Hearts were racing. 3^rd place was announced, followed by 2^nd place. Then the moment everyone had been waiting for–silence dominated the field. You could hear a pin drop. Did Beta keep their 6-year streak or did Interact shatter their record?

“1^st place is a tie between Beta and Interact,” the announcer said. The bleachers erupted with people screaming at the top of their lungs with a great sense of pride and immense joy for their accomplishment. All those late nights and Red Bull drinks while painting banners, making props, and helping build the floats finally paid off. All this joy and excitement later turned into a fiery debate.

1st place

The following week the talk of the school was how Interact shouldn’t have gotten first or how Beta didn’t deserve to be on top or how both clubs deserved first place. Former Interact member Kassidy Castellanos said, “Beta shouldn’t have gotten 1^st.”

Interact member Bryan Pineda said the score for first place doesn’t accurately reflect what the spectators felt.

Honoria 1^st VP Beverly Paiz said first place wasn’t distributed fairly because clubs are being judged on certain categories, and the dance can be great and all, but what matters the most is your actual theme and making sure it stands out.

Some people like Beta member Helen Acevedo believe both Interact and Beta deserved 1^st place. Senior Nathalie Cortes and Beta members Natalie Mandado, Amanda Echevarria, Angel Navas and Anastasia Rojas believe the score for first place was fair because both clubs performed amazing.

Interact President Mingli Yactayo said, “Both Interact, and Beta worked extremely hard this year, and it’s just great that they both got 1^st place.” Key Recording Secretary Alejandra Viera said, “Both Beta and Interact really caught everyone’s attention and they were very creative with their float and dance.” Beta member Amanda Suarez said both clubs deserved 1^st place because they had the best spunk and energy.

Many others, however, completely disagreed with the tie. Interact member Martha Pastora said first place shouldn’t be divided or shared. Key 1^st VP Carlos Valenzuela also believes there should’ve been one first place winner.

Interact member Isabella Mendieta said, “First place is really about creativity and how it all comes together with the theme the club chose. Beta’s was nice and all, but it wasn’t specifically about their theme, iCarly. I didn’t see many elements from the show being used in the performance or float. It was very general to say the least.”

Beta’s Float

On the other hand, Interact member Maria Selva says the float screamed iCarly. Senior Nathalie Cortes said, “Although Interact’s float made more sense, Beta’s was flashier, which I liked.”

Beta member Anastasia Rojas liked how it was huge and had so much commotion. Beta Service VP Ariel Trueba liked how their float covered the different scenes in iCarly and it opened up. “It also had special effects, whereas, Interact’s seemed like it was made the day before with random decorations,” he said.

Beta member Angel Navas said, “The flying blimp was truly a masterpiece.” Key member Jared Jatib said, “Beta truly knows how to make an impression and shock us all every year.” Key Recording Secretary Alejandra Viera found it creative how they fusioned an alien invasion with their theme.

“We reinvented a famous setting in the show iCarly,” said Beta member Darius Wilson, “which is the main setting where the show/webcast takes place (studio/attic). Beta had moving pieces and real-life things that made it look like we took it right from the show.”

On the other hand, Honoria 1^st VP Beverly Paiz said Beta’s float was great and all, but the outside of the float was painted badly. “I personally know the show and could have come up with something else since the stage wasn’t really a main location,” she said. “For example, they could’ve done a replica of the room they always record and film in,” she continued.

For others, Interact’s float was tops. Key 1^st VP Carlos Valenzuela said, “It completely brought you into the world of the Addams Family.”

Banners

Interact historian Camila Flores said Interact’s banner was better than Beta’s because it had features like the sky, the 3D characters, and the “dope-looking moon” which made it super unique. Beta member Anastasia Rojas said Interact’s poster was more detailed. Ariel Trueba believes Beta’s banner was 3 dimensional and included all aspects of iCarly.

Interact’s Performance

Both clubs had amazing performances, with catchy music and fun choreography; however, the favorite of the people wasn’t the same club. Interact members Bryan Pineda and Maria Selva said, “Interact’s performance was better because it was created and based on their main theme, whereas Beta started their performance with the iCarly song but after that, their dance was some type of Beyoncé choreography other than their own theme.”

Interact President Mingli Yactayo claims that in terms of performance, Interact definitely won. “Alexa Meglar’s (Wednesday) acting was absolutely amazing,” she said. “I heard from a few friends that watched, that at one point they were frightened by her. The ending was so amazing and so synchronized and surprising, you really didn’t expect Lurch to turn on the other monsters considering he was one.”

It’s not just Interact members who believe that Beta was overshadowed by Interact. Beta member Brianna Rodgers admits that Interact fully incorporated their sitcom into their performance. She states, “Beta barely mentioned iCarly, and used dance moves as a way to gloss over having to incorporate their show. Interact’s performance was the best because it included characters from the sitcom, and had great music and nice dance moves that made sense.”

Key’s Alejandra Viera liked Interact’s performance because it included all the characters of the Addams family, and they told a story while they were dancing. “My favorite part was when they ended the performance and everybody fell but Lurch, who stood with the duster in his hand,” she said.

Interact member Ivetsy Morejon said Interact didn’t have to be sexy or twerk to have a good performance, and people were surprised by the performance. “Hell, I was shook too!” she said.

Ariel Trueba, however, was more defensive of Beta. While he believes Interact had a great performance since they were all on point, “It seemed as if it was the same thing throughout the entire performance. Beta integrated different groups and was still on point,” he said.

Beta member Amanda Suarez said Interact’s performance was really good because “Their dance was so lit and their costumes too. But Beta’s performance was so over the top.”