Hollywood's got nothing on CoMo.
Contestants in the fourth annual Mizzou Idol, a student singing competition inspired by the popular television showAmerican Idol, performed to a sold-out crowd in the 1,200-seat Missouri Theatre — a first for the event. Another first: Fans who weren't lucky enough to get tickets could watch a live stream of the show online and, along with the in-person audience, vote by text or tweet in the "fan favorite" and "wild card" categories.
First-place and second-place winners were chosen by a panel of judges: former MU campus activities coordinator Lauren Karr, radio personality/local music guru Kevin Walsh and MU School of Music professor Christine Seitz.
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- The fourth annual Mizzou Idol competition took place on Friday, Feb. 15, at the Missouri Theatre to a sold-out crowd of 1,200 attendees.
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- The show was streamed over the Internet, and fans not in attendance could watch the show and vote by text or tweet on two rounds: best wild-card performer and fan favorite.
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- Contestant Mariah Taylor, a freshman nursing major, says her singing wasn't inspired by anyone in particular. "I just kind of started going my own way," she says.
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- Armani Cross, a freshman animal science major and one of three wild card performers, competed for a spot to join ten semi-finalists. The crowd voted Cross to the next round, during which she performed "I'm Walking on Sunshine."
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- Contestant Brianne Boland, a senior journalism and graphic design major from Washington, Mo., performs with a guitar.
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- Contestant Chantel George, a sophomore communications major, has been singing since she was eight years old.
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- Contestant Savannah Givens, a junior health sciences major, performs.
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- Contestant Paige Flores, a senior broadcast journalism major from Arkansas, has been singing since she saw her first Disney movie, 'Pocahontas.'
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- Contestant Zack Gray, one of two male performers, is a sophomore education major who has been singing as long as he can remember.
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- Contestant Gibraun Mitchell, a freshman physics major, performs "Let Me Love You" by Mario.
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- Members of the audience use their phones to vote for wild card contestants and fan favorites.
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- Contestant Abbey Tingle, a sophomore journalism major, performs a censored version of Macklemore's "Thrift Shop." The crowd chose Tingle as the fan favorite by voting through text and Twitter.
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- Judges include (left to right): former MU campus activities coordinator Lauren Karr, MU School of Music professor Christine Seitz and KOPN host/music aficionado Kevin Walsh. After all 11 singers had performed, the judges chose six finalists for a second round: Paige Flores, Chantel George, Gibraun Mitchell, Marrissanne Lewis-Thompson, Jenny Teator and Abbey Tingle.
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- Contestant Jenny Teator, a junior health sciences major, sings an original song in her second performance and wins second place.
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- Finalist Marissanne Lewis-Thompson, a sophomore journalism major, sings Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in her second performance and wins the Mizzou Idol title.
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- After winning first place, Lewis-Thompson performs a third and final song. She won $400 and a chance to sing the national anthem at an upcoming sporting event.
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- Mizzou Idol was sponsored by the Missouri Students Association (MSA)/Graduate Professional Council (GPC), Residence Halls Association, and College Music Committee. This was the first time that the contest sold out.
The winners
- Fan favorite: Abbey Tingle, a sophomore journalism major, who performed “Too Close” by Alex Clare in the final round.
- Second place: Jenny Teator, a junior health-sciences major, who performed an original song during the finals round.
- First place: Marissanne Lewis-Thompson, a sophomore journalism major, who won over the judges with her rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and won the Mizzou Idol title.
These Tigers aren't the only Mizzou vocalists making a stir. MU student Kiara Lanier, a junior from Chicago, recently competed on American Idol and earned high praise from judges Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. Watch her audition.
Want to learn more about the Mizzou Idol contestants? Check out these videos »
