THE QUEST CONTINUES… Quest 2007 Reviewed

Updated: November 1, 2007

All of the hype was right… Quest 2007 was a blast! This event is run by High Spirits Enterprises and the FBA (Flair Bartenders Association) and the final stop of the FBA Pro Tour. Year after year this Flair bartending competition grows with new competitors. The new competitors of last year are taking the new competitors from this year and taking them under their wing helping them get there feet wet as well as welcoming them to our ever growing Flair family.

This was the first Quest I haven’t competed in since 2000 and the reason was because I was an official FBA judge in training. So being behind the judge’s table opposed to the Flair bar gave me a different perspective on the qualifying Flair rounds. With 38 Amateur, 40 Advanced and 20 Pro competitors signed up, the new blood out weighed the old and it showed on stage during the qualifiers.

It seemed for the first time in a while all the divisions were properly filled. Meaning the Amateur division was filled with amateurs (except one), the Advanced with advanced and the Pro with the pros. There were not an obscene amount of sand baggers this year in the Amateur or Advanced divisions that made for an interesting and surprising competition. The amateurs were making the learning mistakes they should have. The advanced division was pretty well balanced except a few standouts and they finished where they deserved. The pros expected to make the finals did but not necessarily in the order as everyone might have thought. The classic Quest partying was there in full force as well. With almost all of the Flair bartenders staying in the same hotel with two bars within stumbling distance, the likely hood of sharing shots and stories among friends and competitors was high… and there is always “That Guy” who over indulges just a little more then everyone else but still gets embraced by everyone the next day for being so entertaining. Ahhh good times…

Now on to the finalists and some Flairbar.com video highlights of Quest 2007.

Winning it three years in a row and the bartender holding the oversized check and first place trophy was Rodrigo Delpech.

Rodrigo’s whole routine was full of variety, originality and difficulty, a great recipe for success. His three tins and bottle sequence was smooth and just flowed into his 2 bottle and 2 tin sequence. Then when he came to his three bottles sequence, the crowd was anticipation of good things to come. His three bottle sequence was quick and had two original and difficult moves which then brought us to his four bottles sequence which was just outstanding.

Congrats and look forward to next year…

Click on Rodrigo’s picture to the left to see a highlight of his 3 and four bottles sequence.

Taking home second place and the other half of “Team Delpech”… Christian Delpech from Carnaval Court joined his younger brother as part of the top two at Quest this year.

From qualifying in seventh to finishing in second place overall Christian made a big comeback when he had to.

Christian has a smooth style all to his own. From his fakes to his rhythmic movements behind the bar it all came together finals night. He also Flaired everything he touched along with his different styles helped him in the variety category. That along with everything else helped him secure second place this year. Congrats!

Click on Christian’s picture to the right to see his Argentinean style shine.

Rodrigo Cao rounded out the top three coming in a solid third place.

Rodrigo was one of three of the nine finalists representing “Kahunaville” Treasure Island, Las Vegas, Nevada. He has a smooth style that brings you into his routine with great music and difficult moves that go well together.

Rodrigo had a solid three bottle juggle that had them chanting is name followed by a crowd pleasing two bottle and two tin sequence.

Click on Rodrigo’s picture to the left to see that routine in action.

Moving on to a respectable forth place at this years Quest… Danilo Oribe.

Some of you might remember Danilo from Legends earlier this year when he finished third overall. Danilo has some of the most technically executed moves out there today. His style is smooth with original, hard moves technically executed.

He hardly ever drops and he had a few this time around but it just goes to show you how far he is pushing himself outside of his safety zone and taking risks. His two S KYY bottles and tin was sweet as he seamlessly went into two S KYY bottles and two tins to further push his difficulty and variety. Great job!

Click on Danilo’s picture to the right to see what precision looks like.

Team Kahunaville does it again with Dario Doimo coming in fifth place.

Dario has an incredible arm reach which allows him to manipulate objects a little differently them some of the other competitors.

Dario looked a little more comfortable behind the Flairco Portable bar this time. With fewer drops and a original three tin and SKYY bottle sequence he was looking good. Very nice!

