Baker University junior Raymond Davis walked away with $100 cash and the title of Wildcat Idol April 19 after competing against 13 other contestants in the Spring Fest event sponsored by Student Activities Council.

“Winning Wildcat Idol felt pretty good,” Davis said. “I had the opportunity to do something I love to do, and it felt good to have people chanting your name.”

Wildcat Idol attracted more than 100 audience members and 14 participants, raising around $100 for the Habitat for Humanity house built as part of the BU@150 activities.

Community Service Coordinator Donnie Gardner said he was pleased with the funds that were raised by charging a $1 admission and a contestant entry fee.

“It was more of a thing just for the students to have fun with versus to make actual money,” he said. “That was just kind of a bonus because we wanted to keep it community-oriented.”

Students were able to select the songs they performed, and a panel of five judges scored the contestants on a scale of one to five for charisma and vocal ability to narrow the pool down to the top four. The top four contestants then performed once more, and the noise level of the crowd decided how the top four placed overall.

Junior Ashley Olsen and sophomore Katie James tied for second place, winning $20 gift certificates to Best Buy. Sophomore Kendra Schaefer placed fourth and received a $10 gift certificate to Best Buy. Contestants who placed fifth through 10th received $10 gift certificates to Best Buy as well.

Residence Life Coordinator Allison Scahill, who served as one of the judges, said she was surprised to receive some comments from people who said she was being mean while judging.

“I thought I was being constructive – what a real judge would do,” she said.

Senior Jeremy Frye performed Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In a Bottle” and said he enjoyed himself, even though he didn’t receive a prize.

“I don’t think I sang it in the right key, but I tried at least,” he said.

Freshman Tiffany Cornett attended the event and said she had a good time.

“It was good, and it was fun,” she said. “They all sang well.”

Junior Abby Burnett was also a judge and said she could tell some contestants prepared for it, while others just did it to have fun.

“It was hard to make the choices – definitely the top four,” she said. “