The prizes for this year’s show are as follows: Chris Briones received an honorable mention, Hamin You received third, Hayden Crane second, and finally Blaise Barbier first. After the hosts announced the awards, only one TE tradition remained before the tearful end to the night's show: the annual “Brown Squirrel” dance, which got audience members out of their seats to shake their bushy tails.
But one more surprise remained in store for the night. Just as TE was ending, Blaise suddenly returned to stage and sang a reprise of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” this time with all of the JCLers in attendance — including all of the previous performers — singing along. While TE woefully had to end, this hourlong show will be hard to forget.
Queen (and Blaise) famously sang that “nothing really matters.” But here, under the glittering stage lights, everything mattered — we mattered — for a collection of sparkling moments. It truly felt like a never-ending convention.