Judging by the performances at Freshman Skits on the evening of Feb. 29, you might have thought the theme had something to do with ribbon dancing. The annual event, organized by Blue Key, gives the new members of every Greek house a chance to entertain.

Hosts Clark Taylor and Mackenzie Murnane, both seniors, presented the show as each new pledge class performed a 10-minute skit for a panel of judges and an audience full of students in the Health and Recreation Complex (HRC).

The ‘real’ theme of the night was reality television shows. Some of the most commonly mocked shows were “Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader,” “America’s Best Dance Crew,” “So you think you can Dance” and “America’s Next Top Model.”

First place went to Phi Kappa Psi (fraternity) and Alpha Phi (sorority). Second place for the men went to Delta Tau Delta, and third was Sigma Nu. For the women, Kappa Alpha Theta took second place followed by Delta Delta Delta in third.

Freshman Blythe Bartel, a member of Alpha Phi, said she was very excited about their first-place win. “Everyone was so pumped,” she said, “we were jumping around because we were so happy and proud.”

The Phi’s performed a graceful, ballerina version of the “Soulja Boy Dance” (made famous by artist Soulja Boy Tell’em) to “The Waltz of the Flowers,” from The Nutcracker.

Bartel said although she and fellow freshman skits director Kristen Malone wrote the basic outline of the skit for Alpha Phi, input from all the girls was really important.

“Our skit was about representing our house and our pledge class,” she said. “We started kind of late in the game -- our practices began about the last week of January; but from that point on, all of the girls worked so hard to put everything together.”

Sophomore Megan Luke, a member of Kappa Alpha Theta majoring in psychology and criminology, said putting things together was the biggest challenge.

“It’s hard to find time to get together and practice, because everyone has different schedules,” Luke said.

Luke said a lot of the girls were nervous about performing, but that everyone got into the act once their skit began.

“I loved seeing all the faces in the crowd and hearing everyone laugh,” she said. “It was so much fun.”

The older members seem to have just as much fun watching and cheering their new members on. Senior Nolan Yeakley, a member of Delta Tau Delta, said he was very proud of everyone.

“I thought the new guys did an awesome job,” he said. “I especially liked how they made fun of some of the guys in our house – that was fun for us.”

Delta Tau Delta pledge Robert Warren (freshman) was on his houses’ committee for skits.

“Performing was a little bit nerve-racking because it was in front of the entire Greek community, as well as other students,” Warren said.

Warren played the guitar as he sang an acoustic version of Wyclef Jean’s “Sweetest Girl,” which proved to be quite the crowd pleaser. His pledge class also incorporated some ribbon dancing for all to enjoy.

“It was tough organizing everything, especially this past week, but I think it all paid off,” Warren said. “The active members told us to make the audience laugh, and I think we accomplished that.”

Performing in front of the massive crowd may have been frightening for some. However Nikki Silva, freshman representing Delta Gamma, said she relied on a classic trick to calm her nerves.

“I just tried to picture everyone in their underwear of course,” she said.

Although her sorority did not place, Silva said it was still a great experience. “Tonight was about having fun with your pledge class and putting something together to entertain everyone,” she said.

Entertaining certainly was the ultimate goal for the men of Tau Kappa Epsilon (their pledge class was disqualified after they took their own “victory lap” around the HRC track). Their entire performance involved an interpretive ribbon dance, and their costumes consisted of cut-off denim shorts, tank tops and knee-high socks.

Sophomore Tau Kappa Epsilon Derek Brockus said he was very proud of the new guys. “All of us were expecting some humorous entertainment, and that’s exactly what we got,” he said.

“We don’t care if the guys place -- we just want them to have a good time,” Brockus said.

Freshman Emily Crisler representing Pi Beta Phi performed her own rendition of the ribbon dance with the rest of her pledge class.

“I really liked all of the energy from the crowd,” she said, “Performing was so much fun.”

Brandon Russell, a sophomore Sigma Nu pledge said he also had a great time performing. “We put a lot of work into this, and I think it went really well,” he said.

“My favorite part was probably the techno “Call on Me” dance when we ripped off our break-away pants,” Russell said.

The new members of Phi Kappa Psi kept up the tradition of winning skits for the 11th year in a row, doing their notorious stomp dance and adding an impressive drum sequence into the performance.

A dance-off involving the Atherton Union/Residential College dining halls followed. Their act was drawn to a close as the men performed to Hannah Montana’s “Nobody's Perfect,” mocking the popular YouTube Web site video from JKL productions. They even added some Cowbell.

“It was a great experience from start to finish, one that I wouldn't trade for the world,” Bartel said. Bartel said that Alpha Phi’s Freshman Skits Trophy later went on a field trip to Taco Bell and McDonald's to celebrate.