HOUGHTON - There's a new Winter Carnival queen in town and she's one not to be trifled with.
Melissa Hawks got to "beat up" a guy on stage as part of a self-defense presentation before walking away with the crown at the Queens Coronation at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts at Michigan Technological University Saturday evening.
"I'm just so excited," she said after the show, clutching a bouquet of roses and adjusting the crown on her head. "It's such an honor."
Just a half hour before, Hawks was giving a self-defense presentation as part of her talent, which included her dressed in a Lions jersey "beating up" a male wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey. A cadet in the Air Force ROTC, Hawks was escorted by Tylor Rathsack and sponsored by Air Force ROTC and Maurices.
When another contestant, Elizabeth Cloos, was asked who in the competition she wouldn't wrestle with, she responded quickly.
"Well I could tell you it definitely would not be Melissa Hawks," Cloos said.
Comedian Ryan Conner, who has written jokes for "Saturday Night Live," was the emcee of the evening along with last year's queen, Lydia Patch.
Each contestant was required to answer three questions including "What is your favorite Winter Carnival memory?" and "What makes Michigan great?" The final question was a silly one and different for each contestant.
"Michigan just has this quality about it," Cloos said about what makes Michigan great.
Rachel Morrison said her Winter Carnival memory was going ice bowling with her residence hall.
"You could really feel the bonding," she said.
Popular answers of what makes Michigan great ranged from the seasons to the people, and the contestants said their favorite Winter Carnival memory ranged from building snow statues and participating in winter sports.
"My favorite Winter Carnival memory was walking around campus with my dad," said contestant Genevieve Gierke. "He took me around and showed me all the Tech students working really hard on statues."
The third question from Conner prompted some really silly responses from the contestants, as they didn't know what to expect.
"Last night, someone ... referred to donuts as 'getting bakery,' as singular," Conner said to Gierke. "That's weird, right?"
During the talent portion, the contestants had four minutes to perform a talent of their choosing. Some performed musical acts, such as Cloos who performed "Folk Songs of Michigan: An Accordion Tribute"; Melissa Wright who performed a "Michigan Artist Piano Medley" consisting of Eminem and Kid Rock songs; and Samantha Kerlin who performed "Motown Medley for Piano and Voice."
Other participants danced, such as Rachel Morrison in "Dance to Detroit Rock City" and Laura Maciosek in a "Dance to Three of Michigan's Top Artists," including Madonna, Kid Rock and Mike Posner. Mandy Barbul-Couch performed "The Comedy of Science and Education" and Gierke performed "Ice Fishing: The Michigan Pasttime."
At the end of the evening, Wright won the Audience Choice award, Kerlin walked away with Miss Congeniality, Maciosek received second runner-up, Kerlin was first runner-up and Hawks walked away with the crown.
"I'm excited and I can't believe it," Kerlin said after the show. "It was nerve-wracking but it was so much fun. Something I've never done before. The girls and I had a great time."
