Mr. and Mrs. Public Relations took home the title of Mr. and Mrs. THON Thursday night at Schwab Auditorium. This fun and friendly annual competition featured two captains from each committee showcasing their talents. Captains on 16 different committees competed in various THON-related portions of the pageant including talents, games, and interviews to prove why their committee should win.

Communications captains hosted the event. Pat Burke, the President of Blue Band, judged the event, along with former THON executive director Megan Renaut. The night began with a humorous video about all of the captains and their “relationships” with their co-captains, sneaking in puns about their committees. Next, all of the captains in the committees performed a dance together. The contest began with a talent portion where the participants had the chance to showcase their dance moves and personalities. Filling the room with cheers and laughs, here are some memorable moments from the first segment:

• First, Mr. and Mrs. Merchandise had an entertaining dance mash up to today’s top hits.
• Mr. and Mrs. Family Relations performed a beautiful ballet number. The elegant dance quickly turned into impressions of Drake’s dance moves to “Hotline Bling.”
• Supply Logistics captains began with a funny dialogue about their committee followed by a Beyoncé mash up.
• Public Relations captains began with a news show skit with poking fun at other committees, similar to SNL’s “Weekend Update.”
• Mr. and Mrs. OPP recreated the iconic dance scene from “Dirty Dancing,” and impressed the crowd with a successful lift.
• Mr. and Mrs. Communications imitated Barbie and Ken and danced to “I’m A Barbie Girl.” “Kanye” interrupted their dance routine telling them they could do better. The group finished their performance with “Sorry” by Justin Bieber.
• Mr. and Mrs. Special Events cracked the audience up by recreating the entire THON weekend’s festivities in less than two minutes.
• The tech Captains lit up the auditorium in neon costumes and danced to Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean” and Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like A Woman.”
• Mr. and Mrs. Alumni Engagement along with their other committee members performed a synchronized swimming routine.
• Mr. and Mrs. Volunteer Safety performed the hilarious skit “THON Captains Read Mean Tweets.”
• The Dancer Relations captains put on their cheerleading uniforms and cheered for THON.
• The Event Safety captains danced and sang representing all of the committees as songs.
• Mr. and Mrs. Development performed a puppet show to Adele’s “Hello” and other songs.
• Mr. and Mrs. Finance put on a “Blue’s Clues” skit as Steve and Blue, and brought Mike the mailman onto the stage for mail time.
• The captains for the hospitality committee were inspirited by “Pitch Perfect” and battled it out with songs about the different committees.
• Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Entertainment sang along to Adele’s “Hello” with hilarious commentary in between lines.

Collin Hays, who overcame bone cancer, gave a moving speech about his experiences with chemotherapy and dealing with cancer. He spoke about how his THON experience early on in high school helped him decide to attend Penn State. Hays explained how his experiences made him want to save lives in the future, and he credits Penn State for helping him achieve that goal.

Afterwards, half of the contestants went back out on the stage to play an entertaining game of musical chairs for a chance to win some points. The Rules and Regulations captain stole the last chair in the game, winning the game category.

Following musical chairs was a Newlyweds game where captains were asked questions about how well they know their co-captains. Finally, the executive THON committee performed the line dance on stage while the judges deliberated.

Nearing the end of the pageant, the communications hosts named the Public Relations, Special Events, and Finance captains the finalists for the pageant. After a brief Q&A, Mr. and Mrs. Public Relations were crowned Mr. and Mrs. THON.

With only 91 days left until THON, Penn State continues to gear up for the big weekend with THON Hoops and THON Hockey next on the calendar.