First, let's wrap up Prime Time--Chloe Kim was the closest the US had to a sure thing, and she got the gold, basically in a walk. After a quick segment with Torico introducing Jacobellis' gold medal ceremony (the first for the US), we go to Men's Combined Skiing. One downhill run, one slalom run. We get a wacky bit about how sharp the skis are involving fruit--shades of Gallagher! Of course, they couldn't resist doing another segment on Shiffrin.
Off to figure skating, with Torico providing an update on the "legal issue" that is holding up the team medal ceremony. Not-Russian Kamila Valiyeva is the one who tested positive for a banned substance--one that helps heart function and could improve your endurance. She's the 15 year-old phenom that has been sweeping competitions lately--hmmm...
A quick onsite interview with Chloe Kim later, we're watching the Men's Free Skate--which means two things: the Tara and Johnny Show, and wall-to-wall Nathan Chen hype. Tara compares a skater's performance to a "perfect date", and Johnny--well, his fashion tonight looks like it came from the Kitty Carlisle collection. The competition is all about the "quad" jumps, and you really feel for those skaters that have not been able to perfect them, as they really have no chance to medal. It's like when the "Fosbury Flop" became the standard in the high jump (look it up). Oh, and can the skaters coordinate on their music? Really getting tired of variations on "Bolero".
Late night started with a review of Chen's gold-winning performance, plus the standard post-skate interview. Then off to the back half of the Men's Combined, followed by a re-run of Chloe Kim's performance. The post-race interviewer really seems to mock her for trying to shy from the spotlight!
We get an update of the Not-Russian "legal issue" on the Today Show. There's no question of doping--the question is whether the QISEOC can do anything about it since it happened BEFORE the games. Huh? So if you cheat beforehand, it's OK I guess. Savannah and Hoda then gush over Chen in an interview. They also surprised Women's Moguls silver medal winner Jaelin Kauf (already back in the US), flying her mother in to congratulate her.
Afternoon coverage begins with Lowe covering US wins over the last 24 hours. Then it's off to the Luge relay. It's an actual relay, with the first runner hitting a pad at the end, releasing their partner, which is then repeated, but with double runners. I guess regular Luge wasn't dangerous enough. At one point, the commentator, discussing the size of a competitor, gives a quintessential British phrase--"you're too diminutive!"
There's a cute package about Ester Ledeska--an athlete who couldn't decide between snowboarding and skiing--so she did both, winning two golds. It was compared to her ordering ice cream, getting both chocolate and vanilla cones.
Off to Men's Snowboardcross, the roller derby of snowboarding. NBC got another opportunity to badger a losing competitor, 40 year old Nick Baumgartner, to the point of him crying on camera (score!) Off to Women's Cross Country Skiing, for the 10km Classical Event. Another staggered start, which makes it even harder to sell to a TV audience. They cut away to give Lowe a chance to interview Jaelin Kauf (and show the Today Show clip again).
We have a Shiffrin update--on the positive side, she is apparently planning to compete in the Super-G event. On the negative, she has released a statement that she will not be doing any media for the "foreseeable future". I guess the browbeating from NBC was the last straw.
Prime Time begins with a teaser for Shaun White, who will have his final Snowboarding runs tonight. Then--let's give Nathan Chen another encore, showing the free routine again. It's going to be burned into our brains by the end of the games. This was followed by Chloe Kim's gold medal ceremony, and another video package for Shaun--seems like they are filling time.
A half hour later, we get to the snowboarding event--then 20 more minutes until Shaun's first run.
More to come.