Behind glass, boards, and gold and glittered masks, the Las Vegas Invitational presented by HomeLight aired on NBC on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 4-6 p.m. ET.
Representing the announcing power duo Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, 12 domestically-eligible ladies and men split up into two groups and competed their free skate programs on behalf of Team Tara or Team Johnny for a shot at $50,000.
Team Tara — comprised of Starr Andrews, Audrey Shin, Bradie Tennell, Nathan Chen, Alex Krasnozhon and Ilia Malinin — stole the title with 828.95 points against Team Johnny — represented by Mariah Bell, Karen Chen, Alysa Liu, Tomoki Hiwatashi, Camden Pulkinen and Vincent Zhou — who accumulated 774.98 points.
The event also presented an opportunity for the ladies and men to compete on the same playing field. All athletes were judged by a component factor of 1.6 —which is standard for ladies' events, while men are typically judged by a factor of 2.0. The change in scoring, however, did not impact the outcome of the competition.
But before the event began, Lipinski and Weir gathered their teams for impassioned virtual pep talks.
Lipinski, whose team wore matching gold masks, pleaded for her athletes to bring their best performances, and most importantly their quads, to the competition.
"I won a national title, a World title and an Olympic title, then I retired," Lipinski said. "I like a very clean record. My reputation is on the line"
Meanwhile as the fearless leader of Team Glitter, Weir instructed his skaters that they needed to win at all costs.
"We need to beat Tara in this competition or she will hold it over my head for the rest of time," Weir said. "Be proud, sparkle out there and if something goes wrong, get up and smile at the judges like nothing happened."
So to uphold the expectations of Lipinski, Weir and their fans, the skaters manufactured an atmosphere of camaraderie at The Orleans Arena.
"It was really fun to have your teammates cheering for you because it made the arena seem smaller," Tennell said, mentioning she prefers to feed off the audience's energy in her programs. She finished with 140.14 points, placing her in third behind Chen and Zhou.
"I'm looking forward to growing more into my programs," Tennell, 22, said of her performance. "Everybody was just excited to see each other and skate in person again."
Pulkinen, who also relies on the crowd to pique his adrenaline, said he had to adjust to the "two-dimensional audience," which included familiar faces, pets and the GEICO Gecko.
"Regardless of how you slice it or dice it, this year is going to be different," Pulkinen, 20, said. "No one is used to skating in [an empty] arena, but we're all in it together. Everyone has been really supportive of each other."
His scaled score put him in eighth overall, but his performance left him hopeful for the rest of the season.
"This event reunited a spark inside of me because I remember what it's like to compete," Pulkinen said. "I think because there was a taste of the [U.S. Figure Skating Championships] at Skate America, this experience will really fuel me over the next few months."
Between performances, Lipinski or Weir offered their athletes virtual feedback, words of encouragement and small jabs at their competitors. Skaters supported their teammates with applause, squinting, smiling eyes and bejeweled whiteboards.
Bell, who captured the 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America title in October, completed another clean free skate and placed right behind Tennell. Newcomer Shin, 16, also made waves at the event, placing sixth overall with powerful combos. Karen Chen who placed ninth and Andrews who placed 10th relied on their artistry to secure high component marks, while Liu battled through her free skate set to "The Storm."
Nathan Chen and Krasnozhon, both on Team Tara, debuted solid quad loops that seemed to stir the entire skating community. Zhou finished in a solid second place for the second time this season. Hiwatashi's combinations and Malinin's blossoming quads also hinted at what's to come at the U.S. Championships, which will also take place at The Orleans Arena in January.
In separate statements, Tennell and Pulkinen sang similar tunes of gratitude, noting the chance to compete was priceless as it prepared them for the remainder of the season. While both teams were monetarily rewarded, winning the prize money felt essential for many of the athletes.
"HomeLight really stepped up to support us," Pulkinen said. "It's crucial because usually during a season, we have multiple opportunities to win prize money and opportunities to earn additional funding."
While Homelight's logo has graced Team USA's red, white and blue jackets over the past two seasons, the event also provided the skaters with another chance to publicly showcase their programs before the U.S. Championships.
"[HomeLight's generosity] allowed us to have another opportunity to put our programs out there in a season where we might only get two or three opportunities to perform as opposed to eight or nine," Tennell said.
Both also said while they're grateful for U.S. Figure Skating's effort to make this season as seamless as possible, they're looking forward to the day they can be reunited with their supporters.
"The fans' continued excitement to get back to the arena and watch us is encouraging," Tennell said. "[The athletes] are so passionate about the sport, so it's gratifying when the fans appreciate everything we put into our programs."
The event concluded in the way it began — in favor of friendly competition. Skating last, Chen closed out the event and secured the title for Team Tara. Lipinski praised her team for performing "the skates of their lives" and Weir graciously congratulated the teams, who gathered together, celebrating in their matching sparkling masks.
