Hall of Shame Moment: ‘Fame’ Spoiled by the “Spoiler”

Fame should have been an unqualified success. Money was certainly no object. As the top network, NBC has plenty of that and had such high hopes for this project that the show was given a plum spot in the Wednesday primetime lineup. The production itself was excellent – complete with a live band, great set, an audience, and most importantly Debbie Allen, who was the driving force behind the show. Allen handpicked the contestants, worked with them and choreographed the production numbers for the group. But the show was a huge disappointment. Ratings never came close to those for similar shows and viewers failed to respond to Fame the way that had been expected.

However, simply being a flop isn’t enough to qualify a television show for the mention in the Reality TV Hall of Shame. There are plenty of shows that have failed to draw viewers and have not been so dishonored. To claim a Hall of Shame Moment some aspect of the show must completely overstep the boundaries of acceptability. And, with the introduction of the “spoiler” aspect, Fame stepped over that boundary into the muck of dishonor and this element of the show has been deemed worthy of a place in the Reality TV Hall of Shame.

We are not naming Tyce Diorio specifically, nor the show as a whole; simply the sham of introducing a well-connected and vocally challenged spoiler six weeks into the competition. This was patently unfair to the contestants who had put their hearts and souls into this effort for weeks. It was also unfair to the viewers who invested their time in watching this show. Additionally, this was an insult to those of us who write about these shows. By bringing in a seasoned professional whose credits were readily accessible to anyone with a computer and the wits to do a “Google” search, the producers seemed to be assuming we were all so inept that we would never make the connection.

From the very first episode, Debbie Allen talked about a “spoiler.” While not many details were revealed, viewers were encouraged to send in their videotapes for consideration. Allen told viewers that if they thought that they could be a “triple-threat,” they should check the official website for the rules, fill out the “spoiler” application, and send it along with their tape to the show by July 1.

Fine and dandy! Because no details were ever really given, it was easy to ignore this aspect of the show throughout the first weeks. We were somewhat confused as to what this was going to mean but since the show continued to sidestep the issue, so did we! Viewers became familiar with the contestants and, although not totally enthralled, began to pick out their favorites. The top three or four were fairly easy to identify and, other than the elimination of Alex Boyd before Allyson Arena, there were few surprises.

The bomb dropped during Episode 7, aired on July 2. Debbie announced that from the thousands of tapes that had been received, the show had selected that one special person whom she felt had the potential to be a triple-threat. The remaining contestants were clearly unhappy with this turn of events and were not shy about expressing this on camera. But wait a minute; all through the show viewers were told that tapes were due on July 1. If thousands were received, how were they able to go through all of those tapes not only to select but also to actually introduce the spoiler the VERY NEXT DAY? Logistically, this makes no sense. When was he notified? How did he get to L.A. so quickly?

These questions seemed to answer themselves once the individual was announced to the audience. Although his name was not spelled out on the screen and was misspelled on the Fame website, it soon became quite evident that Tyce Keith Diorio was no random selection. Misspelling his name on their website (it has since been corrected) may have been a simple typo but one has to wonder if in fact this was done intentionally in order to keep his past shrouded in mystery.

The day after the recap of Episode 7 appeared on RealityNewsOnline, emails began to come in offering additional information on Diorio. Armed with the correct spelling of his name, a quick “Google” search brought up hit after hit with sites that revealed the extent of his professional experience. Not only is Diorio a well-known choreographer having worked with some of the biggest names in show business, he had toured with N’Sync (Joey and Johnny Wright’s group) and allegedly worked with Debbie Allen. His selection was certainly no coincidence and Foxes on Idol revealed his identity in an article posted on the site on July 4. Again, readers responded with additional information and shared their disgust. This was obviously an idea that had backfired loudly!

Diorio performed for the first (and last) time on Episode 8. While the other contestants had to endure the stress of rehearsing all week not knowing whether or not they would be eliminated before having a chance to perform, Diorio was able to prepare with the knowledge that he would take the stage no matter what. He appeared last, after the eliminations were over and right before the judges had their first opportunity to comment. This turned out not to be the greatest placement in talent show history, however, as his performance was fresh on their minds when they began their evaluations of the evening.

After all the hype, stress and general hoop-la, it turned out that Mr. Diorio’s vocal skills just didn’t measure up. While his dancing was outstanding, his singing was flat and uninspired. He mangled the tune and failed to impress either the judges or the viewers. Not surprisingly, he failed to attract the number of votes necessary to keep him in the top four. He was voted off in Episode 9 and after some sassing back to JoJo, he left the Fame stage and the competition.

This was a bad idea that became a reality show producer’s nightmare! In an attempt to add some “juice” to the show, they destroyed what little credibility the show still had with the viewers, put the remaining contestants under unnecessary stress, and tarnished the reputation of Debbie Allen, who, up until this point at least, had always come out a winner. There is absolutely no way that Diorio could have been a random selection considering his experience and ties to the show. Even more ridiculous is the fact that if all of his skills had been evaluated fairly, he never would have been selected since he could not sing! That fact still has us shaking our heads!

Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me! We are not fools and have not been fooled by this shameful episode in reality TV history. Hopefully, this shameful event will serve as a warning to future shows of this genre and especially to Debbie Allen should she dare try to do a second Fame. We will be watching. So don’t spoil it for us.

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Donna Reynolds is a freelance writer and technical writer from Syracuse, NY. You can e-mail her at dlrturtle@earthlink.net.