Cadet Idol - Season Two

&emsp;&emsp;Cadet Ellis is this year's Cadet Idol winner. Four cadets made it to the final rounds of Cadet Idol. Following a performance in New Barracks, Cadet Krum came in second and Cadets Carpenter and Donatelli placed third and fourth, respectively. The winner was selected based on the number of votes each performer received. &emsp;&emsp;Season two of Cadet Idol kicked off in February with dozens signing up to compete. Contestants sang a variety of songs from pop to country to golden oldies as judges gave feedback and offered advice moving forward. All were looking to follow in the winning footsteps of Cadet Ben Doehler '21, the first ever VMI Cadet Idol winner. &emsp;&emsp;This season, just like last season, cadets competed in auditions and multiple rounds in J.M. Hall. Patterned after American Idol, those performing took the stage, sometimes nervously, to sing before a live audience. The performances ranged from a cappella to selections with a guitar or piano. After each act, a rotating panel of judges weighed in. Audience members also chimed in as they cheered for their favorite performers. Family members and friends were also able to support from a distance by viewing videos uploaded to YouTube. These videos enjoy high viewership, like the March 12th show, which received nearly 1,200 views. During that particular show, among the many performances included Cadet Salisbury who performed "Walkin' After Midnight," Cadet Pendleton who sang "I Bet You Think About Me," and Cadet Donatelli with "My Immortal." &emsp;&emsp;In an interview that was shared on vmialumni.org, S7 Captain William Welch '22 talked about how this event first took shape in the early months of the pandemic. "Due to COVID-19, we didn't have much going on through the staff." The staff "wanted to bring something that we could [use to] connect families at home and friends at home with cadets here." &emsp;&emsp;The S7 staff dedicated dozens of hours of time to this endeavor. The event took a tremendous number of volunteers, with S7 members promoting and planning the event, setting up the stage and prepping performers, running audio, welcoming guests, and videotaping, editing, and uploading videos, as well as tabulating results. This season, Cadet Idol opened with two nights of auditions. Decisions were made as to who would move on, with further rounds taking place in March and April, and the pool of those advancing growing smaller and smaller with just four cadets making it to the final round. &emsp;&emsp;To view this year's performances, go to this link or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtjruK84Qvd2i2qm5njPArw. &emsp;&emsp;S7 Staff look forward to a successful third season when the 2022-2023 school year gets underway.