In 2013, the Evolution Championship Series had to pick eight games for their prestigious event. They selected seven games, but left the last open and hosted a donation drive for breast cancer, and whichever community raised the most money for the cause would get to see their game featured at the tournament.
The race went down to the wire, but eventually, Super Smash Bros. Melee edged out Skullgirls and raised over $90,000 for breast cancer, and secured the last spot at the tournament. When EVO 2013 rolled around, the Melee event had record attendance, and the hype surrounding the donation drive, as well as the months leading up to the tournament, got many people out to support the game – including some celebrities.
One American Idol winner was in attendance at the event, drawing significant attention during the first day of pools. But who was it?
Which American Idol Winner Went To EVO 2013?
The American Idol winner who competed in the Melee tournament at EVO 2013 was none other than Taylor Hicks.
Hicks won the fifth season of the show, and has since enjoyed a comfortable career on Broadway, as well as having residency in Las Vegas. As the EVO events are always hosted in Vegas, it’s an easy trip for him to be able to go out and show support for the scene. So, how did Hicks actually do at the event, you’re probably asking?
Well…not very good.
Hicks ended up placing 257th out of around 596 (there were 696 people in the tournament, but about 100 people were disqualified.) In a double elimination bracket, this means that there’s a very decent chance he went 0-2 in the tournament. Still, what’s important is the love and support we got from him entering! As esports continues to grow, we can expect to see bigger and bigger mainstream names in the tournament brackets.
