Mel Arizpe, a frequent bridesmaid at Voice of Pride, made up for lost ground this year by winning overall and as part of the duo Mi Diva Loca, which one the inaugural “group” award.
But wait, it gets more interesting.
Arizpe’s singing partner in Mi Diva Loca, Laura Carrizales, came in second place. And Arizpe and Carrizales are a couple in real-life as well. Arizpe gets to fly to Manchester, England, later this month to partake in that city’s Pride celebration, and will perform at Lee Park following the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade next month.
Rounding out the top five were Juliana Jeffrey, Robert Olivas and Angie Landers. You can see footage from some of the performances in our video section here. Congrats to everybody!
36 Comments
Went to finals last night and again i was very surprised. I want to start off by saying congrats to mel arizpe..She did awesome. Now to my issue. If i was a contestant last night i would be demanding to see the scores of the solo competition. It was to coincidental that the group winners were also 1st runner up and winner. Those 2 girls took almost all the prize money and there were many who were deserving of some of that money. Are they sure they didn’t combine some of the scores from solo and group competition because i really don’t feel that Laura Carrizales should be standing as first runner up. Julianna Jeffries voice was amazing as usual and Robert Olivas outsang her without question and what about Christine Pradia who brought the house down and didn’t even place. Angie landers screamed her first song and the second song was good but was so boring. I just don’t feel Angie and Laura brought any stage presence or interest to their performance. I never understand the choices they make and i’m definitely confused right now. Not trying to offend anyone, just my opinion.
I pretty much agree with Mickey. I know they make it seem fair by throwing out the high and the low but when the judges are familiar with some of the contestants already … either by their roles in the community or prior competition years, doesn’t make it quite fair. Although I think that Laura did well, I feel that other performers did better than her. Robert did amazing with his second song but that first song was hard to listen live and even worse to listen to it on youtube without the crowd filler noises to cover up the mistakes. In this poster’s opinion, should have knocked him out completely. I think Chea beat him hands down and some of the other competitors. I think Red’s vocals beat most of the top 5 but her sounds was messed up (coincidence???) Mel definitely deserved to win and congrats to her. No offense, just giving my opinion because I want to be like Mickey.
I would like to add my two cents to the following comments. I too was in attendance at the finals last night and had the opportunity to witness an amazing show. First off… I would like to congratulate all of the contestants on making it to the finals. Y’all were all deserving of such an honor. However, I can’t say the same for all of those who placed in the top 5. If I were some of the non-placing finalists I would certainly be asking to see the score sheets from that night. I mean no offense to those who placed but you should certainly count your blessings that you had friends in high places that night. I mean let’s look at the whole finals set up. As for the judges… Half of them have been judging for consecutive years. I find it hard to believe that all but one of the placing finalists have competed for consecutive years (with the winner competing and placing in almost all of the last 5). Secondly… The judging panel were comprised of 5 women and 2 men in a competition with 7 female finalists and 3 males. I happened to also overhear the head judge say that he wished he could have stacked the panel with 6 women and himself. But that is another story. Lastly about the judges, I feel that many of them allowed their judging abilities to be clouded by their acquaintances with those of whom they were judging.
Now let’s take a look at the finalists and those who placed last night. As far as the females go… I have strong opinions that Angie was unfairly placed below those that were worse than her. Red also was far more deserving of a place than at least one if not 2 of the other female finalists who won titles. As for the male competitors… Did anyone actually listen to them? As far as they go… Chae and Joel out sang Robert on every level with Chae also showing HUGE stage presence in his awesome performances. I mean did anyone else hear how many people were screaming and chanting his name as the winners were being called? He and Red definitely should feel screwed over and should definitely see about checking out the scores. Or at least track down the judges and get some answers!
Now, I know I wasn’t a contestant or anything, but surely there had to have been some kind of rule in place to prevent 2 people from winning both the group category and first and second in the solo competition. However, I guess not given that is what had transpired. I also sat down and calculated exactly how much Laura and Mel received between the 2 of them (since they are a couple). Out of a total of $7,500 to be divided between the group winner ($2,500) and the solos winners ($5,000), they walked with not only the trip but $6,500 of that money. Hmmmm…. I’m just saying… Someone should really make a rule to prevent things like that from happening in the future.
I just feel that the chosen finalists who received titles the other night were heavily stacked with favor of seniority in terms of their previous entries in past years of VOP. However, I don’t want to put all them down. Julianna, Angie, and Mel were very deserving of awards. I just wanted to discuss some rather interesting points about the other night… But once again congratulations to ALL of the finalists. Y’all put on one amazing and entertaining show despite the overly suspicious judging.
