As someone who works at the GC, I can tell you that showmanship is the big one, but you have to be able to a hold a groove as well. You can supplement less-than-godly chops with a few stick flips and a little crowd eye contact and outweigh the guy who played an fundamentally incredible solo but did it with the emotion of a cement brick.
At the end of the day, you're competing more against the politics than you are the other drummers but both aspects are important. The company won't push someone through who has the personality of a toad but they also aren't going to award someone who can't hold a 4/4 beat.
The good news is that the br00tal metalcore kids never make it past the 1st round so you can rest assured that Johnny Blast Beat won't beat you in the competition.
Just my $.02.
At the end of the day, you're competing more against the politics than you are the other drummers but both aspects are important. The company won't push someone through who has the personality of a toad but they also aren't going to award someone who can't hold a 4/4 beat.
The good news is that the br00tal metalcore kids never make it past the 1st round so you can rest assured that Johnny Blast Beat won't beat you in the competition.
Just my $.02.