Brandon Teen Idols Wow the Judges

One of the most talented lineups of teens in the four-year history of the contest took the stage Saturday at the Brandon Elks Lodge, leaving the judges in a quandary as to who to choose for the coveted title of Brandon Teen Idol.

"There was literally a fraction of points among the contestants," said emcee Robert Horning. "The judges really had a tough time with this."

But, ultimately, the judges chose Mikayla Anderson in the junior category and Savannah Palen in the senior title as their year's Brandon Teen Idols.

Judges Heather Cazzola, James Faurote and Rechel Coben-Stewart said they were impressed by not only the voices of the winners but their stage presence.

Anderson performed a humorous rendition of "Taylor, the Latte Boy" by Kristen Chenoweth while Palen wowed the judges with her acoustic guitar playing and singing to "Baby Girl" by Sugarland.

Those weren't the only performances that caught the attention of the judges, however. They awarded second places to Kelly Coultas in the junior category and Eric Newmann in the senior category.

Taking away the People's Choice awards for their performances were Alicia Yates in the junior category and Leah Jacoby in the senior category.

In all, 21 teens strutted their stuff on stage for the Brandon Teen Idol contest, which benefitted the Brandon Family YMCA's send-a-kid-to-camp program.

Also providing performances were Darienne Bartsh and Reed Grable, Haley Ellison, Kassidy Gavagan, Angelica Latorre, Marilyn Matthews, Nicole Matthews, Shelby O'Brien, Taylyn Olney, Megan Poole, Brittany Tanner, Jenna Gillentine, Jessica Jacobs, Charity Marshall and  Katherine Matthews.