The Ultimate Patriot

Rebranded Mr. Millard South crowns first winner

Alexa Leiting, InDepth Editor

Mar 22, 2024

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The first of its kind, the Ultimate Patriot brought about a couple of things to its audience: female contestants and erupting laughter. Formerly known as Mr. Millard South, the Ultimate Patriot is a performance where contestants show off in multiple categories such as talents or formal wear. In past years, only male contestants were allowed to participate. But with a name change, girls are now invited to compete. Click here to read about the switch. On March 16, nine contestants showcased their skills for winner Grayson Martin to come out on top.

Ultimate Patriot Contestants

(Tessa Anglehart)

The Winner: Grayson Martin

“My favorite part of the show was hanging out with the contestants backstage.”

Grayson’s talent was dressing up as a basic white girl and performing his own rendition of ‘Driver’s License’ by Olivia Rodrigo. He changed the lyrics to center around former MSHS student, Wesley Earhart, who Grayson claimed was the one that got away.

The Craziest Thing that Grayson did to win the Ultimate Patriot was running a ‘Milk Mile’ which includes drinking a whole gallon of milk by the time the mile is completed. Additionally, Grayson ate spicy chips while running the mile.

(Tessa Englehart)

Ms. Congeniality: Zoie Wessling

“My favorite part of the performance was listening to the crowd laughing back stage and hearing Avari’s dad’s laugh over everyone else’s.”

Zoie’s talent was performing ‘Man or Muppet’ by Jason Segel and Walter.

The Craziest Thing that Zoie did to try and win the Ultimate Patriot was facing her Neophobia (the fear of new things) by trying strange foods from around the world. She also did the Sprite and banana challenge.

(Tessa Englehart)

Fan Favorite: Ben Sedivy

“My favorite part of the show was standing behind stage and hyping myself up to do my talent to make all the training worth it.”

Ben’s talent was boxing Mr. Geerts and winning.

The Craziest Thing that Ben did to try and win the Ultimate Patriot was dressing up in a strange outfit and interacting with numerous people in a Hy-Vee.

(Tessa Englehart)

Anthony Marrero

“I thought it was funny when everyone laughed at my Q and A question.”

Anthony’s talent was performing a violin solo in Concerto no. 5 in D major by Antonin Seitz.

The Craziest Thing that Anthony did to try and win the Ultimate Patriot was going around the mall with a sign labeled ‘DATE?’ scoring him a date with a stranger named Peyton.

(Tessa Englehart)

Robert Baker

“My favorite moment from the

performance was absolutely crushing my talent and hearing how much the audience loved it.”

Robert’s talent was performing ‘New York, New York’ by Frank Sinatra.

The Craziest Thing that Robert did to try and win the Ultimate Patriot was completing different challenges assigned by previous contestants.

(Tessa Englehart)

Olivia Ellison

“My favorite part of the performance was talking with everyone behind stage and laughing so much. I also loved

eating the pizza and having girl talk with the girls in the changing rooms.”

Olivia’s talent was wearing a unicorn mask and a Cat in the Hat hat while performing various acrobatics and dance moves.

The Craziest Thing that Olivia did to try and win the Ultimate Patriot was eating a dozen donuts covered in sauces such as worcestershire sauce, siracha, and soy sauce.

(Tessa Englehart)

Kinsley Shed

“My favorite moment from the show was doing the opening dance with everyone and just laughing so hard the whole time.”

Kinsley’s talent was dressing up as Justin Bieber and performing the song “Baby”.

The Craziest Thing that Kinsley did to try and win the Ultimate Patriot was successfully completing the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ Wings challenge.

(Tessa Englehart)

Alexa Leiting

“My favorite part of the show was having so much fun performing my talent and talking with the other contestants backstage.”

Alexa’s talent was dressing up as Eminem and rapping ‘The Real Slim Shady’.

The Craziest Thing that Alexa did to try and win the Ultimate Patriot was going back to her ginger roots, dressing up as a leprechaun, and running around the mall.

(Tessa Englehart)

Avari Geppert

“My favorite moment from the show was the crowd’s interaction during my talent performance.”

Avari’s talent was performing ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)’ by Luke Bryan and dressing as a cowboy.

The Craziest Thing that Avari did to try and win the Ultimate Patriot was getting married to Zoie Wessling.

(Marissa Gergen)

Contestants performed an opening dance number in neon outfits. Photo by Marissa Gergen.

(Marissa Gergen)

Alexa Leiting sports a "bathtub" for her swimwear category. Photo by Marissa Gergen.

(Marissa Gergen)

Zoie Wessling sings "Man or Muppet" from the 2011 movie "The Muppets". Photo by Marissa Gergen.

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