Utahn a 'Dance' finalist

PASADENA, Calif. — Allison Holker is one of the stars of the Fox summer hit "So You Think You Can Dance," although that fact hasn't quite sunk in yet for the 18-year-old from Orem.

"It still hasn't hit. I don't even feel like I'm on TV. I just feel like I'm out here doing a dance job, like in a competition," Holker told the Deseret Morning News. "I've been doing competitions my whole life. So I kind of feel like I'm just doing what I always did my whole childhood."

The show has opened up worlds for her. Not just the rewards for the winner — $100,000, a new car and a yearlong contract to dance in Celine Dion's show (if he/she wants it) — but the possibility of establishing a career.

"I would have never thought about doing this just two years ago," Holker said. "I knew I was going to be dancing, but I thought I'd go be on some modern-dance team or go on a Broadway show or go on tour with someone, hopefully. Even when this show came out, I didn't think I would audition for it."

It was at the urging of a dance teacher that she took the leap into what has become a bit of a whirlwind. Holker auditioned for the show in February, arrived in Los Angeles just two weeks after she graduated from Timpanogos High School and has barely had a chance to breathe, what with all the fun she's having and all the stress she's under.

"It's both. Of course I'm having a lot of fun. I'm here with so many people I get along with so well, because they're all in my same element, so we connect," Holker said. "But, at the same time, I'm working all day every day, so it becomes stressful because it's not just your dances, you also have to have the right attitude, present yourself well, you have to look good, you have to get along with everyone. You have to have the whole package."

Thrown together, the competitors have formed fast friendships, which takes a toll when they leave the competition. It was particularly tough when the other finalist from Orem, Jaymz Tuaileva— her neighbor, close friend and one-time prom date — was eliminated.

"It was really hard for me to see him go," Holker said. "For me, Jaymz is like a brother, not just a friend. He's family."

The pressure on the eight remaining finalists increases this week (Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. on Ch. 13). Until now, the eliminations have been in the hands of the judges. Viewers' votes have determined candidates for elimination, but both times Holker was among those receiving the least viewer support she quickly won a reprieve.

Now, it's entirely up to viewers who aren't trained in dance and could be voting based on anything from who has the best smile to where the contestants live.

"So the bigger you home town is, you're going to get more votes. So I need Utahns to vote and have all your friends vote," Holker said with a laugh.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com