Dancing On Ice: Jeff Brazier defends Karen Barber after Jason Gardiner row
Jeff Brazier on ITV's Dancing On Ice
Dancing On Ice contestant Jeff Brazier has left no doubt where his loyalties lie, after the row on tonight’s live show.
The TV presenter took to Twitter when the episode ended to blast Jason Gardiner for upsetting head coach Karen Barber.
Karen had blasted caustic tongued Gardiner, after he criticised war hero Johnson Beharry, saying that he isn’t learning and progressing fast enough. He hit back, telling the former judge:
‘Karen if your opinion mattered, you’d still be on the panel.’
Barber – who is reportedly dating show mentor and Olympic legend Christopher Dean – was visibly upset and walked over to Jason, daring him to repeat his comments. When he did, she berated him saying:
‘You know Jason you really are so offensive. You bring to this panel so little, you really do!’
Minutes ago Jeff took to Twitter to talk about the row. He told his followers:
‘Can you believe I got up and went to the loo just before Jason went for Karen, I would have had to of stepped in!! She was really upset..’
Of course he is a bit biased! It was only a few weeks ago that he had a run in with Gardiner himself.
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Jason is an unprofessional judge and a professional bully. His comments to Head Coach, Karen Barber, were totally uncalled for. Jason is well known for his acerbic remarks, and I appreciate that Jason is there for that reason. He has totally over-stepped the mark. He has lowered the tone of the show and should resign before he is sacked.
We as a family who watch Dancing on Ice every week as well as going to the live show in Manchester 2 years ago are all so fed up and sick of Karen Barber and her attitude to everything that Jason Gardner says. She had the chance to be on the judging panel but turned it down. She is the head coach and that is that. She is not a judge and so should not have any right to respond or question any of the judges comments. Why is she even present on the live shows?? I am not all for Jason Gardner, not at all, but he does say alot sence, and he says it as he sees it, as a judge. Get her off the live shows, she adds nothing. Although I see by the latest update she is now Chrid Deans new girlfriend?? If Karen wants a say in the performances then she should be bold enough to be on the judging panel.
“Jason is an unprofessional judge and a professional bully”. Of course he is. TV ratings are to be found in confrontation. You need only look at how Holly leapt at the chance to strike the match.
Jason was out of line in what he said, but Karen really needs to get some objectivity, otherwise she will simply continue to come over like a mother hen. It is as though Jason were attacking the acting ability of Karen’s children at a primary school nativity play.
Jason can be rude and hurtful, but that is why he was employed. When you get past the rudeness, he is usually right.
Neal, Casey, Be that as it may but if Jason Gardiner were to behave in that manner in the workplace, he would be asked to leave. I’m not questioning his ability to judge, nor Karen Barber’s coaching skills or whether her presence is required on the live shows. What I do detest is his bullying attitude. It’s totally, utterly and completely uncalled for.
How strange is it that two out of three judges on a skating show know hee – haw about skating !!!
Ruty is, of course, quite right. Jason’s behavior has no place in civilized society. I find it hard to believe that Jason could behave in that way off the air without requiring the permanent company of a team of paramedics. But that is the point isn’t it. He couldn’t. I may be an old cynic, but we are getting precisely what the shows producers want us to get, with Phil and Holly on hand to fan the flames. But if my cinicism were misplaced, how do we explain the end result of tonight’s show?
R Hunter has also hit the nail on the head about choice of judges. If the show were really about skating, then you would not have seen the weakest skaters going through while two of the strongest end up in the skate-off.
Why do I watch it? Tucked inside the pantomime is some damned fine skating.
I fully agree with Ruty, Jason’s attitude was bang out of order and the comments completely unjustified. Yes Karen Barber might have turned down the role of Judge to be Head Coach but that said tonight’s comments went to far. As Casey says confrontation is good and that’s why producers want it as it surely will boost ratings and publicity. But this has just gone too far. In my opinion I think DOI has got much worse. The old 5 judge format worked well even with Jason because he assumed the position of being the bad guy. His outlandish comments in the past made the show quite amusing to watch creating a sort of pantomime atmosphere where the audience used to heckle him. Yes he is paid to judge in that manner and I am not questioning that for one minute. However his personal attacks have just gone too far. I don’t blame Karen for the way she reacted to those comments. The show is going way downhill I think they should change the judging panel and bring in some professional skaters. As R Hunter quite rightly says its a skating show with only one judge as a professional skater. If someone from another country was to watch DOI it probably wouldn’t make any sense to them.
I feel that Jason is there to do a job as a judge and say what he feels. Karen is far too emotional and always objects to his comments week after week because she is too close to the skaters, and Jason is not! Its makes AMAZING tv if u ask me, to what would be a very bland show!!!
I think it would be interesting to implement some football rules here and red card jason without pay for one or two shows.
He was out of order and should be made to face up to it.
I feel that Jason’s behaviour contributes to how our young people feel that it is ok to bully someone especially in public. He is certainly no role model for any young person and I just wonder what type of person feels the necessity to reduce an entertainment show to a bullying fight. As long as Jason continues to be so cruel, viewers will continue to vote for the underdogs.