After reading the 3 previous comments I felt I needed to respond. This was the first year for the group competition at VOP and there was nothing that said you couldn’t compete in both categories. I’m not sure if anyone else realized it or not but there were actually 3 duets sent to the finals but one of them pulled out for some reason. I felt that was unfair to other duets that could’ve competed for the $2500 prize. I attended several preliminary rounds at the area bars, every elimination round, semifinals at The Roundup, and finals night Sunday night. I felt there were several people that made it to the semifinals and finals that were outsung by others at previous rounds but there’s nothing anyone can do about it unless you’re a judge. There is always bitterness from people after every competition when they feel like others should have won or placed. That’s just part of it, everyone can’t win and you go into a competition knowing that. Do I question some of the top 5? Yes. Is there anything I can do about it to make things different? No. So why make a big deal about it?? Is it Mel and Laura’s fault they won the majority of the prizes that night? No it’s not. The judges chose them. I don’t feel it has anything to do with who you are. As far as people chanting Chae’s name, those were his friends. They did the same thing at the semifinals. He had several loud mouthed girls that were at both rounds screaming his name which actually got sort of annoying especially since I paid $100 for a table at finals and they were screaming in my ear and were very rude and never shut up the whole time other people were singing. I, also as a member of the gay community, have had concern in the past that this is the Voice of Pride competition yet there are several straight people competing and have done well in the competition in the past. The gay community has to fight hard for a lot of things and if you want to put a limit as to how much someone in the competition can win then why don’t we limit it to only gay people while we’re at it. Let’s just be happy for the ones that competed no matter if they placed or not.
Congrats to all the WINNERS…. I’d like to start by saying what a beautiful job Mel Arizpe did, she really deserved to WIN! Laura Carrizales also did a fantastic job and earned that Runner Up spot! As a Duet they blew “Classic Ressurection” out of the water. They were AMAZING and had the entire Rose Room on their feet with the fist note…They BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN!!! That wasn’t even a contest. It was a joke! As far as how the winnings were divided, thats something you will have to take up with the Michael Doughman.(I suppose) **I saw Juliana Jeffery listed as a Duet but they didn’t perform?** I would have enjoyed seeing them perform and given the winners some competition..as Juliana has such a beautiful voice which always earns her a well deserved top spot. I don’t think anyones “Role” in the community had anything to do with it but if thats helps you sleep at night… I have seen both Laura and Mel perform several times over the last few years and I am always impressed. There isn’t much to say about the other contestants. Some of them I know personally and some I am glad I do not know at all…. I do agree that Red had an AMAZING voice and deserved a spot in the Top 5, not to win but at least place. Red’s song selection was horrible. She could sing anything with a voice like that and why she chose long boring gospel songs , I’ll never know.
Angie Landersalso chose poorly. She has a decent voice but “My Heart Will Go On”?! Bad choice. Robert Olivas amazes me, I never understand how he makes it as far as he does. Everytime I hear him he remind me of the movie, “The Wedding Singer”.
Joel and Chae(?) were 10x’s better that Robert on their worst day. Someone mentioned Christine Pradia. She is another one that amazes me. LOL! She has a TERRIBLE voice, I never understand how she makes it to the Finals or even Semi-Finals. Her “role in the community or prior competition years” must have something to do with that. -Karmic Resolution, Im really glad you sat down to figure out how much those girls won. I know that must have been some heavy duty calculating.
I totally agree with “Amazed” Let’s talk about all the years that Mel and Laura didn’t win, was it fixed then? It’s not fixed its just sheer talent….Please the only one in the competition that could be hired to sing anywhere even in local musicals would be Juliana, Mel and Laura. Robert O should only sing in the shower as well as Christine. And Some of these people may move on and win someday …, Namely “Red” .but most of them should just give it up, and just go back to singing with the car radio. This is not Pre-K,”You don’t all get a ribbon just for being there. I was in attendance as well and I watched and listened to the crowd while Mel and Laura performed their duet as well as their solos, as the crowd went crazy and jumped to their feet, it was so well done and very exciting. They totally deserved to win it all….for all you haters maybe you can just wait and read about their adventures in the UK……..
Mel did great, she deserved it. As for everybody’s opinions on who placed what and what should have been, get over it! I’m not a judge, you aren’t a judge. The judges have ears, too, and this is what they felt was right. People can have their opinions about all the other singers, BUT to be outright hateful and say people don’t deserve to place, or that they have a “terrible voice,” or that singers are 10x better than other ones on their worst day is TOTALLY out of line. You know the contestants will probably read this article, and see what you wrote. I know some contestants and I know they go through ALOT of hard work to get far in this contest, and to get knocked down by some smug “critic” (who probably doesn’t know anything about music to begin with) is really a nasty thing to do. Shame on you. As for MY opinions, I think to get this far was a really amazing thing, period. So much talent in EACH singer who performed. I would have hated to be a judge. Not a rotten one in the bunch.
Although I think that Mel deserved her win, a lot of these standing ovations were due to the fact that these competitors had a fan section already. Chea proved that with his crowd. Mel and Robert run karaoke at several places around town (thus their roles in the community). They know a lot of people that were going to be at the competition (business owners, karaoke followers, bar patrons, etc), which equals cheering crowd (and maybe some business relationship with judges). Robert had a whole section with posters. Come on. Don’t tell me these ‘crowd went crazy moments’ were completely genuine. BS. Angie was completely sharp on her high notes and out of breath on her first song, Robert – well just listen to the video – that was out of key and amatuer hour at it’s finest. Seriously – the worst performance of all the rounds I attended. Christine’s version of ‘At Last’ made my ears bleed it was so off key most at times,
And I think the second duet Classic Resurrection was far more entertaining and I heard one off moment in a song but that shouldn’t be enough to count them out – they were amazing and should have won. Mi Diva Loca was good nonetheless but I dont think they were as good as Classic Resurrection.
