Lindsay Kuiper — Staff Writer

Flashing lights illuminate the walls of the campus center. Cowboys, grandmothers, a helicopter and tourists find their seats. A giant, numbered wheel is situated in the center of stage and a sea of chatter rises up as excitement increases. The recognizable Price is Right theme song fills the air and the game begins.

“The Price is Fright” is an annual event put on by Dordt Student Activities (DSA). The event is based on the popular game show The Price is Right with a Halloween twist.

“The planning process for this show is pretty involved,” said DSA member Ally Visser. “I probably spent at least 20 hours planning this event after meetings, organizing, updating prices and shopping.”

The efforts of the DSA planners did not go unnoticed.

“The decorations look pretty neat. Bob Barker would approve,” said Isaiah deRegt, an attendee dressed as a cow.

Zach Dirksen, the host for the evening, pulled names from a bucket to determine the contestants for each round. These players each tried to identify the prices of various items, and whoever was the closest to the correct price moved on to the next round.

Nick Hembrough, Mikayla Balt, Austin Brown and Katie Bartels each won their respective rounds. Each played a mini game for a chance to win prizes such as a Dordt blanket or a cooking set.

“I was excited and nervous at the same time,” Balt said.

Balt was surprised she was called on stage and didn’t know what to expect from the event.

“I got all of the prices wrong, but it was a fun experience,” Balt said.

After the rounds were over, the four winners came back onstage to spin the giant wheel. Lime green lights cast shadows on the players’ faces as they spun a wheel and hoped to land on a high number. Hembrough won the game show and received a pack of prizes valued at around $150.

After the game ended, the audience cleared their chairs to make room on the dance floor. The dance began and costume-clad partygoers flooded in, a conga line appeared for a brief moment before it disappeared into the crowd.

A costume contest was held after everyone had tired themselves out. Everyone split to the two sides of the dancefloor to create a pseudo-catwalk for the competitors to showcase their costumes.

“There were so many fun costumes! People really go all-out sometimes,” Visser said.

Austin Brown won the hearts of audience members with his “Fat Thor” ensemble based on the movie Avengers: Endgame.

“I found a really easy way to make a homemade version of the character,” said Brown. “It was only around $50.”

For the group costume competition, a group of guys dressed as VSCO girls won. Kendra Nydam won the Judge’s Choice Award with a detailed recreation of Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Because Visser is a senior, another member of DSA will plan for The Price is Fright next year.

“I really hope that whoever takes over for me will add their spin to it,” she said. “I think it would be cool to do some other classic Price is Right games and make the show even bigger!”