Hitting those high notes and flaunting slick dance steps was all the rave Friday at the International Center.
The annual event, Say Huh? Karaoke, was organized by the University Activities Board and showcased an array of music, ranging from Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” to Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust.”
Lisa Rollins, vice chairperson of program development for the University Activities Board, said event planners wanted to provide an opportunity for students to display their musical talents.
“Plus it’s something fun to do on a Friday night,” she said.
Judging was based on style, accuracy and overall performance on a scale of one to 10.
The grand prize winner won $200, and the second and third place winners received $25 gift certificates to Best Buy.
There were three rounds in the contest. In round one, contestants were allowed to perform the song of their choice, but round two involved spinning the karaoke wheel, which consisted of musical genres ranging from country to ’80s rock. In round three, contestants picked songs out of a hat.
With 14 contestants in the preliminary round, contestants seemed to do whatever they could to beat the competition.
One of the highlights of the first round was an energized performance of Ja Rule’s “Put It On Me,” by kinesiology senior Renaldo McCray and English junior Christina Kraus, who eventually won the contest.
Round two, which reduced the number of contenders to five, included a karaoke performance of Usher’s “U Remind Me” by some of the event’s organizers.
The crowd seemed to get a little more into the performances during the final round when only two contestants remained. The contest ended on an energized note when McCray and Kraus brought the house down with Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.”
“I can’t believe we won,” McCray said. “I’m really happy for my friend. (Kraus) doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to give her all the money.”
Many audience members said the songs were too long even though they were only intended to be two minutes, and some said there were too many slow songs.
“We came here to have fun,” said English junior Eddie Floyd. “It’s great to see all the crazy things people will do for $200.”
