Hardeman’s Got Talent Highlights Local Performers with Three Top Winners {video}
Singer Braxton Gibson (1st Place), dancer Whitley Reed (2nd Place), and the dancing duo of Ariana Tate and TraMyhia Armour (3rd Place), rose above the other very talented contestants and placed as winners of the Hardeman’s Got Talent contest, which was held on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at the Arts Center. This was the sixth year the Hardeman County Arts Council (HCAC) held the contest and with it made a huge change by opening registration to performers outside of Hardeman County.
“Until this year, the contest was limited to Hardeman County residents only. But this year, we opened it up to people from outside of Hardeman County. The HCAC always says ‘Bringing you the best of the arts to Hardeman and surrounding counties’, so we wanted to make Hardeman’s Got Talent a venue to showcase talent from not only Hardeman County, but surrounding counties as well,” said HCAC President Brandon Burvee.
That change brought a challenge for the 2025 judging team of Ginger Crowe, Claire Shackelford, and Tara Tanner as they had to decide the winners from a talented group of 15 contestants.
“We had contestants from Selmer, Somerville, Alamo, and Friendship, Tennessee, and seven contestants from Hardeman County. Their talents were singing, dance/gymnastics solo act, gymnastics duet and a group gymnastics routine,” said Mr. Burvee, who was impressed by the talent displayed on stage.
Deanna Bergloff, owner of SPARK Gymnastics Studio, and her assistant coach, Eryn Harden, saw the talent competition as a great opportunity for their young students. Although SPARK Gymnastics Studio is a recreational gymnastics center, Ms. Bergloff has been moving towards introducing her students to the world of competition. She was really grateful for the opportunity.
“We were super excited to see that the program was open to outside of Hardeman County. The girls typically perform at festivals and general events at the gym. This was really special to let them get out there and see what others thought of them,” said Ms. Bergloff. “The girls needed the encouragement that this opportunity gave them. It was a great opportunity for the girls to showcase their talents and have their friends and family come cheer them on. It will motivate them to keep working hard and perform at a higher standard.”
Watch a video of Ariana Tate and TraMyhia Armour
Braxton Gibson sang “Who’s Loving You” and won $300. Whitley Reed performed a gymnastics/dance solo to the song “The Climb” and won $200. Ariana Tate and TraMyhia Armour performed a gymnastics duet to the song “Made You Look” and won $100. Whitley, Ariana, and TraMyhia are all SPARK Gymnastics students. Ms. Bergloff shared Whitley is a recent finalist in the Mid-South Fair Youth Talent Contest Jr. Division.
“I teach my students that they are capable of doing hard things and the pursuit of excellence is never wasted. The girls needed the encouragement that this opportunity gave them. Some of them are very shy and would never have had this experience if it hadn’t opened up to the surrounding area. They really enjoyed the competition aspect and said they want to keep going,” said Ms. Bergloff. “It’s such a confidence boost to have your performance recognized. It will motivate them to keep working hard and perform at a higher standard.”
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