Iowa State students ate, played, cosplayed, created, danced, thought, sang and competed their way to win at Kaleidoquiz (KQ) 2014.

Like in its previous 47 years, KQ offered a wide variety of questions and events that tested contestants. The questions ranged from physics, entertainment and random facts.

Teams created headquarters in lecture halls and residence halls. Team Quiz In My Pants, led by Collin Schmidt and Caleb Walker, created their headquarters in Hoover Hall, always having people around to answer the constant questions.

“It’s a lot of fun to compete in KQ,” Walker said. “The competition is really challenging, but you feel great accomplishing your goals.”

Between questions, KURE DJs played everything from pop songs to movie soundtracks, including Space Jam, Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter and Star Wars. During these six minute breaks, the teams would search for answers and call them in for point values ranging from 20-40 points.

One notable event on March 7 was “Iron Chef,” a take on the popular cable TV show. Teams were asked to make a main dish and dessert, this year including saltine crackers and freeze pops in their creation.

“We had a lot of ideas at first going into this,” Kylie Hrbek, junior in interior design said. “As we got closer to the deadline, we let most of those ideas go and tried our recipes now.”

Hrbek was part of “Last Place,” a new team this year. Along with Taylor Schwartz, junior in pharmacy, Hrbek decided to do pancake with chocolate and freeze pop juice on top, with a smoothie with saltine chunks and peaches.

“We used what what we could find in our fridges, hence the peaches,” Schwartz said.

Coincidentally, “Last Place” placed last in this event, but this was only one small opportunity to receive points that night. Both contestants felt that they had fun participating in Iron Chef, and admitted this was their first year in the competition.

“My friends were doing it, so I wanted to try,” Schwartz said. “They told me it was a huge tradition and it would be a blast. I [was] really having fun with it.”

KQ continued into March 8 with many more questions and several more events for points held in Friley Windows. “Clay Advertising” required teams to make inventions out of clay. They would then have to sell their unique projects to a panel of judges. Inventions included Disco Death Rays, the Personified Anxiety Relief Figurine, the holy Helix Fossil and Shark Repellant.

Other events during the competition included Family Feud, salsa dancing, sports, life-sized Battleship and KQ Idol.

Walker, who was competing in his third and last KQ, explained that while he loves competing, it is something one has to try for themselves rather than read about.

“People ask me a lot about what KQ is, and I really can’t answer them,” Walker said. “It’s always changing every year, and that’s what makes it fun.”

Results

1. Alpha Beta Pi Sigma Theta Rho Ottoman

2. Piglet is About to go H.A.M.

3. Such K. So Q. 2 much kwestshun. Wow montaj. Very tire. Moar cafeen.

4. Hashtag, yolo swag 26 hours or bust!

5. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhoodlems