Magician and sophomore Christian ministries major Brady Lee took home Punk ‘n Pie’s first place title and a check for $500, after a night of musical performances and gospel-filled spoken word.

Sophomore undeclared major Stefan Vandenkooy took second place and $300 for his spoken word performance about love and lust. The Tennessee Kids placed third and received $100 for their rendition of Justin Timberlake’s “That Girl” and Katy Perry’s “Roar.”

Lee said he was thankful to have performed and overwhelmed with the audience’s reaction.

“I feel ecstatic,” Lee said. 

The Tennessee Kids shared in Lee’s enthusiasm.

“Of course we wanted first place, but we’re really happy with where we’re at.” said Erin Kim, junior music and worship major and Tennessee Kids member.

President Barry Corey attended the event for the first time. Although Punk ‘n’ Pie was new to Corey he believes it was the best one yet.

Surpassed capacity

Punk ‘n Pie guests surpassed the gym’s capacity of 2,300. Hundreds watched from screens in the courtyard outside the gym, said Megan Beatty, senior mathematics major and AS social events assistant.

This is the second year Punk ‘n Pie has overlapped with Biola Weekend and required overflow seating, Beatty said.

The expected attendance of the event was 3,000, Beatty said.

Lively hosts

This year’s hosts, sophomore biblical studies majors Graham Gantzer and Kyle Vick, entertained the audience with dramatic acting, humorous video clips and an original game. At the conclusion of the talent performances while audience votes via text message were being counted, volunteers played “Psalm or Crazy Bieber Fan.” Players had to decide if quotes originated from The Message’s translation of the book of Psalms or Justin Bieber's fan letters.

Both hosts stated that they were nervous before the show but were able to calm their nerves once the show began.

“The moment I stepped on the stairs it was gone,” Gantzer said.

Musical Performances

The first act of the night was The Mason Jars. The folk group performed covers of Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers that elicited cheers from the audience.

Next, freshman music and worship major Justin Sinclair, the One Man Band, wowed the crowd by playing three instruments at once.

Nursing major Taylor Dirks and communication studies major Caraline Dirks, the brother and sister duet, played a crowd-pleasing acoustic version of “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Rebecca Squared, junior journalism major Rebecca Nakashima and junior communication studies major Rebekah Holden, performed “A Year in the Life of a Biola Student” by piecing together well known pop songs and comedic dialogue about what a typical Biola student will experience in his or her four years here.

Junior communications major Mark Nesbit also performed a singing and stand-up comedy combination about dating at Biola. He performed under the name Playzwsquirrelz, a name derived from the show Boy Meets World.

Other Performances

The music performances were not the only talent showcased at this year’s event. Xopoc  danced in black and white attire to the tune of Justin Timberlake. Spanish major Julie Marmion gave a performance of a traditional Irish dance infused with popular dubstep music.

President’s circle sponsorship

This year’s Punk ‘n Pie was sponsored by the President’s Circle. During the evening a promotional video invited students to become members of the President’s Circle.

The membership fee deterred some students.

“Right now, financially, I couldn’t afford it,” said Ryan Thompson, sophomore biblical studies major.

Post-punk pie

Reactions to the pie were just as positive as the performances.

“My favorite part of the night was the pie, definitely the pumpkin pie,” said Nicole LaBruna, freshman business major.