The Student Activities Council delivered yet another year of fun and talent when it presented the Karaoke Showdown on Tuesday March 23. Held in Asplundh Concert Hall, this year’s competition was a huge success. Hosted by Dave Coulier, better known as Joey from “Full House,” the karaoke contest featured great acts from some very talented West Chester University students. The judging panel consisted of a talent agent from Auburn Moon Agency named Jeff Heinman, Gervase from the reality show “Survivor,” and Miss WCU, Liz Seymour. From the opening moments, the excitement was clearly evident as students chanted, “Joey, Joey,” while waiting for a first glimpse of the comedian. Dave had the crowd laughing from the start with his trademark impressions and unique comedy act. After the introduction, though, things heated up rather quickly as contestant after contestant took the stage to try to impress the judges and the audience. In the end, three male vocalists made their way into the final round. Although each individual had his/her own unique sound, it was Greg Offner who came out in first place. Greg’s undeniable talent and energy captured not only the crowd but also the judges. His rendition of Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young” got perfect tens from each of the judges, and his scores remained high throughout the rest of the competition. When asked what was the best part of the contest, he said, “The crowd’s energy is what makes performing so great. I wish I could get up and do this every night.”
In second place was Christopher Daily whose deep soulful voice was a welcomed change in the competition. His version of the song “The Boy is Mine” in the second round had the crowd cheering him on. Rounding out the top three was Dean Gentelcos. In the first round he wowed the crowd with a stunning performance of Michael Bolton’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.” The first place winner took home $300, and second and third took home $200 and $100 respectively.
The competition consisted of three rounds with competitors eliminated by lowest scores after each round. The initial twelve contestants consisted of a wide variety of acts ranging from hip-hop to country.
During the first round, the group “Out of Sync” had the crowd excited when they gave an energetic, shirt tearing version of “Bye, Bye, Bye” which helped move them into the second round. This round consisted of a wheel being spun to assign each contestant randomly selected song. These songs were much harder to perform because contestants had no prior knowledge or practice of there chosen tune.
In the final round, the judges had the last say in which song each contestant had to sing. The random nature of these two rounds presented the greatest challenge to the competitors.
As winner Greg Offner stated, “The last two rounds are completely luck-of-the-draw. I was lucky enough to get songs that I could work with.” No matter how tough, though, the competitors entertained the crowd throughout the entire competition.
The Student Activities Council did an excellent job planning an evening of laughing, cheering, and, of course, singing. The concert hall was packed, and the audience was just as excited as the contestants. SAC President Colin Bagwell said, “We are very happy with the turnout, and the show was a huge success, thanks to all the people who showed up to cheer on their favorite contestants.”
Apparently, host Dave Coulier also enjoyed his time here at West Chester, as he was spotted at several local bars, including The Rat and Kildare’s.
This excellent turnout will hopefully guarantee that the Karaoke Showdown will remain an annual tradition here at WCU.