Winning talent show act proves controversial

When Wes Quade bared almost all at a community talent show earlier this month, he had no idea his act would become a community controversy.

Quade, along with his friends Jeremy Dyson, Derrek Harris and Justin Hensler, all seniors at Kenai Central High School, performed a dance that had quite a finale Quade's pants were ripped off to reveal him in nothing but rear-baring underwear.

According to Quade, the group ended up winning the show.

"We didn't expect the community to get so controversial about that," he said. "I didn't expect it would be blown out of proportion. It was kind of a joke."

Although Quade said he didn't understand why people were offended by the dance, he said he is sorry.

"I apologize to the few people we offended," Quade said, stressing he and his friends were not trying to represent KCHS during their performance.

In response to their act, Quade was suspended from school for two days prior to spring break and his friends were given a warning.

The judges for the event were Kenai Mayor Pat Porter, KCHS English teacher David Boyle, KCHS math teacher Kathy Herring and two student representatives.

Porter said she was aware of the controversy, but did not wish to comment.

"The judges never discussed the acts, we merely turned in the score sheets, and that was it," she said. "I was one of the judges and I did my score card like all the other judges."

Quade said Porter particularly enjoyed their act.

"She laughed so hard she cried," he said. "She said it would be great for us to do it again for senior citizens."

Porter later told the Clarion she told Quade that they would need to adjust their act before a repeat performance, however.

"I said 'you would definitely have to adjust the act,'" she said. "I did find them humorous, I did. Everyone was laughing in the entire audience."

Alan Fields, KCHS principal, said he was disappointed with the performance.

"It's just unfortunate that some ... students took it upon themselves to perform such an inappropriate act," he said. "We were very disappointed, and we've taken steps to ensure that that kind of thing is never going to happen again at any other talent show."

Fields also said he isn't sure Quade and his friends were the actual winners of the show.

"As part of my investigation it appeared that there were judges that did not vote for them and did not think that they won, and the emcee just announced that they won," he said. "I couldn't get a clear story as to whether they won or whether they were just announced as the winner."

However, Travis Wingster, one of the students who organized the talent show, maintained that Quade's act did win the show and that he didn't think it was that controversial.

"I don't really see why a lot of people ... are making it a big deal," Wingster said. "They actually ended up raising a lot of money since a lot of people, I think, were there to see them."

Wingster and fellow student Reed Ehrhardt put the talent show together as a way to complete their senior civics project.

Jeff Narlock took second in the talent show for composing, singing and playing a song on guitar, and the band Ugly Fish took third for their performance of Britney Spears' "Toxic."

All proceeds from the event more than $400 and 40 cans of food were donated to the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank. First place was awarded $100, second place $50 and third place got $25, but none of the groups kept the money for themselves.

"All the people that placed donated it back, so that was pretty cool," Wingster said.

A link to Quade's performance can be found at youtube.com

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Hannahlee Allers can be reached at hannahlee.allers@peninsulaclarion.com.