Following Casino Night, Roger’s Got Talent stole the show during Homecoming and Family Weekend. On Friday, Oct. 19, RWU students with various talents performed for a large audience of students and their families. They were evaluated by a panel of three judges, consisting of Student Senate President Kayla Devin, Mike Gallagher and Donna Darmody, and prizes were given to the top three contestants.

 The Hawkettes Dance Team, Dance Club and Hawkward all performed at the talent show, singing or dancing to a variety of songs and exciting the crowd. These performances were not scored or part of the competition, but intended to add some group talent to the show. 

 After these three performances, the acts began to perform. First up was Brianna Valcourt, sophomore architecture major. She danced to a medley of songs, including 6lack’s “Pretty Little Fears,” Drake’s “I’m Upset” and Nicki Minaj’s “Chun-Li.” She was the only dancer to perform solo without anyone else in her act.

 Junior psychology major Hannah Lamothe took the stage next. In her introduction, it was clarified that she has been playing the piano for 13 years now. She delivered a rendition of Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love,” both singing and playing the piano.

 Two freshmen from Portsmouth, RI, Madison Hollen and Madeline Jarvis, followed this act. They both sang along to Radiohead’s “Creep,” as Madeline played the guitar.

 Senior Jake McVey then took the stage, a music major and member of Hawkward. He sang his favorite karaoke ballad, “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri.

 The next act consisted of three students, senior journalism major Kayla Ebner, junior management and music major Thomas Schmidt and senior dance major Sam Verity. In this combined performance, Ebner sang a rendition of Adele’s “One and Only,” accompanied by Schmidt’s piano playing and a contemporary dance routine by Verity.

 Liz Furtado, a junior criminal justice major, was the next performer to take the stage. She sang a rendition of Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide,” that she paired with playing the ukulele.

 Emma Cappadona was up next, a sophomore who is passionate about singing. She sang “Stone Cold” by Demi Lovato, hitting the artist’s infamous high notes, which drew applause and cheers from the crowd.

 The final act was Spencer Singer, a freshman public relations major who hopes to one day be involved in the music industry. He sang an original song called “Feels,” interacting with the audience and holding the microphone out to each side of the bleachers to hear the crowd cheer. Many audience members began waving the flashlights on their phones in the air.

 As the judges spent time deliberating, one of the hosts of the show announced that they wanted to see if any of the students’ visiting family members and friends in the audience had talents, and asked if a few volunteers would come out to the floor for a dance battle. Four volunteers came out to battle, but there was one RWU dad who stole the hearts of the audience and the first place title, as he pulled out two red ribbons out of nowhere and began twirling them rapidly while he danced.

 After the judges narrowed it down to their top three picks, Ebner’s group, Cappadona, and Valcourt, these acts were given signs to hold up that said A, B or C. Audience members got to text one of these letters to a phone number that would generate which performer got the most votes. In the end, Capadonna received the first place prize for her beautiful rendition of Lovato’s ballad, which was a $500 voucher to a sports game or concert of her choice.

This student-run event that replaced the Midnight Madness pep rally drew a huge crowd of both students and families, and was a hit for Homecoming Weekend.