Contestant Erik Mitchell displays the money he received Friday night for winning the UW Idol competition.
The five UW Idol finalists waited backstage while the audience shuffled into the Arts and Sciences auditorium from the cold. It was going to be an exciting night. The emcee introduced the judges, including special guest judge Craig Cacciola from a cappella group NOTA, and the music started.
Performers had two opportunities to strut their stuff and impress the judges. Song choices varied from Erik Mitchell’s rendition of “Gangnam Style” to “Minnie the Moocher” sung by Levi Caleb Robinson.
Mitchell, a chemical engineering major, was originally an alternate, but when one of the other semi-finalists became ill, he was asked to step in. He said he chose “Gangnam Style” by Korean performer PSY because he could not find music for the song he originally wanted to sing. He said he could not get the hang of the Korean so “about half an hour before the competition started, I wrote down all the words I was going to say instead of the Korean.”
Before performing the song, Mitchell said he was not nervous.
“I had resigned myself to being ridiculous and when you’re ridiculous there’s no need for nerves. You go full out and there’s no place for them.”
During intermission, last year’s winner Corey Winfield sang a tribute to Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross, and Pistol Pete surprised audience members with a dance performance to the song “Cuban Pete” made popular by actor Jim Carrey in the movie “The Mask.”
Kelly Gary, a senior majoring in English, said she expected to see some great talent and that the judges would have a hard time choosing a winner, but in the end she said she felt “the females took the lead.” She and Tonya Anderson, a zoology grad student, said they would have chosen Christine Tezak to win.
Senior dance major Emily Brumbaugh said her pick for the winner would have been Levi Caleb Robinson.
After the judges deliberated and the winners were announced, Jeremy Gross took third place and $300. Alison Rickard grabbed second place and $500.
Mitchell was declared the grand prize-winner, as well as the audience favorite, and won $1000. He also will be performing with the a cappella group NOTA when they perform Friday at the A & S auditorium.
“I’m a little bit in shock,” Mitchell said. “I was not expecting this.”
Cacciola, a vocalist for NOTA, said each performer had one really strong song, but in the end choosing the winner “came up to the total performance.”