Click on Dario’s picture to the left to see a showcase of three tins and a SKYY bottle from his routine.

From Kansas City and weeks away from opening his own bar… Levi Donaldson takes the sixth place trophy and check this year.

Always a crowd favorite Levi has an energy about him when he performs on stage coupled with slamming Drum & Bass backboned by hard hitting Techno, how could you not like him? That with a good two tin and FBA Pro Tour bottle sequence got that crowd up and clapping on to the beat.

This year Levi made the finals and put on a strong showing. Strong like Hulk Hogan flipping SKYY bottles during a Quest specialty round… wait that really did happen this year?!

Click on Levi’s picture to the right to see the gun show.

Coming in seventh place again this year was… Tom Alley.

Tom had the highest score for balance of routine which helped him secure his spot in the final standings.

He had a solid bottle and tin sequence which moved into two tins and a bottle that was smooth and fun.

If Tom gets 7th again next year I think there should be a prize for hitting three 7′s in a row… I mean he is from Las Vegas and everything!

Click on Tom’s picture to the left to see a highlight from his round.

Coming in eighth place and soon to be retiring from Flair bartending competitions… Adriano Marcellino.

Adriano had to be one of my most anticipated rounds to see at this years Quest. I haven’t personally seen him compete since 2005 and he always put on a great performance. Now working in London at the Roadhouse his style has evolved into something more.

At first it seemed like Adriano was a little disconnected then shortly after that he felt the crowd and opened up to a great round. Well done and you will be missed…

Click on Adriano’s picture to the right to see one of his last times on stage.

This month’s Flairbar.com cover star and Interview Behnam Gerami comes in ninth place this year at Quest.

Behnam has always been one of my favorites competitors to watch throughout the years. His originality and his composure are a double edged sword. Winning the FBA “Disco Storm” award at last year’s Quest Behnam had some expectations to fulfill and when it was his time for his specialty round this year… lets just say he set the handicap high!

Check out our Flairbar.com “Interviews” page where you can get to know more about Behnam and his accomplishments in the Flair world.

Click on Behnam’s picture to the left to see some a highlight from his round.

Winning the Advanced division at this years Quest was… Micah Dew. Team Canada!

Micah has been part of the Flair world for awhile through Flair bartending competitions and through Extreme Bartending. He has a heart of gold and at least at this years Quest the Midas touch as well.

With a strong speed round and a fun paced Flair round that captured the crowd early on, Micah put on a great overall showing at Quest. Scott Young would be proud.

Click on Micah’s picture to the right to see the electricity crackle.

Taking the top honors in the Amateur division at Quest this year was… Luciano Pontiroli.

Luciano ha competed in many of the BarWars L.L.C. competitions but not many of the FBA Pro Tour comps yet. This being his first, he not only surprised the crowd but himself as well.

Luciano started off with a cool glass and scoop sequence followed by some a nice SKYY bottle and tin sequence with some cool misdirections. He ended his routine with some advanced three and four bottle juggles that helped put him on top.

Click on Luciano‘s picture to the left to see this rookie in action.

Here are the final results…

Pro Division
1st Rodrigo Delpech
2nd Christian Delpech
3rd Rodrigo Cao
4th Danilo Oribe
5th Dario Doimo
6th Levi Donaldson
7th Thomas Alley
8th Adriano Marcellino
9th Behnam Gerami

Advanced Division
1st Micah Dew
2nd Steven Jarmuz
3rd Rob Lyons
4th Hiroyuki Toriyama
5th Rauno Tiainen

Amateur Division
1st Luciano Pontiroli
2nd Joseph Stepp
3rd Ian Dunworth

We would like to thank all of the sponsors… Skyy Vodka, Finest Call Premium Mixes, Midori, Flairco, Flairbar.com, BarProducts, Piazza, Spill-Stop, the Groove Nightclub, Citywalk and the FBA. The Competitors and judges. Videography by “Made you Look” and photography by “Red Dawn Media”. The event coordinators Jim Allison and Ken Hall… and the man that kept the glue together Mr. JD Spradlin!

Thank you to all who participated and supported this event. Don’t forget to pick up the “Quest 2007″ DVD available soon. See you all at the next event.