While it was a program stacked with musical talent, it was a returning champion that took the crown at Quest for the Best 2024.
Jaykob Ryll’s performance of Creed’s My Sacrifice wowed the crowd enough to make him People’s Choice for the second set and the judges agreed. Previously the Quest for the Best champion in 2022, Ryll was sent through to the finals to face off against Jennifer Thorpe, whose rendition of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep ended the first set on a high note.
Creed hasn’t been the most popular band of recent years so Ryll’s choice of song might not have gone over as well as it did, but the band is seeing a recent surge in popularity and Ryll had chosen to do a university project on the band which led to his song choice.
“I was in university and I had to do a music presentation and I wrote one on why Creed is the best band ever,” Ryll said.
“They reunited, and they’re going on tour and I looked at myself and I was like ‘They’re bigger than ever and I can do ‘em’”
The judging panel looked a little different this year filled out by John Dutton, past Quest champion Ken Kellar, Dr. Jeff Gustafson, and returning judge Callahan Armstrong.
Mylo Smith won the Dark Horse Award for his performance of Selena’s Si Una Vez.
Damien Hunt won the Show Stopper Award and People’s Choice for the first set with his punk rendition of 99 Red Balloons, performed as red balloons bounced around the audience.
Piper Lidkea’s performance of Guns N’ Roses classic Sweet Child O’ Mine earned her the Rookie Award as a first time Quest for the Best entrant.
Coleman Campbell’s bass tones brought new life to Josh Turner’s Firecracker and earned him second place in the first set.
Dennis Morriseau made it sound like the late Gord Downie himself was in the big tent with his performance of The Tragically Hip’s Blow at High Dough and the judge’s awarded him second place in the second set.
Mike Walker’s chemistry with The Faculty on his version of David Bowie’s Absolute Beginners earned him the Band’s Choice award.
Other standouts of the night included when last year’s champion Ken Kellar warmed up the crowd for the second set, jamming out to Billy Joe’ls Only the Good Die Young. Later in set two, Abbey Calder played to the crowd with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Thorpe and Ryll recently both worked together on Row i Theatre’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and showed their friendship on stage as they prepared to perform Separate Ways by Journey for the “Battle Song” to determine the overall winner of the competition.
After he was announced as the winner Ryll said he was surprised to take the top spot.
Ryll said earlier in the week he’d struggled with the battle song earlier in the week as he practiced, but with some tutoring from another Spelling Bee friend he figured it out.
“Jen’s a crazy competitor. I had some struggles with it early in the week,” he said.
“Special shout out to Katelyn Bruyere, she really stepped up and helped coach me through it and that’s what gave me the final product that I think really went over well.”
“You know I really didn’t think it was gonna happen,” Ryll said. “It was such a loaded card tonight. Abbey Calder did amazing. Jennifer Thorpe, I’ve been waiting to share a stage with her for a long time now and to get to do that tonight honestly was better than winning in my opinion.”
