11. Jason Brown USA / Adam Rippon USA
2016 Skate America FS / 2016 Trophee de France FS
Ephemeral.
Sublime.
Seamless.
Two of the absolute best free skates of the entire season, and really, two of the strongest compositions we've seen in recent memory. Had these performances been on bigger stages, they would've easily made top ten. But you can't deny the mastery that both of these men bring to the ice - and hey, there was a quad in each program to boot.
Jason Brown started his season off so grandly with this performance at Skate America (and a silver medal finish) before his season was almost completely derailed by a stress fracture in December. I continue to marvel at this program all season, and it was indeed a privilege to see it in action three times live this season.
A few weeks later, Adam Rippon delivered his own statement with his clean program. Incidentally, he debuted it at Skate America after scrapping another program he had earlier in the season. And my first impressions of it in practice were that it would be spectacular - it did not disappoint. But luckily for fans (and a silver lining as well), Rippon's foot injury in January that actually did derail his season means that we will get to see this program again in all its glory next season.
I have made it a point to find no-commentary videos for my Top 50. But especially for these two programs (for Rippon's, there's no commentary; for Brown's it's the least commentary I could find), take them both in with just the music, the sound of the ice, and the audience in complete awe.
I just can't say enough, so I'll stop talking. Enjoy.