Iowa State students huddled around and stripped down to white sports bras, spandex and boxer briefs.

It was a brisk 39 degrees, and getting colder, while the students jumped around to Travis Scott’s new album in an attempt to stay warm as the red and yellow house paint first touched their bodies.

“Don’t you just love Yell Like Hell,” said a painted, yellow student as he slammed down a Pixie Stick.

Yell Like Hell is an Iowa State tradition that dates back to 1963. Students living in residence halls were invited to create “an original yell” and submit it to the competition. The judges would then select five finalists to perform at the homecoming pep rally.  

This tradition has evolved into a greek community competition that embraces Iowa State’s traditions. Sororities and fraternities are paired together to compete for the homecoming trophy, with Yell Like Hell being a main component of the competition.

“Yell Like Hell is a really cool tradition that has been going on for as long as I’ve heard about it, from my sister doing it for all four years and being a co-chair for it,” said Jack Wilson, junior in Beta Theta Pi fraternity. “I love the ability to give a story about Iowa State traditions in a different way because I can’t think of any other school that does it like this.”

This competition is an opportunity for sororities and fraternities to meet new people throughout the Greek community.

“I’ve been painted the last three years so hopefully we can go for the four-peat next year,” Wilson said.

Yell Like Hell participants said the initial feeling of a paint brush going against their body is really cold, especially when it is 40 degrees outside and windy. Once the paint dries, participants said the paint gets really crusty.

“Every move you make it kind of tears your body,” Wilson said.

The Yell Like Hell participants rub conditioner all over their bodies attempting to prevent this from happening.

“We have to bring conditioner for our hair otherwise it turns your hair red and yellow,” said Tristan Caffrey, sophomore in Beta Theta Pi.

The thought of competing in Yell Like Hell may never cross some students’ minds. Yet, a lot of students who have performed in Yell Like Hell can’t wait to be covered in red and yellow paint.

“To get the paint off you have to sit in the shower for a very long time and scrub,” Caffrey said.

Sorority and fraternity members aren’t allowed to shower in their houses because the house paint clogs the drains and makes a mess. They also aren’t allowed to shower in residence halls for the same reason. This forces the Yell Like Hell participants to be creative.

“This year, we have a foam machine that sprays bubbles and we are going to put body wash in it and wash off on the patio,” Caffrey said.

In previous years, Yell Like Hell pairings have filled an inflatable pool with soapy water for their members to clean off the paint outside. Sorority and Fraternity pairings are committed, from the application all the way to the removal of the paint.

If the sorority and fraternity members aren’t being painted, they are still involved with their Yell Like Hell pairing by painting their friends or helping the co-chairs.

“I got painted last year and fell in love with Yell Like Hell,” said Emilee Drost, junior in Sigma Kappa. “I wanted to show the younger members why I love Yell Like Hell so much, so I became a co-chair this year.”