Casting the Vikings As “Camp Rock” Characters

The Minnesota Vikings defense broke the internet again.

Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus added another iconic celebration to their list, which includes the Parent Trap handshake, the Usher “Glitch” dance, the Ray Gun dance, and the dance from the movie White Chicks. On Sunday, Bynum and Co. took it back to the late 2000s, channeling moves from the Disney original movie Camp Rock starring Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.

In some ways, this season has felt like a movie. The Vikings are an underdog team that rises in the face of adversity and proves everyone wrong.

It feels very fitting for Bynum, who shouts out his infamous “Movie” tagline to lead the charge on these viral moments. With this in mind, I wanted to look at the hit 2008 film and its 2010 sequel and compare some of the characters to current members of the Vikings roster.

Sam Darnold as Mitchie Torres

Mitchie Torres is the Camp Rock protagonist. Played by Lovato, Torres is an aspiring singer who can only attend the camp due to receiving a discounted rate as her mother becomes the leading caterer. While everyone else has connections to the music industry in some form, Torres is a complete outsider and must adjust to this world.

Much like Torres, Darnold came to this team as an outsider after bouncing around from place to place and having teams discard him. After dealing with horrible situations in multiple locations, Darnold has come to Minnesota and found a spot where he can excel. Darnold and Torres have found a place to shine and showcase their talents despite being doubted and looking like they would not fit.

Cam Bynum as Caitlyn Geller

Mitchie’s best friend, Caitlyn Geller, is always confident and doesn’t mind standing out on her own. Geller is high-energy and has a colorful wardrobe to match her energy and confidence.

That describes Cam Bynum to a T. Bynum proudly represents his Filipino heritage with the flag draped around him like a cape. He also exudes confidence in everything he does and is one to lead rather than follow. A prime example is how he and Metellus have taken command in leading team celebrations.

Justin Jefferson as Shane Gray

Played by Joe Jonas, Shane Gray is the frontman of a three-person boy band with his two other brothers. Despite being from two different worlds, he has an undeniable amount of swagger and an unexpected amount of chemistry with Mitchie.

Jefferson is the star of the offense and probably of the entire NFL. While he is clean-cut off the field, he loves to get into it with opposing defensive backs on it. He also has surprised everyone with his connection with Darnold despite how differently people view each player.

Brian O’Neill as Nate Gray

O’Neill and Nate Gray are two underappreciated facets of their collective. Nate Gray serves as the quiet yet strong backbone of his group who isn’t a focal point despite his talent. However, the group would crumble without him. O’Neill is the same way. A star in his own right, he has been overshadowed due to the lack of interest in his position. Still, everyone notices when he isn’t on the field.

Harrison Smith as Brown Cesario

A former rock star now the camp director for up-and-coming talent, Ceasrio is looking to usher in a new era as a last effort to give back. Harrison Smith has a similar role in this defense. He’s the veteran leader on a defense filled with young, up-and-coming talent. He looks to usher in the best defense this team had seen since 2017, when he was a star player.

Jordan Addison as Jason Gray

The third band member, Jason, is a bit eccentric and quirky but has talent. He's similar to Jordan Addison, who doesn’t say much but lets his play do the talking. Some have compared Addison to a “lizard person,” so the vibe between these two kinda fits.

Aaron Jones as Dana Turner

The niece of Camp Rock’s rival, Dana, is one of their fiercest opponents in every aspect until she sees the difference between the environments in her camp (Camp Star) and the culture of Camp Rock. She joins Camp Rock at the end of the second movie like Jones joining the Vikings after being one of their biggest rivals and a thorn in their side while with the Green Bay Packers.

Peter Bukowski as Axel Turner

Axel Turner is a former member of the same band as Brown Cesario. Since his removal, he has made it a point to tear down anything his former bandmate has done and invalidate him.

Peter Bukowski is not a Vikings player, but he is very similar. He constantly baits interactions on Twitter with Vikings fans by calling the team frauds or insinuating that, by some divine metric, the Packers are a better team even though the scoreline and every major statistic don’t reflect that.