By Steve Paradis
Herald Correspondent
A former national singing TV show contestant won the Season 5 Showtime in Sanford finale Dec. 18 in the packed Woman’s Club of Sanford that will no longer hold the popular local talent shows, producers announced.
Michelle Marie Lecza of Daytona Beach appeared on “American Idol” season 15. She reached the Top 24 but was cut at that point.
She has released an album titled “American Child,” but she plans to use her $1,000 cash prize from Showtime to add more songs. She also told the Herald that she plans to take her guitar and cowboy hat and move to Nashville in 2026.
“I’ve gotta stop complaining so much because any time I go through a storm, God always gives me a rainbow,” Lecza wrote on social media. “Mad love to Calico Tha Surrealist for the work he put into this show.”
Finishing second at the Thursday night finale was singer, Ceion, and the flexible gymnast London took third place with contortions of her body that defy explanation.
Lecza’s original song and flawless guitar playing earned her a unanimous win from judges Brian Redd, Sarita Pagan, and Antoine Macer, producers said. She scored a 108.9 reading on the audience applause meter deployed by Showtime host Jay Love after each performance. The decibel readings are part of the judging criteria.
Showtime producer Lawrence Gordon, the aforementioned Calico Tha Surrealist, announced some changes to the show for 2026. He told the audience at the finale that it would be the last event at its Woman’s Club of Sanford home.
“We are moving to Filomena’s Pizza in Lake Mary for 2026,” Gordon said, confirming that there will be a Season 6. And, for the first time ever, the show will have a Diamond Sponsor for the entire season next year. Long-time Sanford insurance business owner Charles Davis will sponsor all of the shows and cash prizes, Gordon said.
He also announced that the show’s original and beloved host Jay Love will no longer emcee the events. Gone will be his sharp wit and voice that was a vital part of the show’s success. Love told the Herald that he will leave to follow a passion, which is to teach martial arts to young people.
The Surrealist Entertainment crew is building a stage at Filomena’s at 3590 N. U.S. Highway 17-92 in Lake Mary. Gordon said he wants to attract more local talent, which was one of the original goals of Showtime in Sanford.
Showtime will still have quarterly events starting in March and with a finale in December, but it will move from Thursday evenings to Saturdays to attract even more people.
The Dec. 18 show saw Sanford City Commissioner for District 1 Sheena Britton join Gordon in honoring long-time Showtime supporter and sponsor Nancy Groves of Yellow Door Realty.
Pre-school singers from the Wee the People Preschool and Childcare started the night with the “Star-Spangled Banner,” then most dashed away with their parents on a school night.
