Ice dancing is your next Winter Olympics obsession. Follow the drama of the top three teams heading to Milan in Netflix's "Glitter & Gold."
The ice dancing heated rivalry is just getting started, so kickstart your next Winter Olympics obsession with Netflix's "Glitter & Gold."
The four-part series (streaming now) offers a soap-operatic look at the top three couples − including married Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates − as they battle for a place on the medal podium at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, which start Feb 6.
Director Katie Walsh ("Simone Biles Rising") follows the teams for 10 challenging pre-Olympic months, right up to December's Grand Prix Final. The binge-worthy series sets up the Olympics as almost a series finale.
"People really lean into ice dancing because of the drama, the storytelling on ice, and also these partnerships," Walsh tells USA TODAY. "The relationships at the cornerstones of these partnerships create the intrigue and connect us. We can all relate to being intrinsically tied to another person to succeed."
Here's a taste of the "Glitter & Gold" drama.
Madison Chock insists on the stunning, but treacherous, matador skirt
The American team, known as Chock and Bates or Maddie and Evan, will win your heart with the married duo's makeup routine before performances, with both vying for bathroom mirror space. Or when they walk their two toy poodles together.
"Their lives are completely interwoven; everything they do is shared," says Walsh. "They're the real deal, a wonderful couple."
A wipeout led to the duo's disappointing fourth-place finish in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. While the U.S. team took gold, the couple still has trouble discussing their paired result. However, the three-time reigning World Figure Skating Championship winners ride in as favorites in Milan.
Beyond the wildly competitive field, another potential speedbump seen throughout the series is Chock's insistence on a flowing matador skirt for the couple's bullfighting-themed routine. While stunning, the frequently altered skirt has led to ice mishaps when the material gets caught in Bates' skates.
"It really created a line of tension for them and us as viewers. Even I'm holding my breath and covering my eyes," says Walsh of the costume issues. "I was watching them in early January after filming ended, and it seemed like they had it under control. But I mean, it's a variable."
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are best friends representing Canada
Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier enter their third winter Olympics in search of their first medal. Gilles, who previously competed for the U.S. before receiving Canadian citizenship to be paired with Poirier, deals with her mother's death and her own ovarian cancer battle in 2023 at age 31.
"First her mom passes away of cancer and then Piper is diagnosed with cancer on her birthday," says Walsh.
Gilles is now cancer-free, competing with Poirier who publicly came out as gay in 2021 before the Beijing Olympics.
"They are such supportive friends with each other, and Piper stood by Paul when he needed time off to fully be himself on the ice," says Walsh. "You see that friendship unfold even further."
"Glitter & Gold" features a tearful, fully miked moment as the duo deal with the heartbreak of bad scores at a pivotal event.
"It's wonderful they let us into that moment filled with disappointment, because it's such a true moment and a reflection of them as people," says Walsh.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are the wild-card couple from France
Just when it seemed like the emerging U.S. and Canadian teams would be battling for 2026 gold, a new ice dancing force entered from France. Laurence Fournier Beaudry (the one-time partner of Nikolaj Sørensen) teamed up with previously retired Guillaume Cizeron, considered one of the greatest ice dancers of all time. In the series, the duo try to come together as a team in less than a year before the Olympics.
"To have a new team vying for a medal, much less a gold medal, in a sport with a certain degree of predictability is completely unprecedented," says Walsh. "I don't see this happening again ever. But it certainly shakes up the standings here."
Beaudry and Cizeron deal with miscues such as picking Depeche Mode's song "Personal Jesus" for a competition with '90s music, and having to suddenly change music after realizing the song was released in 1989. There are also wardrobe malfunctions as Beaudry's skirt leads to a fall during a key competition.
Meanwhile, Chock and Evans rise to the couple challenge in the series.
"They are forced to step up their game really early on," says Walsh. "So we'll see what happens in Milan."
Whichever couple ultimately steps onto the Olympics podium, "Glitter & Gold" is the perfect Olympics primer
"So when you watch the Olympics, you are fully invested in these six people and these three teams," says Walsh. "Then hopefully you're happy no matter what happens."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Glitter and Gold' ice dancing Netflix TV show – Meet the cast
Category: General Sports
