The audience quieted down while the lights on stage went up. The first round of Besties, Baes, Bros, and Broods was about to start and I was ready to compete. Jessica Leach (‘18) and I had been waiting for this moment for weeks. Three years of friendship gave us confidence that we knew everything about each other, and this knowledge was about to be put to the test.
Besties, Baes, Bros, and Broods is a game show with five rounds. There were four beginning sections, each one with four pairs. Each group was given ten questions, and whichever pair got the most questions correct moved on to the final round.
Those of us in the Besties round took our seats, and the questions began. Energy ran high when fellow besties Brennen Oxford (‘18) and Tyler McKenna (‘18) got disqualified from a question for shouting out answers too early. Host Trevor Garman gave us questions such as “Where did the two of you first meet?” and “Is your bestie a cat person or a dog person?” Leach and I successfully answered nine questions, which was the most of any pair. We did it! We made it to the final round!
Next, in the Baes round, Sydnee Aubin (‘17) and Michael Donovan (‘17) moved on to the final round. The Bros round was close, but Lydia Concannon (‘17) and Amelia Concannon (‘19) moved on. And lastly, in the Broods round, Mr. Q and Corinne Quaglieri (‘20) moved on.
As we entered the final round, we knew our competition would be tougher and the questions would be more difficult. Lydia Concannon (‘17) locked eyes with me to let me know that I was going down. I just smiled back, and said “let the best pair win.”
In this round, we were given questions such as “If your partner had one million dollars, what would they do with it?” and “If your partner were a color, what color would they be?” After the first nine questions were up, I looked over at the scoreboard for the first time. I was shocked, Leach and I were in the lead! The final question was “What is your partner’s show size?” None of the pairs answered correctly, including us, but we still had enough correct answers to take home the win! And just like that, we were the newest winners of Besties, Baes, Bros, and Broods. We were each presented with a gray basket filled with candy and an Aroma Joe’s gift card (they know me so well!).
Leach said she wasn’t sure we would win, but after the Besties round she gained some confidence. She said, “I thought the show was really entertaining and funny. The announcer had good commentary but I also think the crowd helped to lighten the show and help make it funnier. I liked the addition of the Broods category and I think they chose good teacher and student combos to represent that category.” Overall, she enjoyed her time participating and was very happy with the win.
The event was enjoyed by participants and audience members alike. Jackie Settele (‘18) has attended the event for the last three years. She said, “it’s really fun seeing people I know throughout the school tell a lot about themselves. I learn so much about my friends [that] I would never have guessed. I laughed for almost the entire time.” Settele brings up a good point: both audience members and participants seemed to really enjoy themselves, and laughter was definitely a constant factor throughout the evening. Settele continued on to say, “my favorite part was definitely the Broods section. It was so funny to see teachers outside of class, and also to learn some funny things about them from their kids.” The Broods section was a new addition to the show this year, and was very well-received by the audience members. ORHS students seemed to enjoy these little glimpses into their teachers’ non-school lives.
Besties, Baes, Bros, and Broods is a fun event for the community, but it also has a purpose beyond just entertainment. This game show benefits the junior class, and this year the show raised just over $500. Junior class secretary, Sophie Graff, discussed the purpose behind this event. She said, “Besties, Baes, Bros, and Broods’ main job is to fundraise in a funny and amusing way for the junior class. But it also helps to create this awesome community bonding for the high school. Since all of the contestants are from different grade levels, it brings the school together and gives them the ability to share some laughs and hangout with people they may not hangout with other than in the academic atmosphere.”
Graff also participated in the event with her younger brother, Will Graff (‘20). She said, “My favorite part was when my brother forgot or just didn’t know my birthday. The game show really shows how much trivial information you know about someone, even if you see them every day of your life!” She and her brother didn’t make it to the final round, but still had lots of fun participating.
Graff closed with, “I thought the event was successful. Everyone in the audience was laughing and generally just having a good time. Plus the junior class raised quite a bit of money which goes to our prom this year!”
Written by Anna Kate Munsey