The money/prizes isn’t a big deal. A lot of contests are run that way. BUT for this to be an amatuer competition and people making money running karaoke in the community the contest supports – kind of is a conflict of interest. Contestants were not allowed to be professional singers. What about professionals in the industry? I think it should be reviewed for next year.
Nothing can be done about it for this year and congrats to the all the competitors in the qualifiers, elimination, semi-finals, and finalist.
My suggestion for contest organizers next year – branch out to find your judges, no repeats. Make a clause about professional singers and music industry individuals, and instead of throwing out the high and low – maybe create a cumulative system. Scores carry over from each round for a combined total at finals. That would eliminate favoritism easily since you have new judges each round.
I know every contest has its ups and downs but please be courteous to the singers. If I were in the finals and read something as bad as I am hearing on here, I would be in tears. I know that each person’s voice might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Some people might think that I was the best while others think I was the worst. Comes with the territory. But be gracious about it please.
Contestants might be nervous and it can affect their phrasing or pitch, it happens. Finals is a HUGE deal and honor to the singers (as it should be) and I know my friends that were in the finalist were nervous for weeks. They practiced for weeks and labored over song selection, dress, and everything in between. Please be civil on these posts and refrain from what I think is a stone’s throw away from cyber bullying.
I find it hard to believe that the judges and the majority of the audience (who went in-FREAKING-sane and gave multiple standing ovations to the women during their duet) were either being political or delusional when they deemed Arizpe and Carrizales the big winners of VOP. What’s easier to believe is that some people (and apparently their supporters) are unable to lose graciously.
These women are AMAZINGLY TALENTED. Hands down, no question. Mel has incredible range and musicality. Laura has a soulful rich voice and can harmonize like no one’s business. She could harmonize with a DART train and make it sound like music. Their solos were on point, their duet was fun and creative. These young women deserved to win.
On top of their talent, they are also kind and classy. They are great ambassadors for the competition AND for the gay community in Dallas. Not because they are gay, but because they are wonderful, talented people who happen to be gay.
Laura & Mel, please, do not allow the cheers of hundreds Sunday night be drowned out by a handful of boos.
Oh good lord Seriously – They were good. Mel is amazing and whole heartedly deserved to win. Laura is good (not top five good but very good – obviously she made it to finals). They deserved a great crowd response. What I am saying about comments made about ‘crowd response’ is the fact that everyone had a lot of supporters there, including them that would have stood up for them no matter what (and made your comments skew the reality). I can say that Robert had an amazing crowd response on his first song – which is true – but was it deserved? If you had been in the back you would have heard the people that were neutral giving their response. It wasn’t a standing ovation and it wasn’t cheering wildly like a young girl at a Justin Bieber concert. I have heard the same response for bad karaoke singers ‘Sweet Caroline’. Doesn’t mean anything.
I would like to agree with Amy!!! It does take ALOT of courage first off to sing in front as many people as there were on Sunday.Second off I do think Mel did a really great job and she has a great voice.I don’t agree with the comment about the “wedding singer” when it comes to Robert O.,and I don’t believe that him and Christine should only sing in the shower…Robert did have an amazing performance,and yes he did have a whole cheering section with posters…He received a standing ovation,that may not have been as big as the one for Mel,but at least he had the crowd going.Christine is also a great singer.Just because Robert and Mel do host karaoke,but that doesn’t make them professional singers–they’re just people who LOVE to sing ,and you should not penalize them for getting paid doing what they love to do,(and it’s not even alot)don’t we all wish we had a job we loved?I was very proud of all the singers who had the courage to make it as far as they did.Even the winner went up to all of her friends and told them how happy and proud of ALL of them when they placed.As far as Mel wining she does alot in the community,and alot for charity…don’t you want someone to represent who is involved?I know I would….You people need to stop being HATERS and RESPECT the people you have representing you!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO MEL,LAURA,JULIANNA,ANGIE,AND ROBERT O.!!!!!! Do not let any of these negative comments get you down!! You were ALL great and ALL winners..Just remember,you do have great support teams who support each and every one of you!!!
I received a call from a friend who was quite upset about some of the things said about their performance at the finals. That friend had just gotten off of the phone with another friend who had been hurt by the slanderous remarks herein. It is aparent to me that “fan-at-ic” seems to think that we or our friends are bashing Mel and Laura, but this is the first time I have even seen this, and it is simply not true. Not only are we friends with Mel and Laura, but we respect them for their talent.
