RE/MAX Cornerstone rolls to win in inaugural PCYDC Lip Sync Team Challenge

Sunday, May 12, 2019
Having claimed the inaugural Putnam County Lip Sync Team Challenge title, RE/MAX Cornerstone team members celebrate their victory Saturday at the Fairgrounds Community Building. Performing Ike and Tina Turner’s version of “Proud Mary” were (from left) Rachelle Custis, Cheryl Thomas, Tyler “Tina” Cox, Rita Goss, choreographer Hope Scanland and team captain Amy Clark.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

For RE/MAX Cornerstone associate Tyler Cox, selling houses has been the “nice and easy” part of the last three months.

Talking himself into donning a tasseled gold lamé dress and show off his legs? Now that was “nice and rough.”

It paid off Saturday night for Cox and fellow RE/MAX team members Amy Clark, Rachelle Custis, Cheryl Thomas and Rita Goss, as their gender-bending take on Ike and Tina Turner classic “Proud Mary” rolled all the way down the river to the championship of the first-ever Putnam County Lip Sync Team Challenge.

While winning the traveling trophy for the event, the team also found that people on the river are happy to give to the Putnam County Youth Development Commission, as RE/MAX also took home the prize for top fundraiser.

In winning both prizes, RE/MAX topped 10 other teams that included First National Bank, Kirsch Family Dentistry, Greencastle High School, Cloverdale Community Schools, North Putnam Community Schools, Gobin United Methodist Church, Area 30 Career Center, Fillmore Elementary School, the Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce and Endeavor Communications.

The “Proud Mary” routine started off tame enough, with Cox clad in a conservative suit and his four backup singers/dancers in Turner-esque tasseled outfits.

Sure, a man was miming a woman’s part, but on a night in which five Cloverdale coaches dressed as the Spice Girls, that wasn’t saying much.

But when the song shifted into high gear, so did the entertainment value. As the four dancers prepared to kick their moves into overdrive, Cox pulled off his tearaway suit to reveal the hidden dress as well as a few moves of his own.

The roars of the crowd told the story, as they did so many times on Saturday.

“I gotta be honest, I was surprised by that,” emcee J.D. Miller told Clark following the routine.“I wonder if Tyler could have sold a few more houses if he had worn that?”

“That’s the only reason I got him out here,” Clark, the team captain, replied. “I said, ‘People are going to want to use you as their realtor.’”

Still, getting Cox on the stage at the Putnam County Fairgrounds Community Building was a little more work than that.

“It took a lot of convincing,” Cox said after the event.

“He’s texted us multiple times — even tonight — and said he wasn’t coming,” Clark said. “We knew he had these moves in him but it took a lot of convincing.”

“I’m never gonna live this down,” Cox said.

Perhaps Cox would have preferred to clean a lot plates in Memphis? Or maybe pump a lot of gas down in New Orleans?

Instead, the entire team got to see the good side of this city through the funds the people of Greencastle and Putnam County helped them raise.

“We are super excited,” Clark said. “We’re excited not only to win the audience prize, but to be the top fundraiser.”

“The real winners are the youth of Putnam County,” RE/MAX broker and owner Steve Custis said.

Clark also wished to credit Hope Scanland for choreographing the winning routine.

“If it wasn’t for Hope Scanland, we couldn’t have done it,” Clark said. “She took a lot of time with us.”

If Cox thought he was taking a big chance in wearing a dress, PCYDC was taking an even bigger one in leaving behind its Dancing with the Putnam County Stars fundraiser after 10 successful years.

“It was a real gamble to try something new but the gamble paid off,” PCYDC Executive Director Linda Merkel said. “It was an awesome evening — more than we could have ever imagined. The crowd was good. The teams were phenomenal from top to bottom.”

Merkel emphasized that there will be another Lip Sync Team Challenge in 2020.

“We are challenging people, so if you want to participate next year, give us a call,” Merkel said.

The PCYDC can be reached at 653-9342.

The difference in format from the old dancing events also made for a breezy main program that was over about two hours after dinner was cleared.

This was a big change from the prior events that featured a dance, then banter with the contestants, banter with the judges and the announcement of scores.

Saturday’s event was driven by audience vote, a development that likely tied the main prize and the fundraising prize more closely together.

Each ticket to the event came with one ballot, but audience members could also purchase additional ballots for $5 each to vote for their favorites.

The extra ballots and a silent auction added to the fundraising that took place on Saturday night in addition to the tickets, sponsorships and fundraising pledges that were sold well in advance.

The fundraising aspect also kept the competitors focused on the right things after the dust had settled.

For example, Dr. Elizabeth Kirsch, whose team’s performance of “Me Too” by Meghan Trainer set an early tone among the best performances, was all smiles even as someone else claimed the oversized trophy.

“I would do this again,” Kirsch said. “I‘d have to have the girls with me but I’d do it again.”

That seemed to be the prevailing attitude Saturday, and Putnam County will have the chance to do it again next year.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: