Toppers Got Talent

Blue Mountain College hosted an exciting talent show on Thursday, October 8th, giving the Topper family an opportunity to showcase their amazing talents. There was a variety of acts, from song and dance routines to an impressive martial arts demonstration. The audience was laughing from the first act, and the pleasure of the evening carried on to the end.

It was clear from the beginning that this would be a fun show. The hosts for the evening were Hannah Montana, straight from 2010, and Kobe Bryant, who took some time off from Heaven to help with this special night. These two kept the excitement going throughout the whole show, never allowing a single dull moment. Their snarky comments about each act provided many laughs, their back-and-forth banter a talent in itself.

The show kicked off with an excellently choreographed rendition of “If It Isn’t Love”, performed by five cross-country guys calling themselves Off Brand Editions. Their smooth moves impressed the audience, and it was no surprise when they walked off with the second place prize of $75.

Music majors Joshua Malone and Jimmy Foster took the third place prize of $25 with their moving duet of “Jealous”, both singing while Malone also played the piano. But the highlight of the evening was the Travis Boyz, who earned their $150 first place prize with their hilarious renditions of four songs, including a rap about COVID-19. Their dedication was evident in their matching costumes, well-rehearsed choreography, and top-notch singing. They had the audience laughing with each new song by simply having fun on stage and helping everyone else enjoy the evening.

Even though there were only three winners, the remaining seven acts were also spectacular. Benjamin Mann appeared as Elphaba from Wicked, complete with black hair and green face, to sing “The Wizard and I”. Hunter Little showed off his comedic talent by making fun of the Eunomian fountain and his powerlifting teammates, and Alyssa Moore had the audience waving their phone flashlights with her performance of “No One”. Ahbee Orton took the audience back in time as she played and sang “My Heart Will Go On”. The SBA council members appeared in two acts: in the first, the girls’ band Wrong Direction lip-synched “What Makes You Beautiful”, and in the second, the guys led the audience in a BMC cheer and attempted cartwheels across the stage.

It wasn’t just the students who demonstrated their talents, though: Dr. Terry Taylor garnered much applause with his martial arts skills, including swinging nunchucks and chopping boards in half.

There were five judges for the evening, made up of students, faculty, and Dr. McMillin herself. To keep things fair within this wide range of talents, each judge had a score sheet with specific categories, and at the end of the show they compared these categories in order to make their final decision. It certainly wasn’t an easy choice, but the winners of the show more than earned their prizes.

The evening was a delight from beginning to end, and as this was the first annual talent show, we can look forward to it again next year. The Topper family has talent, and it was exciting to see such a variety presented on stage. The show is open to anyone, faculty, staff, or student, so why not get started on honing your own talent? You could be next year’s winner of Toppers Got Talent!