The highest score possible is 6.0, with mandatory deductions for certain mistakes, but there is still an element of subjectivity in the judging.
A combination jump is one of the eight required elements in the short program, and its omission cost Eldredge a mandatory deduction from the judges.
After being forced into uniform, a recruit is often further abused by descuentos obligatorios - mandatory deductions - that are siphoned from his salary.
"If they are going to take a mandatory deduction, I'm going to make sure everybody is treated fairly," Jacki said.
Sikharulidze's fall on the triple-toe loop calls for a mandatory deduction of three-tenths of a point.
She ended up receiving marks ranging from 5.1 to 5.5 for technical merit (a fall in the short program incurs a mandatory 0.4 deduction).
High taxes mean that wages are reduced after mandatory deduction.
There are 7 required elements, with mandatory deductions for failures on each element.
And if the skater falls while attempting the jump, the value drops to a 5 with an additional mandatory deduction of -1 for the fall.
The judges failed to impose a mandatory two-point deduction against Todorov after he was warned five times by the referee for slapping.