FEATURE: Why Joe Warren-Plant Should Return To Dancing On Ice

 FEATURE: Why Joe Warren-Plant Should Return To Dancing On Ice

This past Friday, Joe Warren-Plant was forced to pull out of the current series of Dancing On Ice after both himself and his skating partner Vanessa Bauer tested positive with COVID. They were one of a string of skating couples who have been forced to leave the skating competition either permanently or on a temporary basis, owing to a variety of reasons. Rufus Hound was the first victim of Dancing On Ice Series Thirteen's unbelievable bad luck, when he himself landed with COVID. Then came Denise Van Outen, who dislocated her shoulder, Billie Shepherd who first took a week out to deal with a family bereavement and then landed with concussion, and most recently Jason Donovan, who was advised to rest for a week after experiencing severe back pains (although he is due to return to the ice come the next live show). However on Monday ITV announced that Dancing On Ice will be taking a week's break in light of these recent celebrity departures, and this got people wondering: can Dancing On Ice bring Joe Warren-Plant and his skating partner Vanessa Bauer back?

Here are a few reasons why I think their return with would be a good idea.

Their Quarantine Period Will Be Over

The current government guidelines stipulate that if you receive a positive test, you must quarantine immediately for ten days before returning to work. This means that when Dancing On Ice returns on the 28th February, Joe and Vanessa's quarantine period will be over. Not only that, but Dancing On Ice's own rules that couples are only allowed to miss one week of live shows will no longer apply. Had the series carried on as normal, if Joe and Vanessa had returned for the next live show after their quarantine period they would have missed two live shows - Love Week and Movie Week - but Dancing On Ice's pause means that a return is possible, as they would have only been absent for one live show by the time they would be able to safely return to the ink.

There Are Not Enough Celebrities Left In The Competition

Dancing On Ice, currently, has a major casting problem. As it stands, the show is six weeks in and there are only six celebrities left in the competition. To put that into perspective, by this point in 2019 - a series where the show was operating at its normal pace, with no injuries or withdrawals - eight celebrities were remaining in the show. This means that if the show maintains its usual format, with a weekly elimination and four episodes left to go, the final will be left with only two skating couples in the final. That means either lots of adverts, or a lot of talking with the finalists' friends and family, if Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby are to pad the running time out to fill the whole two hours. Bring back Joe Warren-Plant and Vanessa, and the problem is immediately solved. Three couples remain in the final, and we don't all get bored watching for the latest Sainsbury's advert for the millionth time.

                                                   He Was One Of The Strongest Skaters

Few would deny that Joe Warren-Plant was one of the stand-out skaters of this series of Dancing On Ice. During their time in the competition, Joe and Vanessa frequently reached the top of the leaderboard, receiving some of the highest scores from the judges, and entertaining every one of us viewers at home. Sure, he may have fallen on his first skate, but ice skating is an extremely difficult skill for someone to learn. I doubt I would fare much better on the ice, and even the show's greatest celebrity skater Ray Quinn has been known to take the odd stumble in the Dancing On Ice arena tours. Joe Warren-Plant's return could provide some very healthy competition for the likes of Faye Brooke and Sonny Jay, and could potentially help to create one of Dancing On Ice's most exciting finals since its revival in 2018.

He Was The Youngest Ever Skater In The Show's History

At only eighteen years of age, Joe Warren-Plant was the youngest ever skater Dancing On Ice ever had when he took to the rink at the beginning of this series. Theoretically this young age could see him being more willing to take greater risks than his older rivals, should he be allowed to return. His routines before his COVID diagnosis neatly demonstrated that potential for a daredevil skater, and unless ITV agree for him to come back we may never get to see his capabilities fully realised. Dancing On Ice is always at its most entertaining when the celebrities embrace the dangers that the ice possesses - which is what makes the head banger so great - and Joe Warren-Plant before COVID struck was the right kind of person to bring those fears that it could go wrong at any moment to the surface. 

What do you think? Should Joe Warren-Plant be allowed to return when Dancing On Ice comes back from its temporary break? Let me know in the comments.

UPDATE: Tabloid reports now claim that Joe and Vanessa have indeed been invited back to the show.