Everywhere Otis Bryant Jr. goes, he his slips alma mater, Auburn Gresham’s Leo High School, into conversation — plus one gentle reminder: “Please vote.”
Over the past few months, the South Side Catholic school for boys has moved through the ranks of “America’s Got Talent,” from an initial audition back in June to a prevailing semifinals performance last week. Tuesday night, it all came to a head, as Leo High School’s Choir competed in the “America’s Got Talent” finale, where they battled against nine other acts in the hopes of being crowned the winner of the NBC reality talent show’s 20th season.
Bryant, who now lives in Englewood, watched the performance from inside his former high school. He and about 90 other staunch supporters — composed of community members, students, staff, alumni and parents — packed into the school’s auditorium to watch the finale episode.
“It’s wonderful,” Bryant said, smiling as he waited for the show to begin. To him, the choir is not only bringing pride to the school, but to the whole city, he said.
Watch party-goers lined cushioned black chairs as the episode aired on a projector screen at the front of the room. Posters donning “LEO” in bold orange letters scattered the space alongside orange, white and gold balloons. Attendees chatted amongst themselves while other acts took the “AGT” stage.
Five acts in, Leo High School was up. The room roared in anticipation. Go time.
With the sound of a drum beat, the choir began to sing The Script’s, “Hall of Fame.”
From Leo High, supporters cheered, clapped and belted along.
“Be students, be teachers, be politicians, be preachers,” the choir sang. “Be believers, be leaders, be astronauts, be champions. Standing in the hall of fame.”
The performance earned a standing ovation from judges.
Ultimately, the winning act will be announced Wednesday night in a live results show. Snagging the top spot comes with a $1 million prize.
Speaking with the Tribune over Zoom Monday, choir members exuded an even keeled confidence headed into their final performance.
“We’re feeling great as a team, going into the finale with our brothers,” Leo High senior Derrick Davis, 17, said.
The moment they learned they’d be going to the finale was surreal, choir members said, though they were quick to assure they weren’t surprised by the news — rather, affirmed.
“(With) all of the hard work we put in, all of the dedication that we have put in, I feel like we can come out with a victory,” Davis said.
Members prepared for their culminating act with six-hour practice days.
“It was a quick pivot, from knowing one song and having to get one song down pat, to (forgetting) about that song (and getting) to do a whole other thing,” 16-year-old Kevin Wilson said. But that’s why they have their choir director, LaDonna Hill, he said.
“She plays a big part in getting our mindset in order to be able to take that pivot and focus on a new song,” he said.
Support from home has helped, too.
“Oh Chicago, Chicago is showing us so much love currently,” Tyshawn Brown, 17, said. “It’s like we’re doing things that nobody ever dreamed of.”
Wearing a shirt that read “Remember me for centuries” — an ode to when the choir sang Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” in last week’s semifinals — Heather Smith watched a few feet away from the projector screen Tuesday.
“It could be life-changing for these kids,” the 54-year-old Calumet City resident, whose godson is a freshman at Leo High, said. “It’s going to be a memory that enhances their lives forever.”
The finale felt like Christmas to Leo High assistant principal Titus Redmond, he said. If he could give one message to the choir, Redmond would tell members, “You’ve done it, you’ve represented us well (and) you’ve represented yourselves well.”
Redmond called the choir’s last performance the perfect bookend to their time on “America’s Got Talent.”
“I mean, it’s emotional,” Redmond said, his eyes getting teary. “I love them boys. They told America who we are. Who they are.”