This past Saturday, the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted their annual Showtime at Central to cap off Black History Month.

The show is modeled after “It’s Showtime at the Apollo,” a famous and culturally important TV show.

“It’s Showtime at the Apollo” gave opportunities to people of color to showcase their talents when it first aired in 1987. As time went on, the program created its own traditions and culture.

Central’s rendition of the show mimicked many of those traditions.

They had the stump that contestants must remember to rub upon entering the stage for good luck. There were several sophisticatedly-dressed women that played the famous character Kiki Shepard, the long-time co-host of the program. The Sandman, who has the task of ridding the stage of participants that the audience feels are lacking, made several appearances throughout the night.

The tradition of cheering on or booing performers after 30 seconds was also incorporated into the show, and the audience was eager to participate.  

The evening’s host, Jacoby Sampson, jokingly warned the audience about needless booing.

“You guys are allowed to boo, I know some people came to boo,” Sampson said. “I will tell you now, if I see you booing, hope I don’t see your shoes because I will talk about them.”

After Sampson welcomed the first participant onto the stage, the audience responded with a roar of applause after 30 seconds of Angel Martinez improvising music on a piano.

The biggest response from the crowd was when Beatrice Wambui shared a poem inspired by Justin Beiber’s “Love Yourself” that captivated the audience.

After the first 30 seconds, Wambui was greeted with admiration communicated through loud cheers and applause. At the end of her performance, she exited the stage while being praised for her moving piece.

Miracle Joy Curtis, junior public relations major, enjoyed watching her peers show off their talents.

“I felt empowered by the show just because you notice all of the hidden talent that is here at Central and you get a chance to see that, and it’s your people and they’re taking pride in their talent.” Curtis said. “You see people every day but you don’t really see what they’re made of or what their talents are.”

Although there were many positive reactions from the crowd, not every performer was met with the same response. Several talents were booed after their 30 seconds were up. Many of them let their nerves get the best of them, and the crowd let those performers know they could tell.

Danielle Brandli, a Central graduate with a degree in business administration, decided to go to the show with some old classmates while visiting town.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect… when I realized people were really booing I was like ‘what!’… I think it really made it so I was that much more engaged in the show because I got to respond to what the performers were doing,” Brandli said. “Everyone did such an amazing job… I have so much respect for people that are able to put themselves out there and perform.”

One performer, Jacob Scott, was given a second chance to perform after he was booed off the stage during the first 30 seconds of his rapping performance. The audience decided his fate was due to poor sound, and was no fault of his own. Scott’s second attempt went well and he received a cheering response from the crowd.

At the end of the show, Wambui was welcomed back on to the stage along with other impressive talents of the night.

Each participant had their turn to be singled out with the help of the Kikis, so the crowd could give their opinion of who gave the best performance.

With a roar of applause, the audience chose Wambui as the top contender, naming her the winner.

“It was very surprising because there were a lot of other really great acts,” Wambui said. “I had not intended to win, I just wanted to perform my piece because it’s something that is really close to me.”