Portland seems like the kind of city that would intrinsically appreciate something like an air guitar competition. Isn't the whole schtick of the place that everyone there has some really weirdly specific talent? At any rate, they lived up to their reputation. Talent ahoy, my friends.
They also have a history of their air guitar competitions having SECRETS. Secrets and surprises. Last year, they had Bjorn Turoque in disguise as their first competitor. This year, they had Seattle champ Um take the first spot, and then had a halftime show by the sincerest form of flattery known as Lt. Facemolester (see the San Diego recap for more info on what that's about). The "secret" part there was that no one knew it was a halftime show. I guess they were all under the impression he was just another competitor.
More fun facts:
- They had 4 judges. This is something I'm seeing increasingly this year. I guess there's nothing wrong with that so I'm not sure why it sits so oddly with me, other than that this means you can't get a "6 6 6" anymore since it would have to be a "6 6 6 6," which isn't as fun. After all, at World Championships, there are 5 judges and the high and low scores are thrown out. I don't know, does it seem wrong to anyone else?
- Sibling rivalry! Sahexy and Arora Nasty faced off - they have both already competed this year, but not directly against each other, so this stage saw some intensity that anyone with a sibling can understand.
- They had walk-ons (one of whom, Victor Freeze, did a back-flip), new competitors, and local legends - for instance, Jeremy Battle-Squirrel came out in his traditional pink spandex. And belly-dancers. As an opening act, though, not as competitors, which would have been incredible.
The second round was comprised of Sahexy, newcomer Royal Fury, MortimAIR Snerd, Whalen Big Air, and the raw sexual power of 2012 Portland winner Tony Tapatio. Tapatio crushed it and his victory was all but assured, but the real question was over 2nd place - there was a 3-way tie at 2nd, and only the top 3 can advance. So they had an air-off!
Sahexy, Royal Fury, and MortimAIR Snerd threw down over Dirty Deeds. When the dust had finally settled, Sahexy had taken second place, and MortimAIR Snerd had secured third, meaning that they and Tapatio are bound for the Northwest Semifinal in San Francisco!
Tony Tapatio victorious
photo credit Lisa Farnan