First they were doing the cha-cha. Now they’re attempting triple axels. Can you blame me for being a little nervous about what tricks the stars are going to be attempting next? Following in the footwork of ABC’s hit show Dancing with the Stars, Fox’s Skating with Celebrities pits six pairs of celebs and professional ice skaters against one another in weekly competitions. Besides the obvious entertainment value of watching uncoordinated stars flounder, wobble, and trip over their toe-picks as they plummet, face first, onto the ice [insert highly inappropriate, yet unavoidable evil cackle], Skating’s merit extends far beyond the rink.

Aired the same week as its debut, Project Runway’s seventh episode saw its contestants designing high-performance skate costumes mirroring many of the trends that graced the spring runways: sexy one-shouldered dresses (Marc Jacobs); flesh-toned illusion (Christian Dior); feathery frocks (Anna Molinari); and ruffles galore (Yves Saint Laurent). Granted, the superskimpy ensembles seen on the show would make most nonathletes wince, but mercifully, the haute couture set has lowered the hemlines and tweaked the silhouettes, making the looks wearable for real women—not just 90-pound phenoms.

But fashion isn’t the only arena the sport is speeding into; fitness is the other. According to the U.S. Figure Skating Association, most new skaters aren’t little kids, but adult women looking for a new way to get in shape. And get this: A 150-pound person burns approximately 600 calories per hour of continuous skating, reports the American College of Sports Medicine. What’s more, for every turn, spin, and lunge added, you can burn up to 800 to 900 calories an hour. Aside from its aerobic benefits, ice-skating offers a total body workout, requiring you to use all your muscles from the arms to lower back to the inner thighs and abdomen. Treadmill, huh? Elliptical rider, who? Tedious gym routines, why? What would Brian Boitano do? And finally, if for no other reason than your refusal to let Dave Coulier show you up, lace up your skates, hit the rink, and spin, squat, and klutz Lutz! —Marissa Kristal