JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
A name change, new set of rules and larger pool of contestants were ingredients that made Idol Factor - formerly Randolph Idol - a record-breaking success this year, with a cumulative audience of 1,246, smashing last year's total of 646 and surpassing 2011's then-largest attendance of 1,000.
Senior Airman Sherita Tisdom, San Antonio Military Medical Center emergency room medical clerk, sang her way to the top, taking home the grand prize of $1,000 and the title of 2013 Idol Factor winner. She was one of 28 contestants, with the youngest being 13 years old.
The 22-year-old, who has competed in the annual competition three times and was runner-up in 2012, sang "Respect" and "I Have Nothing" by soul artists Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, respectively, in front of more than 300 fans during the finale May 3 at the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Parr Club.
"Winning was awesome," Tisdom said. "I've always liked being a performer."
During the course of five weeks, audience members and judges combined their votes to whittle down the number of Idol Factor hopefuls to six finalists: Alayra Zoe Maldonado, Mark Ottinger, Sharon Hardeman, Tyrone Moore, Ashley Olsen and Tisdom.
Olsen came in second place and won $500, while Moore took third place and $250.
"Once again, the fifth season of Idol attracted a great mix of contestants," Steve Knechtel, 902nd Force Support Squadron community programs manager and Idol Factor coordinator, said. "We had active duty and family members as well as Department of Defense civilians and retirees."
According to Knechtel, the degree of talent in the JBSA area didn't surprise him.
"I'm not amazed anymore because it's something I know we have," he said. "This program is for people to show off their abilities and refine their stage presence."
Helping the contestants improve their skills was a panel of judges, who gave sharp-eyed critiques week after week.
One of them was Jim Walker, a first-year Idol Factor judge who is a five-time winner of the Air Force Worldwide Talent Contest, performed with the Air Force Tops in Blue during their live tour debut in 1972 and was the recipient of a "Golden Roger" - the Air Force's highest honor for entertainment - in 1982.
"Our goal was not to discourage performers, but to be honest," Walker said. "Nobody left without getting a critique; they all had things they did really well and not so well, so it was all about making them better performers."
Walker said picking difficult songs to perform in terms of vocal range was the most common mistake contestants made, which he pointed out with Tisdom's finale selections, but other factors determined the outcome.
"The story of the song and how it related to the audience was important," he said. "I am far more interested in the stage presence, microphone technique and showmanship of artists.
"At some points, we ripped into Sherita (with our critiques), but she has a great stage presence and great voice."
Tisdom, who started out singing gospel music at age 9 said her musical journey is far from finished.
"My goal is to keep getting better at my craft, and then I want to take my career to the top," she said. "A lot of artists get big in their 20s and have long, successful careers; that's what I want."