An enthusiastic audience eager to clap, cheer, or stomp along with each song gave Montreal's Media Idol event the distinct flavour of the city known as Canada's good times capital.

Nestled in the intimate quarters of CTV Montreal's Papineau Avenue studios, the group assembled for the festivities included the competitors themselves, their seemingly requisite entourages and curious CTV employees.

The packed space gave the event the feel of a good-spirited "brasserie" karaoke contest -- anything anyone said could be heard by everyone else, leading to peals of laughter all round and a few nervous looks.

Judges Sass Jordan and 2003 Top 4 competitor Audrey de Montigny (both Quebec natives) presided over the festivities, selecting K-103.7 FM radio host Lance Delisle to represent Montreal in the national sing-off this summer.

Delisle raised the roof with his version of "Mustang Sally," inspiring every set of hands in the room to start clapping, except the ones that were holding cameras.

"I think I would have been much more nervous if it would have been just Sass and Audrey," he said, following his win, which came after his rendition of "Take Me to the River" in a sing-off against Metro Montreal desk editor Eric Aussant.

"It's easier to play it off when you have a big audience. I could ham it up," he added, noting the audience participation was typical of a boisterous Montreal crowd.

"Montreal is an electric town. We always have to compete with Toronto, so we tend to do it up a notch."

Aussant, who shocked the audience by emerging from a bad case of nerves to belt out a strong version of Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," said he wasn't surprised those participating here were of a particularly vibrant sort.

"Welcome to Montreal," he said, smiling knowingly. "People are very into singing and music here. It's a lively city."

But while Delisle found that the large crowd of onlookers eased the tension of singing for the judges, the bashful Aussant felt the exact opposite.

"I thought I would be alone with them when I signed up," he said, making it clear that he works in print, not television. "This was like walking into a TV show. I was not ready."

Considering the purpose of Media Idol, to give those reporting on the show a taste of how harrowing an audition can be, the event seemed to have struck the intended chord.

But nerves or no nerves, for Delisle it was all about screwing up enough courage to raise money for his chosen charity, the Kahnawake Youth Centre.

A focal point of his Mohawk community, Delisle said he grew up taking part in winter carnivals, traditional ceremonies and sports activities arranged by the centre.

His colleague and fan, Carlie Goodleaf, was also thrilled to see the $1,000 prize money go to the youth centre.

"The director of the youth centre has even gone without his salary to keep it open," she said, adding the recent addition of a gymnasium to the local high school meant the facility is no longer rented out during the day and has lost a significant part of its income.

"To have this money go to the centre, they will be so happy, and so will the people in the community."