Every year, the McIntosh chorus program hosts a student talent show, featuring the many gifts of our student body. Auditions were held August 30, and 22 routines were selected to perform on the auditorium stage on September 15. Despite the days missed due to the hurricane, the only troubles for the performers were technical difficulties such as microphones not working for several performers.

The first place winner of the talent show was junior Emma Skaggs, who dominated the talent show last year as well. She sang “Watch What Happens” from the Broadway musical “Newsies.” As an actress, Emma was able to add facial expressions and a real character to her performance. Her show of emotion, in addition to her impressive vocals, pushed her to the top.

Second place was awarded to Kylie Dickinson and Jennifer Deng, who placed last year as well, performed the song “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC as a violin duet. They both started sitting down, with the music more tamed, and as the music picked up, the duo stood up and began to dance around one another. The rock song played by such graceful instruments gave a beautiful contrast that worked well for the two violinists.

Sophomore Lydia Campbell placed third with her performance of “Pulled” from “The Addams Family Musical.” Like Skaggs, Campbell is also an actress. She was able to portray the conflict going on with her character through facial expressions and body language, which complemented her powerful voice.

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None of those who placed expected to win; Skaggs said, “I didn’t go into this talent show with my eye on the prize — I just wanted to sing my best. Plus, the talent show is such a welcoming performance outlet that shouldn’t go to waste.”

While the winners had amazing performances, the rest of the talent show was also impressive and entertaining. The talent show tends to be filled with singing acts, which — though always impressive — can become monotonous. However, this year’s talent show stood out by including acts like a comedic performance by Ryan Robertson and a dance routine performed by senior Wylie Watlington. The friendly humor and the terrible puns made by this year’s hosts — seniors Samuel Ellis and Sydney Brazile — also added to the light and uniqueness of the show. Junior Gavin Burke-Colon, who performed the song “I’m All Over It Now” by Jamie Cullum, said, “I tried out for the talent show partly because I heard that junior year has a lot of presentations and what better way to face the fear of public ‘speaking.’”

The hosts for this year’s talent show were seniors Samuel Ellis and Sydney Brazile, whose back-and-forth taunts and puns gave the whole show an entertaining mood. Ms. Potter approached them individually and asked them if they would host, so there were no try-outs for that position. Both hosts are in some form of extracurricular that requires quick, witty thinking; Ellis is in debate, while Brazile runs the McIntosh improv team. Brazile said, “My favorite part about being host is the fun that you can have with your responsibility. Ms. Potter let us have creative freedom with our style, and I really enjoyed the whole process.”

Because the judges required extra time to decide the winners, there were uncontested choral performances that followed the show. The women, mens, and combined acapella groups performed, along with Brazile, who said she was grateful to have the opportunity to both host and sing.

Overall, the talent show was an entertaining, musically rich display of the wonderful abilities among the McIntosh student body. Kylie Dickinson said, “I totally recommend auditioning for the talent show next year because it’s a chance to show off something you’re proud of and meet amazing people.”