"I'm not a great skater, but I'm an athletic person," says Young, 50, who hopes to burnish her star appeal on the six-episode series. "It's been a fun experience (rehearsing). I'm in shape, but the ice wears you out. It's challenging, but I've enjoyed it so far."Young and Mötley Crüe's Neil will compete against reality star Bethenny Frankel, Olympic gold-medal skier Jonny Moseley and actors Rebecca Budig (ABC soap All My Children ) and Brandon Smith (Disney Channel's Sonny With a Chance).
ABC hopes Skating With the Stars — which pairs celebs with skate professionals — will hold onto the viewers expected to tune into the season performance finale of the network's popular Dancing With the Stars.
"The ice world is a fantastic backdrop for a performance show," says Skating producer Izzie Pick. "It requires a great deal of skill and bravery."
No doubt. But TV's last ice-centric celebrity series, Fox's Skating With Celebrities , was canceled after just one season in 2006. (A popular British version, Dancing on Ice, begins its sixth season in 2011).
Neil, whose hell-raising rock-star rep dates from the 1980s, may seem an odd choice. But Neil skated competitively for two years as a youngster.
"The first day I put on skates, I didn't think I could do it. Within a half an hour, it was all coming back," says Neil, 49. "It's still tough — I'm not as limber or as graceful, but I was doing jumps after three days."
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