As far as Classic Resurrection being a joke, I will have you all know that we scored nearly sixty points higher than Mi Diva Loca at Semi Finals. Period. That doesn’t seem at all to be a laughing matter, and the group that dropped out, that would have “provided them with competition” was scored 32 points below us. None of that matters! Every person involved in the contest has genuine talent and passion for music. And each and every one of them could hold a career in the music industry in some form or fashion. As far as the remarks on karaoke hosts being excluded, this is rubish. Karaoke hosts are not professional singers, they are professional babysitters and button pushers to the drunken masses. They do not get paid to sing, but to lug heavy equipment, and deal with obnoxious alcoholics. (and the fun customers too). When it comes to the winner, I am thrilled that the years of Mel’s hard work have finally paid off for her, even though Laura, in my personal opinion, outsang mel THAT NIGHT. Red, although completely irrecerent to the rules of this contest and the community it’s self was also one of the top five vocalists, and perhaps went unrecognised because of her decision to sing about God. Angie Landers is in my opinion the most veretile of all the female vocalists that competed in solos this year and one of the nicest individuals I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. As far as Chae Studabaker is conscerned, I had him picked for winner from the moment I qualified with him for solos at Sue Ellen’s. I am highly surprised that he did not make top five as well, though I will not label any of the people who actually placed, as “less deserving”. As for Kelly and myself, Classic Resurrection, we were faced with a difficult challenge, and know fully well that we were outsung by Mi Diva Loca on our second song. We actually went into the second round as the top group. So, I suppose I just can not understand or possibly fathom “Amazed” opinion on us as a group or the fact that we could never work in the undustry, considering the fact that we have turned down pay in order to remain eligable for the contest. I have a fondness in my heart for each and every one(absolutely no exclusions) of the contestants. I do agree that keeping a running score would be quite interesting, and that the pot for groups should have been split, and that we should be regaurded as the second place group for ALL groups who participated this year instead of the “losers” we have been dubbed as. All that being said, I would like to say to all of our new, and old fans, as well as our friends and supporters, that we regret that we were unable to give the performance expected, but due to equipment and time constraints, the show we worked so hard to present was unable to be delivered due to the corded microphones and apologise that our vocals suffered for it. (I guess we were just more focused on our last minute changes than the song itsself. That being said, even if we had been able to present our performance the way it had been rehearsed for weeks, we would have been hard pressed to chose a second song that would beat a Lady Gaga medley in a predominantly GLBT setting. so congratulations to all who placed. It was an amazing event and quite enjoyable.
P.S. Lets get real about the judging situation: Every year up until this one, the judges have been mostly male, and the one year that it is dominated by gentler sex, everyone gets in an uproar, claiming that this is why most of the top five were female. The truth is, that there were only 3 males in finals because all throughout and during the final night of the competition, the females brought it. period.
bit of correction- Angie Landers most versetile.. heh. Either way, be nice people, and if you didn’t go to the show, don’t rate the singers based on the video, because the sound quality of the video was for sh*t and not at all condusive to the actual performances. Angie did not scream her first song.. I have never heard her scream ANY song….and if you were there, maybe you should also take into account the free alcohol that clouded your judgement. EVERYONE in this contest is amazing in their own right, and it took a lot of hard work and guts for them to do what they did, so don’t bash other peoples musical talent when you yourself were not able to take part… and if you are one of the contestants, grow a pair and put your name up.
There are always sour grapes. Blaming mic cords and unseen dance moves is an excuse.I repeat ,EXCUSE. Shoulda, coulda ,woulda… It’s a vocal competition, not “Dancing with the Sore Losers”. The dancing must have been a gimmick or meant to distract attention away from the vocals. Apparently Classic Resurrection feels that the corded mics were brought in just to sabotage them and not the other ten competitors. Yes, it was a conspiracy against dancing tone-deaf couples. If Classic Resurrection had actually sang a song, instead of screaming it, then they might have stood half a chance against those girls. It “AMAZING” how delusional some people truly are. You can tell the story of how you were cheated all your life but it won’t change what seven, SEVEN QUALIFIED JUDGES, could clearly hear. The girls in Classic Resurrection were unbalanced. One of the girls tried to upstage her partner when while singing a solo line she stepped in front of her partner making her look selfish and desperate. I was at semi-finals and saw the kiss at the end of their song. I find it hard to believe the judges found that moment anything but tasteless and tacky. The money should be split? Ridiculous, if Classic had won they wouldn’t have a thing to say about taking all of the cash for that category. If you think that they stood a chance against the real winners then you can just “Dream On…”
O..M…G… To “Sore losers” — that is an awful and hateful thing to say. No one “screamed” anything. Everyone was a talented singer who competed. I was blown away. It was the first time I had heard most of them ever sing, including the winner, Mel. And to the other one who referenced me, I apologize, but I don’t know who you are, so I don’t know how it seems “apparent” that you were bashing people you are friends with if it isn’t even “apparent” to me. I was just saying some of the things people were saying on this board were completely hateful and out of line and more importantly, completely untrue. Like I said before, everyone did wonderful and that was a great night for me to hear so much talent in one room.
