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Fame: Tyce Keith Diorio – Spoiler or Ringer?by Donna Reynolds -- 07/04/2003
View Printable version of this article On Wednesday night’s episode of Fame, Debbie Allen excitedly announced the name of the “spoiler” – Tyce Diorio. For weeks, viewers had been encouraged to send in videotapes of themselves performing and had been told that from all of these tapes, one person would be chosen as a contestant to join those already in the competition. The specifics were vague and the only thing that was emphasized was that these tapes had to be received by July 1 to be considered. Diorio was introduced to the audience as a dance instructor formerly from Brooklyn. Debbie Allen told us that he had fifteen years of dance experience and had been singing for the last ten. He seemed pumped, but the remaining eight contestants, who had already given the audience their feelings on this, were somewhat subdued in their enthusiasm. It seemed odd to me that when he was introduced, his name was not displayed on the screen and I had to guess as to the spelling of it when I wrote my recap of the show. Later I found his name on the NBC Fame website but it was spelled Tyse, not Tyce. We used that spelling in the recap. After my recap appeared on RealityNewsOnline, I received an email from a viewer who knows Diorio and who was amazed that he was chosen to be on this show. Not that Tyce isn’t qualified - in fact, he’s more than qualified. What bothered this viewer was that our spoiler is a highly experienced professional. She also corrected our spelling of his name in the article. I used several reliable people search engines but found no listings in either the U.S. or Canada for either variation on the name. However, it seems highly unlikely that there would be two people with this unusual name who are dancers. That being said, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to find out information about people these days; all it takes is a quick search on Google. When I tried “Tyse Diorio,” there were no results. However, I got quite a few hits on “Tyce Diorio.” Seems that he has some pretty impressive credits, and this got me to thinking that the selection of this individual to be on Fame is certainly questionable. First of all, doesn’t it seem strange that all along viewers were told that these tapes had to be received by July 1? The “spoiler” episode was aired on July 2. I don’t know when it was taped, but it would seem to me that Debbie and company made a pretty quick decision on this one. But, if that were all, I would not be writing this article. Let’s say his tape was so incredible that there was no question he should be the one. OK. But after reading the various websites that came up when I Googled Diorio, I really don’t think that his selection was a coincidence. His bio on codance.comreads as follows: Tyce recently finished an episode of That ‘70s Show, the new Kelly Osbourne video “Papa Don’t Preach,” and choreography for the artist Pauline Rubio on the 2002 Alma Awards and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. His stage credits include the Broadway Company of Fosse, Ricky Martin’s La Vida Loca Tour, Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope World Tour, J’Lo’s Live NBC Concert Special in Puerto Rico, and the *NSYNC Tour with Samantha Mumba. He has appeared in videos with Celine Dion, Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez, Mya, Vitamin C, Janet Jackson, Jasmine Guy, Ricky Martin, and many more. Tyce’s television credits include the Disney movie Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston, Annie with Kathy Bates, American Music Awards, MTV Awards, Billboard Awards, Blockbuster Awards, and the Academy Awards.*NSYNC? Hello! Member Joey Fatone is the host and Johnny Wright, one of the judges, is Joey’s manager and close friend. Doesn’t this seem a bit strange? Tyce Diorio is all over the web. He’s listed as a member of Janet Jackson’s touring company both here and here. Ironically, he is even a member of something called the “Triple Threat Dance Convention.” Furthermore, although I can’t substantiate this, my source also informed me that Diorio was in a big Oscar production number that Debbie Allen choreographed five or six years ago. And Debbie is the one who chose him to be the “spoiler.” Or was the whole spoiler thing just a way to get him on the show? Now, I am not naive enough to believe that all of the contestants on this show are amateurs – Serena told us early on that she had been on tour with Gladys Knight and Harlemm Lee has also done professional work. Others in the group have performed professionally, although not as high profile as Harlemm and Serena. Fame never pretended that these kids were amateurs, nor did I expect them to be. However, Diorio’s lengthy resume brings him up to the next level of professionalism and thus borders on being dishonest. Why not bring in J-Lo or Janet, for crying out loud? Plus, he knows both Debbie and Joey, which gives him another advantage. I hated the idea of the “spoiler” right from the start and I am appalled that they have brought in a seasoned professional to compete at this stage of the game. They don’t need this and it totally blows any credibility that the show had left with the viewers. It is patently unfair to all of the contestants who have worked so hard for eight weeks to get to this point in the competition. It is just wrong. I urge anyone who is voting on this show to let Debbie know how you feel about this by NOT voting for Diorio. Send an email to NBC and let them know how you feel as well. It might not change anything, but they need to know that the viewers of Fame are not morons and that we are outraged at this sham. Donna Reynolds is a freelance writer and technical writer from Syracuse, NY. You can e-mail her at dlrturtle@earthlink.net. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Fame, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check SirLinksALot! View Printable version of this article
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