Love her or hate her, So You Think You Can Dance contestant Jessica King is certainly giving us something to talk about this year. Partnered with Will Wingfield, easily among the Top 5 guys in the competion, Jessica has received harsh criticism from the judges and ire from the fans. In fact, my significant other just the other night tried to convince me that she was this year's Cedric, that notorious SYTYCD buzzkill.
My vote, however, is that she's this year's Kameron -- with a caveat. Here's why: just like Kameron, she's surviving based on the strength of her partner. If America was to vote for individual dancers at this point in the competition, I'd wager she'd be gone in a flash. Like Kameron last year, she is getting by week-to-week because America is head over heels in love with Will (and his abs).
There's one big difference between Jessica and Kameron, however -- Kameron brought something to the table. Sure, he didn't have the star presence or versatility of his partner Lacey Schwimmer, but he was there for her every step of the way. Think of their Top 20 dance -- if he hadn't been solidly there to catch her, she couldn't have hurled herself into his arms the way she did.
Jessica, on the other hand, brings to the table...well...I'm not quite sure.
Another difference -- Kameron made Lacey look better. His strength and consistency and connection to his partner allowed Lacey to shine. Jessica, on the other hand, makes Will look worse. Would he have ever lost his balance in his disco routine a few weeks back if Jessica had been able to stay on two feet? Probably not. She holds him back, whereas Kameron allowed Lacey to soar.
So -- not exactly a historical debate a la David Cook vs. David Archuleta, but that's my $.02 on Jessica's connection to SYTYCD past.
Thoughts?
Sunday, July 06, 2008
SYTYCD: Is Jessica This Year's Kameron?
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3 comments:
I completely agree and have thought so for weeks. (And I also agree that Kameron is better than Jessica.)
Now this year's Cedric? It's Comfort. The dancer they keep around for reasons I just don't understand. The only difference is that they don't rag on Comfort like they did Cedric, and Cedric had much better solos.
I've been thinking this for weeks - she's going the first week people can vote for individuals.
I agree. I was actually quite surprised Jessica made it to the top 20 after the disastrous group performance in Vegas and the infighting between her and one of the other contestants (whose name escapes me at the moment). While such an episode should not eliminate someone from the competition, I would think that they would need really outstanding skills to advance, and I have never seen that in her.
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