we are not sore losers, the comment that beckah left was to state that instead of focusing on our song, we let the change in the corded microphones affect us, if you are so obtuse and cannot read what is written, then you do not need to comment. we congratulated mel and laura and do not begrudge them anything they won and they deserved to win. please stop all of these offensive comments, they are hurting people, but then again, i can see that you really do not care. i think that every one needs to put this in perspective. it was a competition, we competed, we made it to finals, we lost. and we are ok with that. everyone who won deserved to win, those who lost deserved to lose (for whatever reason)…it’s over, so please let’s just let it be over. and if it is me you are talking about stepping in front of beckah, that is because i do the high note on dream on and i was supposed to pull in front of her so people know it’s me and not her (as that is often confused)….that was the way it was supposed to be…so please, you do not know what you are talking about….just stop…and by the way, the kiss was at finals and not at semi-finals (if you are going to criticize, please get your facts straight)….and i think that if the shoe was on the other foot, you would not like harsh things written about you ….you did not walk a mile in our shoes as we are not walking in yours, so you do not know the hours of hard work and dedication we devoted to this and it turned out poorly for us, and we accept it and we are moving on….why don’t you do the same.
You people are too much! I agree with “sore losers”, “amazing” “Seriously”…lol I think this was the FIRST YEAR that ALL of the Judges were Vocalist!! Normally, its like , “Billy owner of Bill’s Bar”, “John from Chase Bank” and ” Mary local girl”…. This year every Judge had Crazy Vocal Credentials!! Thats exactly how it should be.
LOL… i love voice of pride. So much DRAMA!! I also love how people leave comments on here talking smack and bashing other contestants but don’t identify themselves. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that these terrible comments are more than likely just bitter contestants who either A) didn’t make it to finals or B) got beat at finals. Mel Arizpe won Voice of Pride hands down Sunday night. She was completely on point and her song selections were perfect. Group competition: I thought Classic Resurrection beat mi diva loca in the first round and mi diva loca beat them in the second round. Either group could’ve taken the title. Solo Competition is always a crap shoot and we all know that. You could go from 3rd runner up one year, to 1st runner up the next.. One year you may not place and then the next year you are the winner and so on and so on. One thing that no one on here can dispute is that the top ten deserved to be there. Every singer in dallas has the opportunity to come out to qualifying rounds and compete to try and make it to finals. The reason you see some of the same people in finals is because the people judging feel we are the best the community has to offer. If you feel that the top ten were not worthy or that you should be there instead, then Bring it!! I do agree that the judges table at finals could use a makeover. I think that would bring an end to all these conspiracy theories and the fact that people feel the judges play favorites. Congratulations to everyone who performed Sunday night. I think it’s sad that this page has turned in HATERATION!!… All of the contestants put in a lot of time and preparation for this competition and it takes a lot of courage to get up there and perform.
I agree, Christine. I wish there was a way to delete the mean & untrue messages from disgruntled people, so that the contestants don’t have to partake in this. I think it’s hurtful, and NO ONE deserves that. If you made it to the finals, you were wonderful. End of story! I don’t want any of the contestants to think that these losers who are posting this junk should believe any of it or let it get them down. The stupid bloggers obviously have no clue, and got drunk from the haterade bong. Amy’s right, this is very close to cyber-bullying. I wish this was a board to take the opportunity to congratulate them instead of these stupid conspiracy theories.
All I have to say is the following: I think it is AMAZING that you spout such cruel and hateful things just out of sheer boredom and your own disapointment with yourself. What’s more AMAZING is that even though you are trying to be anonymous with all of your ridiculous sudonyms, we all KNOW who you are, and often get caught up in the hysterics of speculating why you are so two faced and mean spirited about this entire situation. If you want to call the impromptu kiss we did at FINALS tasteless or whatever BS you called it, that’s fine, I’m sure some other small minded person out there might share your opinion. The truth is that the kiss stemmed from honest, pure, heartfelt, raw emotion, and if that is tacky or tasteless then you need a serious reality check. I’m not going to put you on blast, and expose who you are, but I will say that I would feel totaly comfortable and confident about going into any sing-off against you. I know that all of your bitterness comes from your failure to advance past eliminations, but don’t be so angry honey. You didn’t not advance because of your mediocre performance, but because you disqualified yourself by stepping off of the stage, which is against the rules. As far as our dance moves being a distraction, I won’t even dignify that with a response. We were both stepping out of our boxes to give our performance a little something extra and to seperate us from our competitors and it worked. Not only that, but we had fun doing it, and people enjoyed seeing it. We put on a show. period. So climb down off of your high and mighty soap box, have a piece of humble pie, and get over yourself,. The same people you are lifting up with your comments on this article are the same people I have heard you talk badly about, behind their backs, more than once. as far as the money situation, it was simply an agreement bfor future years, and had we won, you are wrong. It takes a lot of money- dresses, makeup, accessories etc, and I would gladly have forgone a portion of 2500 dollars had the role been reversed.(not that it even matters in the slightest; for as I stated already, it was an agreement/suggestion for future rounds of this competition to come). As far as the judges go, I know and respect more than one of them, and can say without a doubt that judges and their involvement with the contestants was absolutely no factor at all in Sunday night’s finals. as far as you quoting portions of my facebook for everyone to see, with a few embelishments of your own, I will admit that shortly after the contest, while caught up in my emotions I did feel as if an effort was made to even the playing feild at our expense. Do I feel that way now? Either way it doesn’t matter, because I never bashed anyone else or their talent. So, in conclusion, I am sorry that not making it to semi-finals or finals has effected you so profoundly, but taking it out on the more deserving contestants who did make it, is no way to go. You need Jesus.
fan-at-ic- I am sorry I confused your comment with someone elses. My apologies.
