◆ Three locals will compete for final Wildcard spot.
The contestants have been selected for The Vocalist singing competition, which will take place Monday, August 8 during the Lincoln County Fair. Contestants were selected by a committee made up of singers from both inside and outside Star Valley. Members of the selection committee were only given the a cappella auditions that were submitted. They did not know anything else about the contestants, including name, age and where they are from.
This year’s lineup includes contestants from not just Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. For the first time a contestant from outside the Rocky Mountains will compete in The Vocalist. That person is 19-year-old Jacob Gomez who is from the upstate New York town of Amsterdam. Another first has happened this year. Sisters Ali Wilde and Christina Stutzman, both from Idaho Falls, Idaho, will be the first siblings to compete in the same year. It wasn’t known that the two were sisters until after the selections had taken place.
Two contestants from Utah will be on the show, including Leo Cody Johnson from Salt Lake City and Dusti Bagley from Kaysville.
Three local contestants will compete in The Vocalist this year. Daniel Lechner of Thayne, who was in last year’s competition, and Elise Call of Afton have secured a spot on the stage. The eighth and final spot will also be a local Star Valley contestant, however that person won’t be determined until the Wild Card competition held July 2.
Britton Hunting of Afton, Lindsay O’Brian of Bedford and Ki Simkins of Afton will compete in the Wildcard. Traditionally the Teen Vocalist winner is invited to compete in the Wildcard competition. However, this year’s winner, Whitnee Hale, was unable to attend. So Simkins, the 2021 Teen Vocalist, was invited to compete again.
Following the Wildcard competition, each of the eight contestants will sing on stage August 8 in the hopes of earning the audience votes. The winning contestant will receive the $10,000 prize.
“This year is going to be amazing for the vocalist. The contestants that have been selected come from across the country. They truly have great singing talent and are a very diverse group,” stated David Cazier, Producer and Co-Organizer of The Vocalist. “This season we are excited to bring the contestants even closer to the audience through a weekly episode that will be released at TheVocalistUSA.com.
Instead of full video introductions for each contestant the night of the competition, we will be releasing a weekly episode in a type of reality T.V. style that will show the contestants backgrounds and their progression towards the competition. It will be fun to get to know the contestants over the next couple months and I’m excited to allow the audience to have a deeper connection with the contestants and understand who they are beyond the stage.”
In addition to the competition, America’s Got Talent winning singer/ventriloquist Darci Lynne will be on stage as this year’s celebrity judge. Lynne will also perform a mini concert as part of the event. Last year’s Vocalist, Erik Dalton, and longtime Vocalist judge Shelby Thatcher, will also be on stage as judges.
Tickets for The Vocalist are on sale now at TheVocalistUSA. com. Arena seating is available. The Vocalist is included in the 2022 Lincoln County Fair season passes.
To learn more about The Vocalist and this year’s contestants visit TheVocalistUSA.com.
