As another year passes, so does the beloved tradition of Goldfever. Rounding its 40th year, this year’s service clubs came to win. Thanks to the perseverance of all the groups that participated, the 2023 Good vs. Evil Goldfever was a show-stopper– complete with stunts, upbeat performances, and hilarious skits that were rewarded with cheers and screams from the audience.

With songs like “Lip Gloss,” “Shut Up and Drive,” and “This Is How We Do It,” Rojans showed how they did it by delivering spectacular stunts and a fantastic performance. Goldfever has always been an excellent way for clubs to bond during practices each week. As the curtains rose, the girls felt “excited because [they] put a lot of work in,” which paid off because they “put a lot of energy into [their performance]” and “looked pretty good,” says Lauren Dickinson. The songs that Rojans picked, especially “Lip Gloss,” were “fun and sassy,” according to Chloe Osborne. 

Though their performance left little to perfect, one change for next year that the girls would consider is attendance when it comes to practicing. It was a “big factor” because when practicing for Goldfever, “it’s really helpful to have everybody there,” especially when changes in choreography occurred, stated Elle Orchard. Next year’s head choreographer, Chloe Osborne, adds that “attendance is really important” and that Goldfever shouldn’t be just about the points. Otherwise, Chloe says that “coming up with all the different moves” was fun because of how well they worked together. According to the Rojans, senior Stella Monforte worked very hard as a choreographer by making dances at 3am and also taking on a lot of responsibility. They are all proud of her and of Rojans as a whole. Though it is bittersweet that this is the seniors’ last Goldfever, Stella hopes to return as a judge in the upcoming year. Furthermore, the girls added that Interact, their “brotherhood,” was their favorite group. With barrels of energy, the Interact boys “brought sexy back.” 

Returning with the role of Fan Favorite, Interact’s hard work paid off. The comedic relief definitely came into play this year with Interact’s performance as they went all out with songs like “Good For You,” “Sexy Back,” “Single Ladies,” and a song that is “very Interact” according to the rising co-president Avery Reynolds, “Oops!…I Did It Again” by Britney Spears. Before performing, everyone felt “awesome” and “ready,” with Avery Reynolds stating, “the extra month [they] got from it being pushed back helped [them] out a lot.” Interact’s rising vice president Kellan Andry agreed: “I don’t think we would’ve won fan favorite if we didn’t have the extra time.” Although Interact did so well this year, if they could do it again, they believe they would “incorporate the ‘lip-syncer’ more into the dance routine.” They also agreed with what seems to be a universal struggle for Goldfever preparation: to get everyone on the same schedule for dance practices, especially early on. While performing, “the adrenaline is just pumping [and] it goes by pretty fast,” says Avery Reynolds, along with Kingsley Bond, a dancer for Interact, who says he “wasn’t even thinking about what [he] was doing; [he] was just doing it.” 

When asked what they thought their favorite part of the routine was, Interact’s other rising co-president Luke Faykus said his favorite part was “Mr. Beam’s joker makeup and Mr. G’s batman costume.” Kingsley Bond noted, “goofing off and not being so serious about it [made it so] people could really enjoy [the] dances and think, ‘oh, that’s really funny.’” Now, as for Interact’s favorite group, the consensus seemed to be the Best Overall winners, Leo, with Luke Faykus saying he “thought they had the best song choice.” On a sad note, each year means it is the current seniors’ last one, which is hard for the seniors and the underclassmen who will see them off. Luke Faykus  says he is “going to miss [them] a lot” and he thinks “they were great leaders and very good dancers.” He believes that “they loved what they were doing, and that the best thing you can do with Goldfever is love it.”

Key made a comeback this year by winning Critics’ Choice! With smooth transitions and songs like “Running Up That Hill,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Beat It,” Key Club’s performance this year was very inspired. Before performing, Rein claimed, “it was really nerve-wracking because it was a full audience.” Regardless, the group had a lot of energy while performing, and it was just a good time. When asked for their favorite part, Bronwyn thinks “the final dance was the best, but [their] favorite dance was ‘Ghostbusters’ because [they] got to see Mr. Benton do a feral crawl across the stage.” Rein also liked “‘Running Up That Hill’ a lot, especially with the car.” The main problem they would change when preparing is (you guessed it) having a more strict system when it comes to practices and more productivity. 

As for their favorite group, there was more of a divided answer. Bronwyn states, “Key is kind of like the awkward little sibling of Leo… and their dance was probably [their] favorite.” Rein says they were “shocked with Interact’s performance [because they] did not expect them to have the things they did.” Claire claimed to be “biased towards Rojans,” despite really liking Leo. Moving away from the group dances, Bronwyn says their favorite part of Goldfever would be getting to do everyone’s makeup. Rein loved “interacting with the other clubs and having that camaraderie.” Moving back to the elephant in the room– those leaving next year– Bronwyn states that they’re “really going to miss it. It was an emotional moment.” Bronwyn believes Goldfever  “was definitely one of [their] fondest memories from St. Pete High.” From our lowerclassmen, Rein says, “as a junior, [they] feel like [they] connected with a lot of the seniors this year, and it’ll be sad not having them in Key or in Goldfever.” Claire is also “really going to miss [the] seniors and board members” stating that “they made Key, Key.” Before moving on, Rein wants to say to those of you reading who haven’t been to Goldfever (you know who you are), “you better come next year.”

This year, Leo went home with the “Overall Winner” title! They showed off their coordination and lip-syncing skills in songs like “Bloodline” and “Rental.” With skits accommodating the Good vs. Evil theme featuring an angel and a devil, flips, and trendy songs, the crowds cheered loudly for their swift moves and exciting performance. Good energy was in the cards for Leo as they felt “overall excited and… so hyped,” says Miley Sorn. Having done Goldfever the previous year, co-president Jake Faccio “surprisingly wasn’t really nervous” and felt confident in the group’s ability. For many, it was their first year doing Goldfever, and it is great to hear they will return in the following years. One of the group’s favorite songs was “So Good” since “it was the presidents’ dance,” which led to the famous dance circle that everyone soon joined and wowed the crowd with as a cherry on top, Christina Le says. 

When asked how it felt to be dancing in front of so many people, co-president Chanel Nguyen remarked that it “felt like [she] was on autopilot” with “nothing going through [her] head,” only confirming that Leo’s hard work at practices paid off in strong muscle memory. Not many would suspect flaws in their performance, but the group believes they should have prepared the last two dances for a longer time. Even with a shorter practice time allocated to these dances, the last two were the perfect ending to an excellent performance. Sadly, for co-presidents Jake and Chanel, this year was their last time performing in Goldfever. Chanel “felt kind of sad that it was [their] last year, but … glad that [she] got to spend [her] last time with everybody else.” As for Jake, he was “extremely sad,” but he states that they “went out with a bang, and it was a really good Goldfever year.” He’s glad that they were able to bring this joy to everyone who participated. Within three words, Melinda Phamoung perfectly summed up Goldfever as “hype, fun, and community.” Just like that, Leo got another win under their belt.

Goldfever this year was definitely one to remember. Hopefully, those of you able to go went, and those who weren’t able to can go next year and maybe even be in it. Whether you are a performer or spectator, Goldfever is a great experience for all and something you won’t want to miss. Goldfever is a great way to connect with others and brings together students, teachers, and staff for a feel-good time. We can’t wait to see who will be on stage next year and what titles they take home.