Go Christine!!! I mean really—“where is the love”? People it’s over congratulate the top 10,the two groups,and get over it…focus on next year’s competition!!!!
ooook….this comment is for “agrees w mickey” and “amazed”…it’s pretty easy for u to sit behind your computer screen anonymously and talk shit about Christine and all the other contestants….but why don’t u get some f***ing balls and address me or Christine directly since u have such strong opinions about her singing…or better yet, why don’t you just f***ing identify yourself DUMBASS!!!!! lol
PLEASE READ:
Dear Contestants of the 2010 Voice of Pride Finals,
I have observed the 2010 Voice of Pride both internally and externally. After having the opportunity to observe this pinnacle community event for the first time I cannot convey how much I am disappointed and disturbed by the tenacious and unscrupulous behavior of the Dallas Tavern Guild’s lack of rules and provisions regarding such a huge fundamental community event.
I realize that many people who furnished comments related to this article each have their own opinions and motives for commenting to begin with, however, this particular comment is aimed toward uniting the contestants, those who lost and those who also placed to focus their disenfranchisement and bring pressure to bear on the Dallas Tavern Guild with the hopes of eliciting the Tavern Guild to make amendments and create thorough provisions for next year’s contest.
1) Each of you as a contestant should examine the rules that you had signed and turned in prior to your preliminary round if you have copies. 2) You each should ask yourselves if you feel that the rules and regulations definitively described clearly and concisely what would transpire at the finals and whether or not you truly understood that individuals in a duet could also win the top spot along with the second place spot including the duet? If you understood that perhaps that was a possibility then read no further. If you didn’t, then please continue. 3) Please ask yourselves if you feel whether or not in previous years was the make-up of the judges in terms of males vs. females entirely fair and balanced? 4) Also ask yourselves whether or not it is entirely partial or impartial to be the head judge for 4 years in a row and pick the panel of judges for the finals having witnessed over the years some of the same contestants over and over again. 5) Also ask yourselves whether or not it is partial or impartial to be a regular judge on the panel of the finals more than once and witness some of same contestants over and over again?
Now by asking these questions it becomes obvious to those who don’t follow the Voice of Pride as it should resonate with those who do follow it religiously that perhaps there are several issues that arise from an ill conceived and poorly structured judging process and contractual agreement. Acknowledging that this was the first year and attempt to incorporate “groups or duets” into the contest I realize that mistakes may be made. Nevertheless there are legitimate and contentious issues which all of the contestants and future contestants should take upon themselves and “voice” their opinions and disagreement for the current state of rules and regulations regarding Voice of Pride.
By taking such proactive measures and consolidating the power of those who are judged and will be judged in the future (the contestants) the Dallas Tavern Guild will be inclined to amend the rules. The contestants are the individuals who make it possible to have a contest to begin with. Their “voices” are the ones who need to be heard!
All of these other comments are just comments and serve no purpose. These comments will not by any means rectify the current situation or coerce Michael Doughman or Dr. Jonathan Palant in and of themselves to create change. You as the contestants must unite and demand change.
The yearning for change should not be construed as vilifying the current winners of Voice of Pride 2010. Nor should it dampen their triumph. It should be understood by all that they (the top 5) have won and should not be blamed for ill conceived rules and regulations.
It should also be understood by all that despite your personal feelings or allegiances to the contestants, several contestants who participated this year whether intentionally or unintentionally have the appearance of being “career Voice of Pride contestants” similar to career politicians. This is not the fundamental failure of the contest, but it is another point why changes are imperative to keep the contest unbiased and impartial.
A multitude of changes should be considered. These changes may consist of:1) If groups or duets are allowed for 2011, then the members of the group cannot participate as a soloist. A) Or if the rules are not amended to suit the above recommendation, then perhaps if members of a group participate as soloist, then depending on how high their scores are and if one of them attains a higher score as a soloist then they may win as a soloist, the group cannot win as a group category. Basically it’s either one way or the other. 2) All of the judges including the head judge cannot participate for consecutive years. The panel of judges for the finals should be comprised of new judges each and every year. A new head judge should be chosen each and every year to ensure impartiality. This doesn’t negate the possibility for a head judge to participate in 2010 and then again in 2012, etc…3) Any contestant who places in a top 4 spot (excluding the 1st place winner who should not be able to compete ever again) should not be allowed to participate in a Voice of Pride contest for at least one year. This will ensure that new judges will see fresh talent and fresh talent will be seen by fresh judges. Basically contestants in the top 4 who competed in 2010 will have the opportunity to compete again in 2012. 4) A detailed and thorough contractual agreement should be created and definitely state the rules and regulations and any and all possibilities of how the contest results may go and the judging selection process.
All of these items help to eliminate the possibility of disillusionment by the contestants.
