Nialah McCallan sang “All I Ask” by Adele and won first prize at the Kappa Gamma Rho (KGR) “Say What?!?” event on Saturday.
Claps and cheers from the audience were at their loudest and longest after McCallan’s performance, the last of the event. Students came to the German Club on Saturday to participate, win prizes and get some cheers from the audience.
KGR’s vice president of recruitment, Hunter Humeston, introduced the contestants, starting with Amanda Plantier, who played the ocarina – an instrument from the famous video game “The Legend of Zelda.”
Wearing elf ears and accessories of the video game’s protagonist, Link, Plantier began to play high-pitched music made by the niche instrument, but Plantier made sure to make each note flow smoothly. Plantier then pulled out the 12-hole ocarina that had a lower pitch and, once again, made every note transition to the next flawlessly.
Up next was Lars Grant, KGR’s vice president of education, who sang along to “It’s Called: Freefall” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise. While Grant’s voice was too low to hear over the music playing, the audience cheered as Grant performed famous dances such as the Nae Nae.
The next performance was sports-based with Victor Lorenzo doing tricks with a soccer ball. Lorenzo was able to kick the ball and keep it off the ground, then kicked it high enough to move it using his head and chest.
Ash Norris, president of KGR, took to the piano and kept a slower tempo for the song he played, his fingers staying nimble and quick as evidenced by the smooth transition between music notes.
After the audience applauded Norris’ performance, KGR’s sergeant at arms, Rob Adam, also known as the “Rubber Band Man,” took to the stage. Adam vowed to tie a knot in a string using only one hand, which he failed to do, and the audience booed him.
The event’s comedy was kept up by Humeston asking the audience to sing along, ensuring that they would only say one word: Tequila, which is the name of the song. Humeston’s performance was also barred from being eligible for prizes.
The next performance was by Eric Pliskin, who performed at KGR’s Rhythms and Rhymes event the previous night. Pliskin sang an unnamed original rap song and got a big cheer from the audience.
While the judges deliberated, an open-mic segment got no takers, so Humeston told what he said were “corny dad jokes,” such as: “Why did the cookie go to the hospital?” “Because he felt crumby.”
While the competition was done, KGR stuck with its semesterly event’s tradition of all its members getting onstage, holding their Greek letters and singing their fraternity song: Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler.”
