Idol Winner Bags Close Finish

The five Heartland Idol finalists are probably scratching their heads and asking themselves, "What if?" a couple of days after Saturday's final round on the Circle.

When the points were tallied, first-place winner Kerry Mullis of Plant City walked away $2,000 richer.

But she scored a single point higher than both perpetual People's Choice winner Sara Michaud, of Sebring, and Shannon Marrero, of Lorida.

Eventually, a tie-breaker placed Michaud second place, and Marrero came third.

In the end, the sometimes harsh but usually constructive criticisms from judges helped to separate the winners from the also-rans.

For the eighth week of competition, eight-finalists remained following three semi-final rounds and four qualifying rounds.

The final eight each sang a patriotic song to honor Veterans Day, and the field was then whittled down to five. Each earned a paycheck and sang a second song of his or her choosing.

For the finalists, this was the fifth night to perform on the temporary stage in the Circle, and the singers had obviously taken to heart the advice of judges given during earlier rounds.

For eight weeks, judges hammered in what to expect and how to present a real quality show, which in the end likely brought out better performances.

The final contestants exceeded the bar in a bid to do everything to win, from dressing right to choosing songs that best highlighted their own particular strengths.

After Marrero lit up the stage with a rousing rendition of "God Bless the USA," emcee Don Elwell told the audience of about 1,000 on the Circle and a live radio audience on Cowan Radio Group station Lite 105.7 how excited he was.

"Everybody is defiantly bringing it tonight," said Elwell. "I think the judges understand what a tough spot they are in tonight."

Mullis is a 28-year-old teacher and said she will pay off student loans with the prize money.

She was married just 18 months ago and sang the song that capped the win, "I Believe in You and Me," at her wedding.

Mullis was genuinely surprised with the judges' choice. She said she "never wins," is typically "stereotyped" and is usually a second- or a third-place contest finisher.

In addition to the four judges who regularly worked previous shows, David Flowers and Nancy Trautman rated performances during the final round.

Jody Chidester, a 12-year Sebring resident, said Idol reminds her that she lives in a "small town community."

Many in the audience had their own particular favorites, and Chidester enjoyed picking and choosing winners and disagreeing with judges on some of their picks.

If you missed it, or yearn for more, there will be the "The Best of Heartland Idol," a show that includes previous Idol winners and contestants. It will take place Feb. 24 as part of South Florida Community College's Matinee Series.

Here are the five finalists, their hometowns and the songs they sang for both rounds:

•First-place: Mullis, Plant City, "Have You Forgotten" and "I Believe in You and Me;"

•Second-place: Michaud, Sebring, "America the Beautiful" and "Everything to Me;"

•Third-place: Marrero, Lorida, "God Bless the USA" and "Before He Cheats;"

•Fourth-place: Jarred Gravley, Frostpoof, "8th of November," and "Desperado;"

•Fifth-place: Darian Jessie, Winter Haven, with "Living in America" and "Never Would Have Made it."