Please keep in mind that is supposed to be an inspirational contest to help inspire those with talent to explore their potential and share their gifts with the community and possibly the world. This contest should not be construed by some as a popularity contest or career. Treat this contest with respect and lend credence to your own morals and values and allow fresh talent to enter. Once you have placed or won, choose to step down for a bit before you try again. Stagnation of talent and unjust rules will only lend to lessen the interest by the community and damage the credibility of the contest as a whole.
Thank you and God Bless the DFW LGBT community!
I want to go on record as saying everyone in Voice of Pride did a great job! Although I was not in attendance at the semi-finals or the finals, I know everyone worked hard throughout the contest. I also want to say that this hatred toward each other will never unite us! When I didn’t make VOP I was mostly disappointed in myself and directed my anger at no one but me! If there’s any speculation about this please ask me! God Bless Everyone!
I want to go on record as saying everyone in Voice of Pride did a great job! Although I was not in attendance at the semi-finals or the finals, I was happy to hear of all the winners in the competition. There has been some speculation about me bashing other contestants, and I would like it noted that I have NEVER done so! People who generally hide behind aliases are cowards. Again, I would like to congratulate everyone who competed.
Wow lotsa “heavy drammer” … after reading all of this I first thought “ouch”, but then had to laugh. That’s all you can do. I’m surprised anyone stayed awake. What this show NEEDS is a producer … someone to keep it moving and from being so ponderous and DULL. It makes the Oscars look like a hurricane.
To disenfranchised.. The contestants you call stagnant make up the majority of those competing at all. Without them, us, there would hardly be a show. To get to finals a contestant must have passed three rounds which doesn’t always happen for the “regulars”. There are plenty who have placed in previous years who now cannot get through elimination, just as those who have never reached semi-finals will find themselves in the finals. Career VOP contestants? Yes. We keep trying because we believe in ourselves and we believe in having fun and meeting new people. Mel and I met through VOP and I can’t imagine my life without her.Mel and I happened to take it all this year. That’s not our fault. To say that duets shouldn’t be allowed to solo or solo shouldn’t be allowed to duet is only the cry of those who didn’t try for both and didn’t happen to get either. We went for both and we got both but not without going through the same steps as everyone else. We invested our time, money, and talent into a CHANCE. When you go into a competition like this you must realize that you are not guaranteed anything. NOTHING. I don’t think Disenfranchised realizes that there was little to no turn out for the groups. Almost every group that got through qualifying rounds did so by default. There were lots of venues that had only one group show up and they got through automatically. Those that wanted some group action should have gotten themselves some.
I used to get upset with Mel every year that she didn’t place higher and tell her that it was a waste of her time and that she wasn’t being fully appreciated. I felt she was short changed for a lot of years. She insisted that she did put all of herself into it but she did so in the name of fun and socializing with other singers. Singers who we would eventually collaborate with and support around town. It wasn’t her “time”. Why wasn’t her time last year or the year before? No, she had two solid performances. Disenfranchised must be friends with a newcomer that didn’t get the results they expected. The regulars have seen the ups and downs and have learned to expect the unexpected . At the end of the day , even those that are raging mad from the year before , return to get back on the horse and try again. The scorned contenders return with a devout passion to win and the show gets better and better. Hard feelings aside, the regulars are not going anywhere. Don’t stop believin’ …lol.
First and foremost…To have some respect…I am a previous contestant who is straight as you would put it…thank you for classifing me in that catagory, made it to the semi finals in a previous year competition. I have supported the gay and lesbian community since 1988 and I think what you said about only allowing someone who is gay to enter is the most ridiculious thing I heard !!! I feel like the support I have given to the community as well as individules who need it as well as my friends should be enough. Do you think that because not everyone who works for American Airlines or because they dont have a big rainbow across their planes or any of the other sponsoring companies are gay they should not support events such as VOP? I entered as a striaght woman in honor of my friends past and present and to not have the seggeroation that is being displayed by the comment you made. I think I would have also represented as a whole new outlook as someone “straight” as a supporter to the community. Can you fatham a straight person supporting a gay…Heaven forbid! I recieved an email about the new catagory Duets and I expressed my concerns to them. I feel like in the past years compititions there has been some favortisiam, its not right ,however they have the rules that all contestants must read and sign. Some people have continiously entered year after year and some of the judges have been there for all that time to see these people putting themselves out there. They deserve to be recognized all of them…judges and contestants. I personally dont agree with all the placement of the finalist but I was not a judge. I do not think they should allow the solo singers to compete in the duets catagory if they are a finalist. Maybe they should have some new judges for next year. And Last but not least…Congrats to everyone who competed !!! I support the VOP and will continue to in the years to come…
By the way… I believe last year’s winner, Gasparro, was only in his second year. Juan de Leon was in his third year when he won but never placed before. The winner before him was Randall and no one had ever seen him before, nor have we seen him since, and he beat a “favorite”. There are dozens of instances that we could mention. Everyone makes a prediction about these people and who will get what but nobody ever calls it the way it really goes down. It is not a science. Its a singing contest. Please…
I would like to congratulate everyone who made it to the finals at VOP this year, and congratulate Mel who won the final round. Obviously, if these people made it all the way to finals, then they are talented individuals who deserved to be there. A lot of nasty comments have been posted here, and that’s a shame. It takes a lot of courage just to try and get up on stage and sing in front of people, every one of this year’s finalists were very talented and they deserve to be commended for their efforts and for making it to the final round. Since a lot of comments were not posted under real names, its hard to tell who is posting what, but it sounds to me like a lot of sour grapes. Unfortunately, we never completely agree with all of the judges’ decisions in a competition like this. However, the judges get to make the final decision and we have to live with it. If someone didn’t win, then they should be very proud of themselves for making it so far, and for sharing their talents with the rest of us. I hope everyone will stop the bickering and just be happy for the winners.
