As per THON tradition, a trio of Penn State performers took the stage to show off their skills as part of THON’s Got Talent. The three performers, Young Vic, The New Feel, and David Gaines, received the opportunity to perform on arguably Penn State’s biggest stage after taking the top spots at an the prelims that took place in the HUB earlier this year.

The first performer to take the stage, Young Vic, came to the stage with a crew of five dancers dressed in suave white shirts and bow ties. The rapper performed two original songs for the crowd, during the verses of which the dancers solo’ed and the choruses Young Vic joined his crew for some choreographed moves. Young Vic got the crowd involved in his set before starting his second set by teaching everyone the hook: “It’s for the kids!”

The rapper ended his short set by sitting on a throne made by his dancers (ironic that he chose to sit) and thanking the crowd. “It’s such an honor to do this,” he said before making way for the next performer,

Following some minor technical difficulties, The New Feel took the diamond stage led by lead singer and THON’s Got Talen vet Shawn Fox (who is, unfortunately, no stranger to technical difficulties for the show). Unfazed by the problems, The New Feel introduced themselves and said, “we are so excited to be here right now! This first song, I’m sure you all know, it’s ‘Mr. Brightside.'”

The crowd was all about it, and The New Feel knew the best way to get the crowd’s votes was to play to their favorites. Following an energetic rendition of The Killers’ hit, The New Feel broke into another THON favorite: Walk The Moon’s ‘Shut Up And Dance.’ Feeding off of the audience’s energy, Fox pumped everyone up with a well-timed “let’s jump,” and the people complied.

Last but not least, 2015 THON’s Got Talent winner and fan-favorite David Gaines took the stage and brought some of his best spoken word verses with him. Gaines knew too that interacting with the crowd is important on a stage like THON, and shared some personal anecdotes with his powerful poems.

The first piece Gaines performed was a repeat from last year, but if it’s not broke don’t fix it. “The Four Diamonds” was spirited and inspiring for the BJC, and those one the floor crowded closer to the stage to hear what Gaines had to say. Gaines dedicated his second poem to his people back home in Philly who couldn’t make it to THON this weekend. Though the spoken word artist said what the song would be about, no one in the audience (or, at least us up here on press row) was prepared for what the lyrics to come.

With a powerful moving message about the true meaning of THON, Gaines’ second song hinted at how THON has become a competition and how the total should mean more to everyone than just “getting a high score.”

“Not doing THON does not make you a bad person, just like doing THON does not make you Mother Theresa,” Gaines said in rhythm. The song wasn’t all a shot at the competitive spirit THON can take on, however, as he also pointed out how the kids become our brothers and sisters after we spend a weekend dancing for them. “THON doesn’t really matter,” he versed. “What matters is who we do it for.”

The decision was then put up to the crowd: spectators, dancers, and anyone with a cell phone had the opportunity to text into [email protected] to vote for their favorite performer. After no more than 10 minutes, the MCs came out to announce the winner of THON’s Got Talen 2016: The New Feel.

Though each performance was different, each did its job in showcasing the talent of Penn State and energizing the Bryce Jordan Center. Congratulations to The New Feel, and a major thanks to all the artists that performed in THON’s Got Talent 2016.