Olympic Couples Talk Love, Marriage & Competition | Chock & Bates

Olympic Couples Talk Love, Marriage & Competition | Chock & Bates

From Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew by Shawn Johnson + Andrew East

August 13, 2026 · 50 min

About this episode

Olympic ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates discuss their journey of love and competition as a couple.

We sat down with Olympic ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates to talk about what it takes to compete at the highest level alongside the person you love. From becoming partners on the ice to falling in love, getting married, and continuing to chase huge goals together, Madison and Evan share what their journey has really looked like behind the scenes. We talk Olympic pressure, marriage, trust, competing as a couple, and what keeps them coming back after all these years. As athletes ourselves, we loved getting to compare experiences and hear what it’s like when your teammate also happens to be your spouse. This was such a fun one. Enjoy! (00:00) we have a couple crush (01:30) what’s your dynamic as a couple? (03:20) navigating the rough times & going home (05:30) life post-olympics (07:06) the community around chock & bates (09:00) who is more likely to be…? (18:45) confidence on the ice (21:00) feelings are moldable (23:44) the subjectivity of our sports (27:40) the mixed zone & kiss and cry cameras (32:15) quantitative vs. qualitative “success data” (34:27) the journaling process (39:35) the art of designing costumes (43:15) our shared love of sports & vacations (45:13) the…

People in this episode

Hosts: Shawn Johnson, Andrew East

Guests: Madison Chock, Evan Bates

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