went down and get the inside scoop on each contestant

The Merionite

Mia Hail ’23 Arts & Entertainment Editor

Graphics by Emmi Wu ’23/Staf

After COVID-19 cancellations, the loss of an irreplaceable MC, and two postponements, no one knew if The Amazing Ace would happen this year. On January 30, the event fnally took place with tremendous success; all of the senior contestants raised hundreds of dollars for their respective charities. While the auditorium was limited in capacity, it was still a fun-flled night with plenty of dancing, singing, and jokes. The contestants participated in several rounds designed to sway the audience and judges including a catwalk, group dance, Q&A session, talent portion, and partner dance. However, the night also marked a tragic frst: Amazing Ace without its beloved MC, fomer LM principal Sean Hughes. Hughes’ loss was felt deeply at the Amazing Ace, and the touching tribute video reminded the audience of everything he brought to the show. It was clear that all of the contestants did their absolute best to honor Hughes throughout the night.

Zev Charlson played Princess Peach. Accompanied by Lillie Abella ’22, Charlson raised money on behalf of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Charlson showcased a variety of juggling talents while revisiting his third grade knack for reciting Pi.

Phillip Gao personifed Yoshi. Accompanied by Aaron Levine ’22, Gao supported the American Cancer Society. Gao sang a heartfelt rendition of Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” accompanied by an entertaining duo who took the performance to the next level.

Emi Reed portrayed Princess Daisy. Accompanied by Pari Petramfar ’22, Reed raised money for Cradles to Crayons. Reed took the stage to perform a thoroughly choreographed tap dance routine to the tune of well-known pop songs.

Leo Solga was Mario. Accompanied by Camille Halbert ’23, Solga supported the Trevor Project. Through a wonderfully produced video, Solga took the audience through an elaborate day in the life, joined by his own harmonica playing.

Spencer Rosenbaum personifed Luigi. Accompanied by Makenna Sill ’22, Rosenbaum raised money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. His eccentric performance started of with him slowly playing the piano and culminated in a full-scale performance with his band “Lights on the Field.”

Liam Gordon was Donkey Kong. Accompanied by Ben Scherluebbe ’22, Gordon raised the most money out of any contestant: over 3,400 dollars for Project Home! Gordon’s passionate presentation against the dangers of smoking brought laughter and confusion to the audience.

Jack Shapiro dressed up as Wario. Accompanied by Sam Aronson ’22, Shapiro competed on behalf of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His act involved Shapiro serenading the audience with an assortment of friends who provided fun backdrops.

Connor Marsh played Bowser. Accompanied by Ryan Hillis ’22, Marsh fundraised for Philabundance and had some very impressive talents. Marsh frst played the piano and then solved a Rubix cube—all while blindfolded. skills left the crowd dumbfounded.

Other vital members of The Amazing Ace included the MCs that keep the entire show running smoothly. Hughes always held a critical role as MC, and the charisma and joy he would bring to the show was deeply missed. This year’s MCs, seniors Logan Hall and Rachel Zhang, felt the loss more strongly than others, as this year’s initial planning was done together with Hughes. Hall admits, “It was hard to do it without Mr. Hughes and he defnitely crossed my mind during it.” Outside the auditorium, banners hung with “Character Counts” written over pictures of Hughes in previous years of Amazing Ace. Wanting to keep Hughes as a part of Amazing Ace was extremely important to Hall as she explains, “Rachel and I (along with the other guest emcees) tried our best to honor Mr. Hughes in the best way possible. One example is that Rachel and I chose to wear gold sequin bow ties in honor of his golden jacket.” The golden bow ties were the perfect tribute to Hughes’s iconic gold sparkly jacket. Along with the MCs, the contestants all tried to honor

Hughes as best as they could. Rosenbaum shares his thoughts:“it was a strange feeling doing the event without him. The defcit of not having Hughes—in an event that he championed for such a long time and that I had hoped to be in with him since my brother and sister were in Mr. LM—was certainly apparent. My performance on Sunday was undoubtedly in loving memory of him.” All the contestants kept Hughes’ memory in the forefront of their minds throughout the night, as Gao explains, “We were all obviously very saddened by the fact that he couldn’t be here, and we wanted to be enjoyable and favorable to his legacy and I think we accomplished that.” Outside of the challenges of the night, to Hall, “The night was amazing. I had the most fun getting to know people I wouldn’t ordinarily have collaborated with! Despite having two date changes, we were still able to have the event and make it a really great performance.” Together the contestants raised over $20,000 for the various charities! At the end of the night, the audience had the opportunity to vote for their favorite contestant, and choosing Charlson, Rosenbaum, and Solga as the top three contenders for the title of Amazing Ace. Ultimately, Rosenbaum claimed the coveted title and brought an end to the night. When asking Rosenbaum about his experience, he detailed, “I have nothing but positive things to say about the overall experience. Winning is great, but I don’t think it’s what I fnd most exciting about it. Having the opportunity to perform in that fashion was truly thrilling, and I’m glad that that seemed to be the case not just for me, but for the audience, too. More notably, I was honored to have raised such signifcant money for a charity that is so important to me.” For the frst Amazing Ace since the pandemic, the event surely did not disappoint—it brought together LM students and helped support a multitude of deserving charities. Now LM can anxiously await what the Amazing Ace will bring next year!