I agree with Leah…Be happy for the ones who did succeed in this adventure! I am proud of you all!!!
My friend Angie competed and she did awesome because she IS awesome. If anyone said anything negative about her performances, then you are an effing idiot and you need to get a clue. But anyway, everyone was awesome on Sunday. To think people would post something bad about any of the contestants is ludicrous. I defintely will remember some names out of the finals because of the memorable performances. Congrats to all, if you placed or if you did not. And to the haters, find peace within and learn to love yourself.
i wasnt there but im sure everyone did an awesome job. Congrats to mel and her vieja, orale raza! All i have to say is, if u cant take the pressure, dont join the competition. Everyone will say what or who they like or dislike. Everyone has right to their opinion, and we have to be ready for what may come, good or bad. SO GET OVER IT, we all know that everyone here will be at the finals next year and a new set of contestants plus the ones returning and make it thru, will be bashed. It’s a never ending story. WAH WAH WAH! HAVE FUN AND DO IT BECAUSE YOU LOVE IT, IF U WIN, YAY, IF NOT, YOU DUST URSELF OFF AND TRY AGAIN…..
Wow. I don’t really know where to begin. This was my first time attending the VOP contests and I must say “Entertaining,” and every time I heard “Red” it was hard to stay in my seat. It was hard to believe that she has never sung and does not now sing professionally. She blew everyone out of the water each night that she sang, both the contestants and the judges (and go figure – not even a place in the top 5). Someone mentioned it was a “singing” contest and that was what I thought it was until they were finnaly done calling the top 5. Anyone who knows singing knows good and well that none of the finalists, if you really listed to the “singing” outsang Red, regardless of what she was singing – gospel, R&B, etc., etc. Oh, and a correction to the person who mentioned she song only gospel songs – Don’t know if you have heard of Beyonce, but her song “Listen,” which was “”Red’s” finale isn’t hardly a gospel song – you and others should call it up and really listen to it. But that’s neither here nor there. The way some of you talk, if I didn’t have gay friends and family members who were in church, I’d think that gays don’t believe in God? So why, even if she had sung two gospel songs, should that have mattered? If the contest is indeed a “singing” contest, you should be judged STRICTLY on “how you sing, your voice – not what you sing.” And “showmanship” should be a factor also. Now with that said, I think it goes without saying, who I feel should have won the singles contest hands down. Fair is fair, and I don’t care how many years you’ve been competing, the popularity contest should be out the window if someone else outsings you. Isn’t that what gays fight for “equal rights and to be treated fairly?” Don’t preach that motto and not live it – it’s hypocritical. I am very happy for the winners as I thought the competition was great that night, but I think even the top 5 cannot honestly stand and say “Red” shouldn’t have won the contest (again, regardless of what kind of songs you thought she was singing). If I were you “Red,” “Chae” and “Joel”, and other non-winners, if you feel strongly that things weren’t quite fair, I’d ask for those judges sheets from winning night, not to change anything, because it wouldn’t be fair to the winners (NOT THEIR FAULT), but just to make sure they were tallied right. And just in case they were tallied right, then pose your questions on whether or not the best singers were suppose to win and expose the VOP contest for what it really is and maybe others who can sing and have a tireless work ethic working day in and out getting ready week in and week out, giving the contest and the gay community everything you’ve got for a great show (not to mention bringing in the big bucks to help fund the contest) won’t waste your time if it is in fact a “popularity” contest or if you have to fit a certain mold in the judges eyes to even be considered a winner. And I whole-heartedly agree with one of the writers from above, “read all the rules before you sign them.” Judges if you are tuning in, I hope you know how it feels not to be given a chance, even when you and the majority of the people know (knew) you were the best. And to the people who make up the rules, it was ridiculous that you could win both contests – in fact its CRAZY – that should definitely be changed and maybe the contestants should be told “compete in one or the other!”
CONGRATS TO ALL THE WINNERS! IT WAS A GREAT SHOW! I do agree with some of the comments above, I can’t lie. A lot of the things said were true. I do not understand the problem with the prizes. Correct me if I am wrong but this was a CONTEST. Any problems with the rules or the prize distribution should have been addressed prior to the start of the competition. Some people win and some lose. When you sign up for a Contest you have to prepare yourself for whatever happens.
Oh, btw… Michael Phelps brought home 8 Gold Medals in 2008 and no one had a problem with that….