Quite sad that he does not realise that the error of his ways is actually keeping these skaters in the competition.
He is nothing but a bully!!!!!
At least Karen Barber knows what she’s talking about. What exactly has Jason done? I just feel sick he’s making money out of of berating war heroes. By all means be honest – I’m sure Johnson is man enough to take it – but there are ways of saying it and it would be nice for him to acknowledge Johnson’s great achievement as well. I never vote, but I’m going to pick up the phone for Johnson every week now to see the smirk wipe off JG’s smug face.
Never mind Jason, Jeff Brazier needs a few lessons in English Grammar. “I would have had to of stepped in!”
WTF?
Would have to of?
“Tweeting” indeed.
Jason is a bully and has a long history of insulting and degrading people. Behind him are producers who, by allowing him to continue in his job in order to boost ratings, are condoning his behaviour. There are rules and guidelines governing broadcasting before the watershed. When will the television regulators step in and remove someone who is modelling bulling and offensive behaviour as normal and acceptable?
I do think the producers of DoI knew exactly what they were doing by employing Jason Gardiner – the confrontation between him & Karen Barber was exactly what they wanted – the culmination of many weeks (& previous seasons)of ‘build up’! However, that in itself is wrong; it shows society’s ever-diminishing standards if it deems to be acceptable to sink to these levels for ‘entertainment’. Clearly ITV were only too happy to show the ‘fallout’ again in the playback session – they weren’t exactly trying to be discreet about it!! Having said all of that, I do feel Karen Barber should have stayed on as a judge if she truly did want her opinion to count. Yes, Jason was wrong & clearly over-stepped the mark but, in fairness to him, he did apologise on air & Karen, once again, refused to listen. Karen has her place & so does Jason … What’s wrong is the whole format of the programme & the producers who allow all involved too much freedom of speech.
Just wanted to point out that I posted my comment above before I saw Philip’s – we posted at exactly the same time it seems & said much the same! (I trust this ‘Philip’s surname isn’t Schofield!!)
Jason should go. I agree with Neil, the judging pannel needs to be changed (except for Robin). An Ice Dancing competition should be judged by Ice Dancers!!
If jason left, that would free him up to be one of the ‘celebrity’ contestants and then we can all judge how well he can Ice Dance!!
Possibly a good thing I wasn’t at the ‘live’ show as I would have been tempted to punch that little nasty weed. Or better still, set him in the middle of the ice and see how he would manage to get off… What goes round comes round, so perhaps one day he’ll get his cumuppance….
Jason was slightly harsh but being very honest last night. He said exactly what i was thinking! I find Karen to be over-emotional too. I also found the way she went clucking on about Johnson and his improvement highly patronising to him. He’s a war hero, not a 6 year old child! Also, the way that the show is set up – Jason’s comments follwed by a rebuff from Karen – is just made for arguements. Karen needs to develop some objectivity and Jason needs to get a bit more tact. Can we vote Karen Barber off please?!?!?
Isn’t Dancing on Ice supposed to be a family show?
As a parent I have a responsibility to teach my children to be respectful, act responsibly and not to name call. To be “grown up”. What kind of example does Jason’s comments set for our young people? Watching the progress the contesants make during the show is inspiration as well as entertaining. We do NOT want to listen to some nasty man make uncalled for and very personal comments about the contestents and head coach. He isn’t funny. Positive feedback is one thing, but to spew out his crushingly vile critisms of the various personalities is quite something else.
I so agree with Pamela.
Isn’t Dancing on Ice supposed to be a family show?
As a parent I have a responsibility to teach my children to be respectful, act responsibly and not to name call. To be “grown up”. What kind of example does Jason’s comments set for our young people? Watching the progress the contesants make during the show is inspirational as well as entertaining. We do NOT want to listen to some nasty man make uncalled for and very personal comments about the contestents and head coach. He isn’t funny. Positive feedback is one thing, but to spew out his crushingly vile critisms of the various personalities is quite something else.
Jason Gardiner should not be on tv. He is rude, arrogant and should be sacked.
I don’t think the show’s ratings would survive losing Jason without taking a serious nose-dive. The loss of Karen would hardly effect ratings at all. Shameful I know, but that’s TV. It’s ratings that attract advertisers and controversy generates ratings. That is why Jason will always remain. Robin as well. He is possibly the greatest solo skating performer this country has ever produced, and the show has to at least try to keep up the pretence of being about skating.
How about this for an idea though.
The 3rd judges chair to go to the previous year’s winner.
Two judges on this show are not skaters so how are they judges? I suggest that Jason is a judge because of his rudeness and brash way of speaking. This is whether he knows anything of skating or not.
However, had he been a professional person. I don’t think he would address the head coach in such a manner.
His apology was rather insipid and felt dishonest to Karen as he carried on rabbiting afterwards.
I do know that reality tv is only judged to be good if it has something for the viewer to complain about or comment on, as all press is good or bad keeps the programme in the news loop.
I somehow think that this will pass over for next week and everything will be all lovey dovey in lala tv land soon.