The DHS Auditorium on Friday, March 18, was packed with excited students. Few empty seats were visible, students were holding posters with contestants’ faces on them, and anticipation was in the air as this was the second live event held here since the pandemic.

Dartmouth’s Finest is a fun senior competition that takes place every year. The contestants this year were seniors Kaitlyn DaSilvia, Mia Carter, J.C. Frates, Charlie Fairfax, Dylan Marshall, Gabby Reardon, Kat Charrier, Jacob Moniz, Reid Martin, Ethan Marques, Will Chau, Keegan Humason, and Nick Howarth.

The show started with the hosts Maryellen Silvia, Ava Ashton, Anna Camisa, Grace Rosa introducing themselves and the contestants. Then the contestants did a dance number to the song “Fireball.” It was quite fun to watch because the lights were shut off and they had colorful lights in their hands as they danced. 

Before the contestants showed us their talents, the audience was shown who each senior is, what they like, and what they do. Dylan stood out with his bright pink guitar as he walked around the stage. Charlie wore a crazy outfit with a fisherman’s vest and hat.

The competition then began with Kaitlyn. She started off on the piano and then walked onto the stage to dance to a collection of songs. My favorite had to have been the moonwalk. She is so talented and good at dancing.

Second was Mia, she and three of her friends danced to the song “Jump” by Kris Kross, as the Just Dance game of that song was playing behind them. She was giving off such great energy, and it was very impressive that they managed to memorize the entire dance to the song. 

Before the next contestant went, on stage two of the five hosts went into the audience to ask random questions about the contestants. Winners got a $5 gift card. The most surprising fact was that Charlie has never drunk soda. 

The third act was JC, Nick, and Reid. They were all wearing green tutus and black sunglasses while lip syncing and dancing to the song “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” The dance started off with ballet, and it just made everyone laugh. 

Fourth was Jacob, and he tap danced to the song “Pepas” by Farruko. He was good at tap dancing, especially if this was his first time. I have always wanted to try tap dance, it seems very fun. 

Charlie was fifth, and he started off with the song “Singing In The Rain” from the 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain. He was dressed as the main character and lip syncing to the song. However, when he went backstage the song switched to “Umbrella” by Rihanna and two people came out dressed as Spiderman. Then he did also. The three Spidermen then danced to the song while holding umbrellas. The audience and I loved it, it was hilarious. It then ended with the meme of three Spidermen pointing at one another.

During the 15-minute break, they showed a video with random clips of the practices for the show. It was funny, and it really showed how much everyone enjoyed practicing. One highlight maybe was when they all went ice skating and kept falling down.

After the break, the contestants paired up and each pair dressed up and danced to different songs. I loved when Kaitlyn and her partner were dressed up as Patrick and SpongeBob and did a complicated handshake to the great song “Goofy Goober Rock.” 

The sixth contestant was Will. He talked about his love for cooking while he cooked steak tacos and pico de gallo for the judges. It smelled delicious, the judges loved it, and I hoped that I could eat one. 

Gabby was the seventh contestant, and she showcased her skill of singing as she sang to the song “Being Alive” by Stephen Sondheim. She has a beautiful voice and wore an amazing dress and robe. The dark robe was big and flowing with fur at the ends and the dress was a sparkling blue. 

Next was Dylan, and as he wore a beach fit he played the guitar and sang a song. He is really good at playing the guitar. I was so impressed and loved it.

Kat then did a fun rendition of the music video “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift. This is one of my favorite songs, and not only did she do such a great job singing it, she also recreated the iconic music video. 

Ethan started off playing “Hot Cross Buns” on the piano, then “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” He then walked onto the stage and danced to a remix of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” with backup dancers. It was so random, I really liked it.

The final act was Keegan. He started off singing to the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, but then switched to lip syncing and dancing to the song “Fireworks” by Katy Perry. His show had so much energy and made the audience move. He even brought up his grandfather, DHS Hallway Monitor Paul Humason, to the stage with him. It was really great.

After all the contestants and their partners lined up on stage, they were asked random questions after a hilarious karaoke carpool video. The judges then announced the Final Five: Keegan, Mia, Charlie, Kat, and Gabby. 

The Final Five were asked the question, “What do you think is the biggest problem facing young people today?” 

Keegan’s answer was technology, Mia’s was the stigma around mental health, Gabby’s was fear of the unfamiliar which separates people, Charlie’s was how we tend to prioritize our online presence, and Kat’s was social media and how it leads to unhealthy comparing and wanting to be perfect. Kat was also wearing a dress that she made herself which is so impressive and cool. 

After another amazing carpool karaoke video, the winners were announced. The People’s Choice winner was Gabby. Third place was Keegan, second was Kat.  

The 2022 Dartmouth’s Finest winner was Mia Carter. I believe that she deserved to win. She had such a great answer to the question and moving energy in her dancing. She is also the first woman to win Dartmouth’s Finest.