So You Think You Can Dance (season 3) Finalists - Jessi Peralta

Jessi Peralta

Jessica "Jessi" Peralta is a lyrical and pop dancer trained at the Holly Rocks Dance Factory, as well as other studios in Florida, New York City, and Los Angeles. She began dancing when she was 3 years old, and aspires to be a professional performer and star in a dance film. She likes to crochet, paint mythical characters in underwater settings, and watch Sex and the City. On the day of taping the third performance show, Peralta was sent to the hospital for shortness of breath, chest pain, and dehydration, and was not able to perform. Viewers were not shown the fact that she had been hospitalized the previous week for dehydration as well. She felt that she did not need medical attention the second time, and discharged herself to not let her partner, Pasha Kovalev, down. However, the show's legal team considered it too great of a liability to allow her to dance in her condition. Since Peralta was not able to dance in the performance show, she was automatically placed in the bottom 3 couples, and— in danger of elimination by the judges on 2007-06-28, (see show format)— she was eliminated. Subsequently, fans began a petition to reinstate her, arguing that since she was not put in the bottom 3 by viewer vote, she should be allowed to remain on the program. Nigel Lythgoe addressed the issue the following week, noting that some action had to be taken on the part of the show's organizers to account for the fact that Peralta did not perform.