THON’s Kids’ Talent Show took place Saturday night, and they delivered!

A group of music therapists from Penn State Health Music Therapy and Four Diamonds families kicked off the talent show, performing a song paying homage to THON, Four Diamonds families, and all the people who came out to support and dance during THON Weekend. The lyrics included lines like “Dancing for the cure,” “A diagnosis does not define me,” and “Now Four Diamonds keeps on shining.”

The childhood specialist then joined THON Weekend virtually with a video over the jumbotron showing different child life specialists, including a furry friend that helps out. The video montage played to the song “Airplanes” by B.o.B., and also showed members of the Hershey Bears AHL team.

Devin and Trevor Pulaski took the stage next, performing “Get The Party Started” by P!NK, with a group of background dancers wearing pink hats and blowing bubbles to bring the performance to the next level. Towards the end of the performance, Trevor got up out of his seat and started dancing, bringing life to the Bryce Jordan Center.

Hailey Dougherty was next, sharing a powerful message she wrote about cancer. She explains how she hates cancer, but at the same time, it’s brought her so many new friends. Dougherty went on to say ‘THON is family’ multiple times, reinforcing that everyone taking part in THON Weekend is one big family.

Georgia Bombgardener set up on stage with her violin next. After performing the song, the BJC erupted in applause for Bombgardener who immediatley was greeted with a hug on stage.

Mina Horan, a cheer captain and basketball player, came out next to sing “Don’t Stop The Music” by Rihanna. Her song choice immediately had the BJC clapping their hands in unison. Horan had a group of five background dancers wearing shark suits. Everyone in the BJC turned their flashlights on, setting a great vibe for the show. The crowd roared in approval after Horan finished. She then led a “We Are” chant on stage.

Penny Ciancaglini took the stage next to dance to “Bright” by Julie and the Phantoms. She put on a show for the BJC crowd, break dancing and busting out all the moves!

Carly Wilfong ignited a spark in the crowd next by dancing to “Space Jam” by Quad City DJ’s. Wilfong came out in a colorful tutu and danced to the song with three backup dancers.

Christoper Franco joined THON virtually over the jumbotron and performed “La Cucaracha” on the trombone in his Saquon Barley Philadelphia Eagles jersey and ended his set with a ‘E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles! Eagles! Eagles!’ chant.

Ella Wickenheiser performed “Let It Grow” from “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.” She came on stage in a neon orange Lorax suit, entertaining everyone in the BJC. Everyone was waving their hands back and forth, and the crowd exploded when she finished.

Levi and Cristian Krodel took the stage for their sixth THON, performing their lightsaber battle from Star Wars. The brothers were dressed as a Jedi and a Sith, and Levi officially beat Christian after saying “The Saga Continues THON 2026” during last year’s THON Weekend performance.

Linaya Shadel joined virtually over the Jumbotron to show off her artwork. She drew a beautiful horse that got quite the applause from the BJC crowd.

Shiloh Crimmel came to the stage with three Penn State Lionettes to perform to “Zoo” by Shakira from “Zootopia 2.” The Lionettes held Crimmel up in the air, and she earned a great reaction from the crowd.

Mario Ouardi was up next, singing his version of “Hey Baby” by DJ Otzi. The crowd sang word-for-word with Ouardi through his whole high-energy performance, where he got the crowd involved by making everyone sing the “Ooh ah” part of the song.

Ellie Bonn took the stage to dance to “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” by Shakira. She played Just Dance, which was being shown on the Jumbotron. There were six backup dancers on stage, and Bonn had the whole BJC following along to her dance!

Maya Hein joined the THON Weekend Talent Show virtually over the jumbotron, where she talked about her passion for drawing. The screen showed several of Hein’s drawings, and she talked about how Vivian Medrano inspired her to take drawing more seriously.

Aleia Moe took the stage and started with a one-handed cartwheel. That was only the beginning, though, as she started doing all different cheerleading stunts in her black and green leotard.

Nevaeh Risser sang her rendition of “Pretty Little Baby” by Connie Francis while the BJC vibed along. Some people in the crowd held their flashlights up, while others swayed the Greek letters back and forth to Risser’s performance.

Celia Cosentino took the stage with a purple cape and pink tutu and danced to the song “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars. The song set a chill vibe in the BJC while everyone sang along.

Braden, Troy, and Easton Fleagle closed out the 2026 THON Talent Show. The trio took the stage and asked, “BJC, how are we feeling?” before playing “Friend Like Me” from the movie Aladdin. Easton sang while his brothers played the drums and trombone. The group left the stage saying, “Thank you so much, we love you!”