Quadworks hosted a love-filled game of “Pop the Balloon” in Willet Auditorium on Feb. 1.
The event, based on the viral “Pop the Balloon or Find Love” series hosted on the YouTube channel Arlette Amuli, had contestants lined up with balloons as a love interest presented themselves. If players were not interested, they popped their balloons, and vice versa.
This event is a new addition to Mercer’s set of Valentine’s Day celebrations.
“Usually around Valentine’s Day we do Love is Blind, but amongst our age group the popular YouTube show is Pop the Balloon, so we wanted to switch it up and do something that everyone is aware of," Lemiaya Dean '26, a Quadworks member said.
“I was looking for a quick little Valentine’s Day date, maybe even more,” Sean-Michael Sargent '27 said. Sargent was one of the six love interests for a contestant.
Not all contestants, however, were looking purely for love. Potential love interest Kieran McKee '26 said that they “thought it would be funny.”
“I was invited to the event by my friend," Aysha Hughes '28 said. “I thought it was fun, but thought it would be shorter than it was," Hughes said.
Willet Auditorium nearly reached maximum capacity from the large crowd. Audience members had very vocal reactions to the game, including rejections and match-ups. “I thought it was cute,” Lorelai Sesay '28 said.
Patrick Hobbs '28 is a psychology and journalism double major and first-year staff writer for the Cluster. When Patrick is not studying, he enjoys writing, singing in the Women’s Chamber choir, acting and spending time with friends.
