Tova, 'Beef' crowned Talent Show Champs

A total of 11 contestants displayed their skills in front of a crowd of nearly 300 on Friday night at the Milk River Pavilion in Malta as KMMR's Talent Show packed them in and then wowed them.

The Talent Show replaced the Country Show Down this year allowing other types of acts beside country music and when all the votes had been tabulated and turned over to show emcee Travis Rhoads, two different acts tied for first place (after announcing that Glasgow's Hailey Stone had taken third place and $200.)

"We didn't have a tiebreaker so what we are going to do is split the first and second place and the both are going to get $400 apiece," said Rhoads. "So tied for first place is Tova Anderson and Donovan "Beef" Archambault."

Anderson, a 10-year-old who took second place at last year's Country Showdown and blew the audience away on Friday night with two vocal performances, including Let 'Er Rip by the Dixie Chicks – said she wasn't very nervous before the singing the songs and was pleased as punch after.

"I'm pretty happy," Anderson said.

Anderson said she has been singing most of her life – the first ditty she remembers crooning is All I Want to Do by Sugarland – and enjoys the task, but said performing isn't her first choice for an occupation when she hits adulthood.

"Maybe I will be a singer," she said, "but if not, I want to be a veterinarian."

Anderson said there are many good singers in her family – and mentioned her mother, Kayla and Aunt Ella Yeadon -- as well as her cousin, Eva Yeadon, who also performed on the night. Of all the songs sang on the evening, Eva's rendition of Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival) was the lone non-Country tune.

"I sang it because everyone knows it," Eva said.

Though the cousins enjoy taking the stage, they both admitted they have no upcoming concerts scheduled ...yet.

"Maybe, maybe not," Anderson said.

"I don't think so," added Eva.

Others performing at the Talent Show were Brett Arensmeyer and Shay Rider, from Harlem, who played guitar and sang two songs, Cut Bank's Kendall Hibbs who sang two songs, Codi Donniaquo from Hinsdale who sang two songs and Cerenity Olsen of Glasgow who sang two songs.

Besides the folks who don't live here, four more acts from Phillips County who didn't place, but gave fine performances, were Addison Ulrich and Gabrielle Giblette (AKA FTD, AKA Flexi Tumbling Dancers) who did their tumbling act, David Williamson – who made the gig in Malta after driving all day from Billings – and his little sister, Macy Williamson, who played a song on the electric keyboard and then another with the use of a cup as an instrument.

"I was a little nervous," Macy, who finished fourth last year at the Showdown, said. "It's tough competition this year and I am going against my brother and he's a really good singer and guitar player."

Ulrich and Giblette dazzled the crowd with their tumbling act, but before taking the stage assured the PCN they weren't nervous and told of how they came up with the FTD name.

"We just came up with it," Gabrielle said.

"Because we have flexibility in tumbling," Addison added.

The duo agreed they have been tumbling for the last four years and have taken classes offered at Malta City Hall. Though each act on the night was allotted 10-minutes of stage time not many took the full allotment and FTD was no exception.

"We have about five or six minutes," Gabrielle said. "We use lots of surprises."

"I'm going to do the middle-splits, laying down," said Addison. "My stomach touches the ground while I do the splits."

"I also go into a front-lumber," Gabrielle concluded. "I think we will do pretty well."

The second of the first place finishers on the night to leave the show with a $400 check was Archambault, a stand-up comic originally from Fort Belknap who now lives in Poplar. Before taking the stage, Archambault told the PCN he had done his comedy twice in Malta before Friday night -- both times at shows staged by Rhoads at the Villa Theatre -- and said he was excited to take the stage in Phillips County once again.

"The audiences here are awesome and are fun to perform for so I hope they are in a good mood again tonight," he said. "I'm a little nervous now, but once I get the first laugh it all goes away."

Archambault started doing comedy five years ago and did so after being the "class clown and trouble maker" back in his adolescent years. He said he decided to try stand-up because of how making people laugh makes him feel.

"Anytime I make someone laugh I get this cool feeling inside like I just dunked (a basketball) or something," he said. "I didn't realize you could make a profession out of it until I was much older."

Prior to the Talent Show getting underway, Rhoads let the audience know the event was being taped so KMMR head honcho Greg Kielb could watch later. Kielb was home recovering from a recent surgery and couldn't host the event.

"If everyone could wave to the video camera," Rhoads said. "Thank you Greg, hope you are getting better."