The winner of Battle of the Blades Season 6 is …
Find out who took the top spot — and $100,000 for charity.
Over the past six weeks, we've watched 16 talented athletes evolve before our eyes. Each week, it was harder and harder to say goodbye to the eliminated skaters.
Battle of the Blades takes professional athletes out of their comfort zones — especially the hockey players, most of whom had never worn figure skates before. But on-ice background aside, all the skaters share two things: a competitive spirit and a drive to win. Nothing — not even a broken nose — was going to get in the way of these competitors giving their all in an effort to be number one.
Meagan Duhamel and Wojtek Wolski took home this year's championship title and $100,000 for their charities: The Sandra Schmirler Foundation and The Hospital for Sick Children Patient Amenities Fund.
Week after week, Duhamel and Wolski brought new tricks, lifts and throws, skating their way into the judges and audiences' hearts. While they never nabbed the top score, the two remained persistent and unpredictable each week.
From the first week of Battle of the Blades, Wolski and Duhamel brought their competitive spirit to the ice, showcasing their great energy and trust in each other.
Week 2 came around and the duo hit the ice with their Halloween-themed performance to Bad Things by Jace Everett. Things got a little bit spooky that night!
The pair continued along in the competition, dazzling the judges with risque technical moves. It was while practicing one of these moves that Duhamel suffered a suspected fracture to her nose in rehearsals for Week 3.
"We had a little bit of a mistiming on the twist in training one day; Wojtek and I weren't accurate in the catch and I hit my face into his shoulder," said Duhamel. She was cleared to skate after the incident and their Week 3 performance was outstanding. These skaters clearly enjoy each other's company on the ice!
Week 4 brought us a hoe-down to remember! To kick off Canada Week, Wolski and Duhamel showed the world what they're made of, strutting their stuff, having lots of fun and saddling up to show us more of their playful side.
Safe once again, Duhamel and Wolski got the house moving with their animated, footwork-forward performance in Week 5. Wojtek executed a tough move, called a 'Detroiter,' showcasing his strength, as well as Meagan's trust in him as a partner.
Their final performance to What A Wonderful World by Reuben and the Dark, AG was effortlessly elegant and electrifying. Duhamel and Wolski performed a throw triple salchow for the first time in Battle of the Blades history — and it was perfect!
The pair have been competing for The Sandra Schmirler Foundation and The Hospital for Sick Children's Patient Amenities Fund, a source of assistance for families who have limited financial resources and whose child is being cared for by SickKids.
"It was a true honour to skate for the Sandra Schmirler Foundation during my time on Battle of the Blades. They are a charity I feel personally connected to and I am so happy to have brought them awareness and the winning prize money!" said Duhamel.
The Sandra Schmirler Foundation's mission is to raise funds for hospital Newborn Intensive Care Units to purchase life-saving equipment for premature and critically ill newborns. In October 2019, just after Duhamel's appearance on Season 5, Week 5, of Battle of the Blades, she gave birth to daughter Zoey, who was born prematurely at just 4lbs and 2oz.
For Wolski, Battle of the Blades was more than just a competition.
"2020 has been an extremely tough year for everyone. I personally lost my grandfather in March, my wife was then diagnosed with COVID-19 and a month later my dad was diagnosed with cancer. Being on this show and winning has been life changing," said Wolski.
"It helped bring a lot of hope and positivity into my life at a time when darkness could have easily taken over."
Duhamel and Wolski's undeniable on-ice chemistry, determination and execution of challenging moves week-after-week proved that this pair had what it takes to become the latest Battle of the Blades champions.
