to do.
And some doors close because they are meant to be closed.
And if they're closed, then let them, really leave them shut.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
You know what, if it slams in your face...
Don't try and walk through it twice.
Nik and I, from our standpoint,
we're actually quite close.
We've watched each other grow, change, evolve.
Definitely the friend I'm most grateful for.
Laurence made pancakes,
so let's, I think it's time to eat, I'm pretty hungry.
I'm getting, she gave me Zach-inspired
as the pancakes, so I'm ready.
She told me, "Zach is coming.
I think I should make pancakes."
I'm like, "Why does Zach get the special treatment?"
Anyways, let's go eat.
Skating on Maurice Richard, it's a big help
for this Olympic preparation because it's one
of the only rinks in Montreal, who has the Olympic size.
Gabi and Guillaume are in a good place, they could improve.
Sometimes the look and the head were still a bit down,
and I want them ready to open themselves.
The shoulder, the hip and the projection
has to be bigger and bigger.
I'd be in favor of practicing and focusing
on the quality of the lift,
the end, turning and facing each other.
Now, it seems rushed with the music.
We could speed up the rhythm,
it would give us an extra half-second for the lift.
There, that's it.
That's not bad.
That's what I want you to do.
I think it's enough.
There was a little bit of a hiccup,
of course, with the cancellation of the final,
You know, you always choose to take it
as a blessing in disguise, to have extra time to analyze
and make sure that the package is the absolute best
going into the championship season.
-More spin or what? -Yeah.
Right here, come around a little more.
Oh, I thought Romain
said no, he didn't like it
when we touched, just keep spinning.
No, like shoom, just stop.
I'm letting go?
Right here?
Let go, and then that.
That's what I do?
It hasn't happened, either in the run,
or the past few times you've been doing it.
That's not really the answer.
I'd like to know we need to do to make it happen consistently.
I don't know. I'm trying to do that.
I'm trying to make sure that we don't get a one point deduction
just because we want to be facing here instead of here.
So whichever way we are facing,
I'm just trying to be with you.
That's better.
We want you to say it was great.
Yeah?
But unless I ask you won't give it to me.
I don't give it!
Because I really don't get it.
I'll give it to you, everything, even my phone.
You're horrible!
Don't worry.
Because no one is watching!