Omarion to Replace Sparks on ‘ABDC’

After judge Shane Sparks was forced to leave MTV’s hit dance show, America’s Best Dance Crew, there was the inevitable question of who would replace him.

Sparks, who is battling child molestation charges, was the third judge on the show, along with former boy band NSYNC member JC Chasez and rapper Lil’ Mama. He was arrested in December 2009, and charged with eight counts of felony child molestation.

Well, the mystery has been solved. On Thursday, the show revealed that the new judge is Omarion, another former singer in the boy band, B2K.

Liz Gateley, the senior vice president of series development for MTV, commented on Omarion's appointment, saying, "He is an accomplished dancer, artist and actor who knows what makes a good dance crew performance."

Executive producer Randy Jackson chimed in, "Omarion is a great friend, and I am looking forward to him joining the ABDC family. Season five is going to be blazing hot."

Omarion is one of the most popular performers in hip-hop / R&B music today. Besides a newly released CD, called Ollusion, he brings a few No. 1 albums and chart-topping singles, both as a solo artist and as part of B2K, which means he knows about dancing in/with a group. He'll definitely bring in a different dynamic and a fan base, though Sparks's occasional battles with contestants will surely be missed.

While most have taken the news positively, there is a criticism about the show’s decision to hire Omarion. The panel no longer has a pure choreographer, but is full of dancers. Granted, they all have different backgrounds, but that was one element that differentiated Sparks from the others.

The only thing to do is to tune in to see how Omarion does.
The new season premieres on Thursday, January 28.