RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Around 250 fans packed the Kendrick Club ballroom May 8 to watch the final five Randolph Idol singers belt it out for first place.
"All five finalists were extremely talented," said Steve Knechtel, 12th Services program coordinator for Randolph Idol. "None of us knew for sure who the top three winners would be until the last vote was counted."
After the audience and judges placed their votes, the top three singers emerged.
The honor of the first Randolph Idol went to Bruna Silva, daughter of Col. Earl and Claudia McCallum.
Ms. Silva overpowered the audience and judges with her singing of "Time to Say Goodbye" by Sarah Brightman. As the winner, she took home $1,000 in prize money.
Second place was awarded to Marvin Barnes, Air Force Services Agency. Mr. Barnes impressed the crowd with his Seal rendition of a Sam Cook classic, "A Change is Gonna Come." His prize was $500.
The third-place finisher was Kerry Werch, wife of Airman 1st Class John Werch. She performed Martina McBride's song, "Anyway," and also took home $250.
"This is the first time we've hosted a talent program of this magnitude at Randolph and I was truly impressed with the degree of participation, the level of talent and the size of the audience," said Terrye Heagerty, 12th Services Division director. "It was amazing to see the fan base grow each week and to watch the contestants improve and gain confidence."
The five-week long competition began April 9 with 21 contestants. The number was gradually reduced each week as contestants were voted off by a combination of audience votes and a panel of four judges.
"Since this was our first attempt at an Idol show, we learned a few lessons and continually improved the program each week," Mr. Knechtel said. "Everyone had a good time and that is a key measure of the success of this program which is why I think we will see it come around next year."