Arrogant.  Brash.  Cocky.  Condescending.  Self-absorbed.  And absolutely phenomenal.  Plushenko went through the season like a locomotive on a mission, mowing down the competition at every event.  And he wasn't about to make the same mistake as last season, when he came to Worlds overconfident and failed to even medal.

There was certainly no judging controversy over the men's gold medal, as Plushenko was simply galaxies beyond the other competitors.  He landed his famous quad-triple-double in every program, and as he neared the end of his dazzling free skate, sixteen thousand audience members rose together in awestruck admiration.  I was most impressed, however, with his hysterically funny exhibition program at the gala,  where he left the audience rolling on the floor and proved to everyone that he doesn't always take himself (or skating) as seriously as it might appear.