On Wed. March 4 the first round of Shippensburg APB’s Ship’s Got Talent contest occurred with plenty of talent.
The first of three rounds consisted of 12 contestants competing for a $300 prize. Eight were to go on to the second round, with the voting being decided by the audience, who voted for their favorite contestant via text message, as well as a panel of three judges, who offered comments and encouragement to each contestant. The audiences’ votes made up 40 percent of the final decision, while the judges decided the other 60 percent.
The show covered a wide breadth of musical genres, opening with a loud performance of Skillet’s “Monster” by War + Peace, and closing with a delightful cover of Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” by Bryanna Beamer. Many contestants performed with a guitar in hand, though some opted to sing acapella or with a recorded track.
“I went over my routine at least a 100 times in my dorm,” said Shannon Keene, who performed a song and dance cover of “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics.
While each contestant put in their best effort, some stood out from the field. Jake Doyle’s cover of Anthony Hall’s “Reality” was a crowd favorite, with great guitar work and a soulful feel to it. Autumn Hicks took on Adele’s “Someone Like You,” and the judges thought it was “stellar, awesome and wonderful.” As the sole country performance of the first round, Travis Dasher’s cover of “Talladega” by Eric Church was both authentic and well-accepted by the judges, who thought he was the most comfortable and relaxed of the performers.
The performance that stood out the most was perhaps by Jeremy Flick, who was the only contestant to perform an original song. Coming out on stage with an acoustic guitar in hand, he settled down on a stool only to throw the guitar down, get up, and perform a blistering rap full of wit that had the crowd laughing and cheering. The judges thought it was “clever and hilarious,” and Flick’s performance, because of its originality and energy, was perhaps the most memorable of the night. When asked if he would perform any more original material Flick responded that he most likely would not, but that he would still bring his A game.
“Everyone was amazing. I just cannot wait to see what happens in the second round,” said judge Bob Smith, who offered encouragement and praise to each contestant alongside his fellow judges.”
“It felt great to be on stage. I am so thankful for the crowd support and I had a blast performing for everyone,” said Jake Doyle.
The show incorporated the crowd in multiple ways, from simple cheering to actually giving them the power to put contestants through to the next round. The host and each judge brought a different personality to the table, making for great comments and encouragement to the nervous and excited contestants. The atmosphere of the show was electric. Light shows accompanied some performances and it seemed as though everyone thoroughly enjoyed the first round of action.
It was announced that at the second round, which occurs on Wed. March 18, two free tickets to the Kenan Thompson stand-up comedy show in April at the Luhrs Center will be given away to audience members courtesy of Ship APB. Also, those who attended the first round, if they attend the second and third round also and get their card punched each time, will have a chance to win a Beats pill speaker system. If you are looking for a good time full of stellar performances by students, come watch the final eight battle it out in the second round on March 18 at 9:30 p.m. in the CUB MPR.

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