It's no secret Virtue/Moir fans get queasy over photos of Scott and Jessica, whether they buy it as on the level or not. There are fans who try to force themselves to like Jessica Dube and "support" the "relationship" yet can't help wanting to vomit.
Even in photos Scott and Jessica don't fit. They are, one, an affront to intuition. And two, the mental gymnastics needed to make sense of it wears people out even before the weirdness, inconsistencies and contradictions in the behavior of all concerned come into play.
This unease is about Jessica. Not disappointment from fans led to believe Scott Moir is "dating" a girl who isn't Tessa Virtue. Fedor Andreev didn't get this reaction. Other sham romances don't either, not even from disappointed shippers.
Skate Canada/the skating community has used every rationale under the sun to explain Jessica except any that hold her accountable for anything. Skate Canada, which sets up, then punks fans on a regular basis, behaves immaturely itself, perhaps that's why it misses the obvious with Jessica that is gut level clear to many fans.
Back when this recently concluded Olympic cycle began, somebody decided the cute pairs girl would match up neatly with the precocious ice dance boy for the consumption of internet fans, and protect the actual personal lives of each team from the stress of too much scrutiny. The arrangement was so matchy matchy and cutesy it had the self-congratulatory Skate Canada stamp all over it. But, when setting this in motion, it was overlooked how flaunting the "relationship" online in aggressive photo bombing spams make both Scott and Jessica look like assholes in regard to Bryce.
No wonder when some fans claim they've seen Scott and Jessica crassly canoodling in front of Bryce, lots of people buy it. Sure. Look at all of the OTT facebook albums such as the icky Dominican photo shoot where the skaters' families and friends instantly add enthusiastic comments.
It was Bryce's idea for Jessica to skate singles during his rehabilitation and he hobbled on crutches to Western Challenge, his family in tow, to cheer on Jessica's miserable outing there. He put on pressed slacks and tie to support her Nationals appearance; traveling distances both times, and, as usual, was taken for granted, most of all by his erstwhile partner. Meantime it's announced via press release and a video interview with Jessica that "boyfriend Scott Moir" would choreograph Jessica's short. You can't make this shit up. Well, normal people can't. For the pr geniuses at Skate Canada, when Bryce has a crippling season-ending injury and must move back home with his parents at age 25 it's a no brainer - an opportunity to advertise Jessica and Scott!
Who raised these people?
Here, behavior is pretended that would never be considered if this situation were real, but lots of fans think it is and don't feel so great about it.
Anyone as obtuse as those managing this circus shouldn't ever have anything to do with public relations.
Now that Jessica has blindsided Bryce during his injury after he's stood by her during her frequent injuries, resistant work ethic, aversion to taking responsibility, moodiness, absent learning curve and unwillingness to undertake anything outside her limited comfort zone, fans on different skating boards are assuming it's because Jessica never enjoyed skating with Bryce after the "triangle" with Scott Moir they were led to believe existed.
Many fans don't understand that training habits affect the personal relationship between skating partners more than vice versa. To fans, Bryce must have made himself a burden on poor Jessica. Jessica's chronic bailing in performance is due to "the triangle with Scott Moir" and Bryce being a poor loser at love. Or it was the face slash. Or she's an introvert. She's special, beyond the criticism leveled at other underachieving figure skaters.
Jessica Dube does not have a confidence problem. She's spoiled. A starfish in a small French-Canadian bowl who wants the perks without the work. She's an archtypical case of reliance on natural talent and hoping things will play differently in performance than in training, shrugging when it does not, offloading responsibility to things beyond her control while everyone tries to cheer her up for how she's disappointed them.
Jessica was a flub-prone junior with promising basics - power and flow across the ice, good with jumps and throws. It was easy to imagine the flubs and mental walkabouts as junior level growing pains.When she ended her first partnership, new partners came to try out with her, and Bryce was the one who relocated, went to school online, learned a new language, joined her training centre. Jessica believes this is how things should always work and even after Bryce surpassed her as a skater and performer while coddling her, she resisted the realities.
Katia Gordeeva was and is an introvert and at 23 she was a married mother with two Olympic gold medals. Jessica Dube at 23 is coddled, humored, excused at every turn, jollied along and brightly encouraged like she's a fucking six-year-old, whether in the KissNCry or on her facebook wall and photo albums.
The reality is Olympics were over and she was out of excuses. If she wanted to continue to contend she'd have to work harder and Jessica Dube is not interested. She trained new features all summer and punked out at the first competition intended to unveil them. Naturally, she had a wrist issue that needed Bryce's attention. Look what happens when you make Jessica do something she doesn't want to do. She'll destroy a beautiful program like Carmen. She'll fall out of a sit spin. Two-foot the first of a double axel sequence and stare while Bryce does the second without even feigning an attempt at the second one herself.
Look what happens when Jessica has to work hard all summer and learn new stuff. Look what happens when Bryce gets injured and Jessica gets to play dilettante for a season. It's an opportunity to opt out and play dilettante for life.
Jessica Dube doesn't like doing something if she can't do it perfectly the first time and calls this being a perfectionist. Tatiana Volosozhar, a million times the pairs skater Jessica is, takes forever to learn a new throw, lift or spin. She perseveres til she gets it. That's real life.
Jessica's complacent self-absorption while explaining her decision to end her partnership with Bryce chilled even her fans. Particularly measured against the praise Bryce has always heaped upon her even when she was the one letting him down. Her remarks lacked empathy, grace, awareness and class. There was minimal acknowledgment of Bryce's experience. Yet Bryce will still absorb criticism from Jessica supporters who think the problem is he poorly managed Jessica's involvement with a famous male ice dancer.
I can't wait for the resumption of the sham now that Jessica has ditched Bryce and talks of his injury as a positive instigator of change in her life. Bryce is left to train alone and continue his recovery with an iffy athletic future while Jessica basks in the disproportionate fan attention and endorsement that comes from being seen as the romantic choice of a popular Canadian Olympic ice dance champion. Hey, if Scott Moir loves her, right? We can't judge - maybe it only looks like Bryce is the good guy and Jessica is the problem.
Bryce is the better skater, better performer, the loyal partner. Bryce provided unending support towards Jessica, and wrongly assumed the majority of responsibility for the face slash. If there's any justice he will find a terrific partner and achieve new heights, but it seldom works that way in figure skating. Skate Canada can be counted on to fund Jessica's singles training despite her age and being sixth at best in Canada; she'll receive assignments she doesn't deserve despite her only landing a two footed triple lutz at Nationals. Because it's Skate Canada which created the monster (in the literary sense) that is Jessica Dube, and persisted even after the writing was on the wall.
