It’s crucial for the dancers to stay fueled for the 46 hours during THON. When dinner time approaches, the dancers are extra hungry from all the activity and can’t wait for a big meal to regain their energy. We asked some dancers of their opinions of the meals and received mixed reviews.

Gino Ruta said, “I really liked them. I liked the first meal they served the best. It was pulled pork and mac and cheese. Delicious.” The first meal was a favorite among a lot of the dancers.

Lighter meals were also liked by a lot of the dancers. “I really liked the sandwiches,” Blair Burak said.

Jeff Schmidt thought the dancer meals so far have been “sub-par.” He said, “It lived up to my expectations.” Many dancers go into THON expecting to rely on good food brought by friends and family and snacks around the BJC. Schmidt learned not to count on the designated dancer meals for fulfillment.

Nikki Casasanta thinks the dancer meals are very satisfying. “They’ve been really good,” Casasanta said. “I’ve really enjoyed them. They crushed the meals this year.”

“They’ve been excellent! They’ve done a really great job on the meals so far,” Bryan Kerr agreed.

Dancer Lisa Halat thinks the meals could be a lot better. “Honestly, they have been better in the past. But it feeds you and keeps you going,” Halat said.

Dancer meals might have a bad reputation, but they follow through when the dancers need an extra boost. Senior security and risk analysis major Jillian Musser said, “I heard a lot of bad things about them initially but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”

Aatish Bathija thinks the meals are nutritious and tasty. “They did tell us to not have a lot of sugar to avoid crashing, but they gave us Rita’s and stuff. But I have a sweet tooth so it’s okay. The meals have been really good for the most part,” Bathija said.

“I have them in small portions but it’s all I need to keep me going,” Anna Coutsoumbis said. “I think they are filling. And I’ll have a snack and stuff which helps too.”

Stay fueled, dancers.