Thousands of dollars were raised Saturday night for the St. Paul Splash Park, as the organizing committee for the park hosted the Killer Karaoke and Pub Night at the Recreation Centre. The event offered a unique take on traditional karaoke that saw contestants deal with a variety of distractions while trying not to forget the words.
Event organizer Amie Anderson said that Killer Karaoke is a television show hosted by Steve-O that challenges contestants to perform their favourite songs in outrageous circumstances.
“When we were considering putting on an event to raise money for the splash park, this idea came from one of the committee members who had been watching the show,” said Anderson. “We wanted to do something different and this certainly was different.”
Over 150 people were on hand to watch six contestants take on karaoke while facing numerous different distractions, such as being squirted by water guns filled with slime, having balloons filled with “various substances” popped over their head, even being shocked by a dog collar, all while singing along.
Contestants went head to head and members of the audience voted for which they felt should move on to the next round. Ballots cost $1 each, with all proceeds going to the St. Paul Splash Park.
In the end, it was Garret Roche who left the stage with the grand prize, a $1,000 travel voucher, luggage and a trophy. Kirk Thornton took second place at the event, earning himself a new karaoke machine.
“The people who were there definitely had a good time. People commented that the pub food was excellent,” she said. “Our karaoke DJs were great, and the contestants were good singers and great sports.”
Anderson thanked the many volunteers who donated their time and helped out in all facets to ensure the night was a success.
“There was a ton of work done to put on this event. This is true for most events, but we had some extra challenges in a few areas. One was to find contestants, as people needed to be informed that they were not just singing. They would also be embarrassed in front of an audience,” she said, adding that they received help from numerous local organizations. “There was also a huge amount of time and effort put into organizing the distractions that would be used. We had to find things that would be funny and entertaining, but not too messy, dangerous, or expensive.”
Anderson estimated that $8,000 was raised for the St. Paul Splash Park at Killer Karaoke and Pub Night, and that she is considering doing the event again in the future.
“It can only get bigger and better from here,” she said. “We suggest any potential competitors start practicing their songs.”
