Winter Olympics 2014: The Best And Worst Moments From The Sochi Opening Ceremonies

By Kimberly Roots Feb. 7, 2014 11:25 pm EST

sochi opening - dinklage

Best Choice for Opening Narration Who better to do the voiceover for the cold weather event than Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, who's well-versed in winter (and how it's, y'know, coming)?

Best Choice for Opening Narration

Who better to do the voiceover for the cold weather event than Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, who's well-versed in winter (and how it's, y'know, coming)?

sochi opening islads

Coolest Setpieces Islands representing different parts of Russia's vast landscape scrolled by, hoisted in the air by a giant contraption NBC's Matt Lauer described as similar to the motorized rack at a drycleaner's shop.

Coolest Setpieces

Islands representing different parts of Russia's vast landscape scrolled by, hoisted in the air by a giant contraption NBC's Matt Lauer described as similar to the motorized rack at a drycleaner's shop.

sochi opening putin

Best Impression of a James Bond Villain Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over the games with his standard steely gaze, as though a tank full of hungry sharks were just a button's push away.

Best Impression of a James Bond Villain

Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over the games with his standard steely gaze, as though a tank full of hungry sharks were just a button's push away.

sochi opening ring malf

Biggest Oops So close, snowflakes-turned-Olympic-rings. So close!

Biggest Oops

So close, snowflakes-turned-Olympic-rings. So close!

sochi opening greece walk in

Best Entrance Each country's athletes walked into the arena via a projection of their homeland, making it seem as though they were springing out of a giant map.

Best Entrance

Each country's athletes walked into the arena via a projection of their homeland, making it seem as though they were springing out of a giant map.

sochi opening country placeholder

Oddest Headwear The women wearing each nation's names wore headpieces that could've doubled as pie shovels.

Oddest Headwear

The women wearing each nation's names wore headpieces that could've doubled as pie shovels.

sochi opening lone bermudan

The Flying Solo Award: Part 1 Cross-country skier Dr. Tucker Murphy, Bermuda's lone athlete at the games, rocked his country's signature shorts and kept his joy in tight check.

The Flying Solo Award: Part 1

Cross-country skier Dr. Tucker Murphy, Bermuda's lone athlete at the games, rocked his country's signature shorts and kept his joy in tight check.

sochi opening venezuela lone

The Flying Solo Award: Part 2 Alpine skier Antonio Pardo, Venezuela's lone athlete at the games, was a wee bit more exuberant.

The Flying Solo Award: Part 2

Alpine skier Antonio Pardo, Venezuela's lone athlete at the games, was a wee bit more exuberant.

sochi opening polo sweaters

Best Sartorial Representation of the "U-S-A!" Chant Team USA's Polo sweaters proved the athletes were not afraid of a little pattern… or a lot of pattern.

Best Sartorial Representation of the "U-S-A!" Chant

Team USA's Polo sweaters proved the athletes were not afraid of a little pattern... or a lot of pattern.

sochi opening colorful girl

Bravest Participant Liza Temnikova, who played a girl whose dreams served as the framing mechanism for the first three hours of the ceremony, broke her arm during rehearsal at the end of 2013 – and still flew about the stadium via harness and trusted her castmates to hoist her high above their heads.

Bravest Participant

Liza Temnikova, who played a girl whose dreams served as the framing mechanism for the first three hours of the ceremony, broke her arm during rehearsal at the end of 2013 – and still flew about the stadium via harness and trusted her castmates to hoist her high above their heads.