“Come one, come all to the Talon(t) Show of the Year!” the poster proclaimed.

And they did come. On November 14 at 6:30 p.m., The Bog was packed.

After some quick introductions, the question round awaited. Every contestant was asked a random question; some were philosophical and some whimsical.

Next came “Minute to Win It” games. “Hanky Panky” involved removing tissues from a tissue box one-by-one. “Paper Dragon” had players wave rolls of streamers around until they were unraveled. “This Blows” involved players using air they blew into balloons to knock cups off a table. “Movin’ On Up” tested contestants’ dexterity taking cups from the top to the bottom of a stack until the red cup on bottom reached the top.

Finally came the talent round and then the moment of truth: voting by the crowd. The text voting setup was overwhelmed by the number of votes, so an alternative was employed—shouting. The cheers raised the spirits—and emotional stakes—of the competition.

The winners were Irshad Hussain for Mr. Hawk and Lauren Capuano for Ms. Hawk. Irshad had caught the audience off guard by singing and dancing to slow-paced Bollywood music that suddenly turned up-tempo, with a switch to vibrant moves. Lauren claimed she had no talent, but then surprised everyone with her dance style.

Both victors were crowned and awarded a sash and Chicago Bulls tickets.

“I feel honored to be crowned the IIT Ms. Hawk 2014, and I’d like to thank Polina Batchkarova for helping me coordinate my dance,” said Lauren, on winning the silver tiara.

“It makes me feel like I am the happiest person on Earth…I am so humbled and welcomed by friends here…” said Irshad, tears brimming in his eyes, a golden crown perched on his head. He could not have been more moved.

For that night, the community united in a celebration of school spirit and IIT’s talents.