What came in with a bang left on a bus – dragged by groups of five college students. Kaleidoquiz, KURE’s marathon quiz show, challenged teams to answer oddball questions – such as how long the Statue of Liberty’s index finger is – every six minutes for 26 hours straight. [Editor’s note: It’s eight feet.] If that wasn’t enough, each team had to sing, dance and scavenge to come out on top. Pulse decided to follow last year’s winner Harwood House, known this year as “Godzilla took a bite out of Optimus Prime like Scruff McGruff took a bite out of crime,” to see just how intense the quizzing was. Here are some of the highlights:

3 p.m., an hour before Kaleidoquiz:

A few days prior to the main event, Harwood prepared their den, which they coined “command central,” by removing all furniture and setting up tables and chairs. From there, cables were wired and a projector was placed to display the questions. A land-line phone was plugged in to ensure no problems in calling KURE with answers and more than 15 computers were fitted into the room no larger than 10 square feet. One Harwood team member found the den to be rather cramped.

“It’s hilarious because how ridiculous it is that many people can fit into one room,” said Ian Moodie, sophomore in mechanical engineering. “With that many computers in there it had to be a fire hazard.”

Along with the elaborate setup, doors in the hallways were kept closed so spies from other teams couldn’t wander in.

4 p.m., hour 1:

As Kaleidoquiz started, “command central” is packed and each computer is ready to Google any question asked. Early on in the quiz the announcer requested teams to go to an Ames park and find a gray tabby cat wandering around. As soon as it’s asked, several Harwood team members sprinted out the room and into their cars. Soon after, the DJ asked how many fingers he’s holding up, having others in full sprint to the KURE station. Ian Ringgenberg, sophomore in psychology and Harwood team member, said the running around makes Kaleidoquiz exciting.

“It kept everyone busier and it kept the tensions high,” he said.

After more questions, it’s announced over the air that each team needed to send their best poker player/writer who also likes to travel.

5 p.m., hour 2:

During this hour it was announced the poker players/writers sent earlier had been made hostages by ninjas and sent out of Ames. A group of team members were then asked to travel to Marshalltown for the first clue as to their whereabouts. Ringgenberg, who participated in the traveling challenge last year for Harwood, appreciates the road trip.

“I went to Janesville, Wis., last year. It’s a good adventure [and] with the traveling questions, it’s always exciting,” he said.

7 p.m., hour 4:

As the quiz continued, the first scavenger hunt began with items ranging from a wooden fish to a McDonald’s uniform, leaving the team to improvise on some of the harder-to-find items.

“The things they give you are so obscure,” said Moodie. “Because we live in the dorms it’s difficult because you don’t have all your stuff with you. It’s really about who can be the most creative.”

During the same hour, each team had to send someone who could recite the “cowboy’s prayer” to Kildee Hall. When the team members arrived, they were challenged with a mechanical bull that had teams trying to stay on the longest to earn the most points. Eric Wilson, senior in economics, participated in the event.

“I was a little nervous, but I thought it looked kind of easy.” he said. “It’s a lot harder than it looks.”

9 p.m., hour 6:

At the start of this hour, teams were individually asked to send their best “mullet scientist/Stargate hero” to KURE where they would compete in a challenge. The code of the event was alluding to MacGyver, where players must diffuse a fake bomb for points.

10 p.m., hour 7:

As the questions continued on, teams were asked to bring their most attractive member to the studio. When they arrived, players were thrown into “KQ Idol,” Kaleidoquiz version of “American Idol.” No team knew which singer was theirs, as each was disguised under a Smurf alias. Listeners were then asked to phone in for their favorite for points.

3 a.m., hour 12:

The third scavenger hunt started in an untraditional format. Taking place at sites across Ames, each team had to take photographs of different car-related items, such as a brand new car still in plastic wrap and a business that was previously a car dealership, and bring them back to the studio within two hours.

4 a.m., hour 13:

For a good portion of the hour, more than 700 hobo names were read over the air, leaving the team anxious to see if they would be asked in a future question or challenge. As it turned out, the names were only to mess with the teams’ minds.

“It was really annoying because we were tired and pissed, and they were playing that annoying [background] hobo song. The problem is, you can’t turn off the radio,” said Moodie.

4 p.m., hour 25:

As the competition neared its end, a group of five members from each team was called to the Jack Trice Stadium parking lot. When the team arrived, a CyRide bus on a rope was awaiting them. With the bus in neutral, teams were asked to pull it as they were timed. Teams that got the bus past a certain point were awarded with more points.

6 p.m., hour 26:

As Kaleidoquiz concluded in a neck-and-neck race, Harwood lost by 10 points (out of thousands possible) to Anders House. The winners received trophies and prizes, including gift certificates to restaurants. Keegan Gartner, junior in mechanical engineering, felt second place isn’t a bad place to be.

“Actually, I like the prize we got better,” he said.