Twenty-three acts had to sing, salsa, shimmy or shake for a coveted award Tuesday night: one of three performances at this year's Gator Growl on Oct. 24.
More than 1,000 audience members attended the free event in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom, including a life-size walking taco from Taco Bell, the night's sponsor.
If chosen for one of the performances, which include dance, musical group and solo artist acts, performers will receive five-minute time slots for Gator Growl, which is billed as the world's largest student-run pep rally.
Some of the entertainers competed as solo acts and some as five-piece bands. Some even had record deals. American Idol contestant and UF sophomore Brooke Helvie sought a repeat solo-act win.
Braxton Adamson took first place in the soloist category for his performance without his band 3 Story Fall.
Dear Dakota won the band/vocal group category for their pop-rock performance, and the Hispanic Student Association's dance team Sabor Latino won for the dance group category.
Its performance featured a variety of salsa, reggaeton and hip-hop.
"I'm so ecstatic," said dancer Aime Ojeda after winning with her troupe. "We worked so hard for so long. Now we get to perform at Gator Growl. It's incredible!"
Florida Blue Key and the Gator Growl staff worked since May auditioning more than 50 acts for last night's show, said director Sara Sanner.
"We look for the best of UF and Gainesville," Sanner said. "And the prize you get is beyond anything else."
The winners will perform in front of more than 50,000 fans along with comedian Jon Reep and the Steve Miller Band at Gator Growl.
Michael Blachly, one of six judges and director of UF Performing Arts, said the judges looked for charisma, uniqueness and the ability to heighten the audience reaction.
Paying some type of Gator homage gained groups bonus points on the judges' cards, Blachly said.
Judges based their decisions on quality of performance, stage presence and creativity, said Tiffany Scoggins, the show's associate producer.
They also judged transferability to the Gator Growl show, in that the performance had to fit for the pep rally's audience, Scoggins said.
"It's a challenging venue," she said.
