I once entered a cosplay contest, and was the only entrant in my category. As they are announcing winners, they never call my category. After, I go over to ask what happened to my category? They said " oh, you were the only one in it, so we canceled that category".. I said "so, what category did you put me in?" They said " none, you were too old/experienced for the other categories". So basically I did my cosplay and performance and you just dismissed the whole thing? ???WTF???
exaclty 💀 even the student government in my highschool knows how to ask someone to sit down during events WITHOUT being rude... They are in 8th and 9th grade mind you but that announcer IS A DARN ADULT 😭
As a novice cosplayer, If i came onto stage and got shoo'ed off by a paper, I'd cry immediately. How awful. And I can tell the man who raised his hand, and Joe, both were angry/annoyed. as they should be!!?
I have terrible stage/performance anxiety, so if I'd managed to make it far enough to get to the stage and be asked to get up there, it would be because I took a MAJOR deep breath and stepped up. If I walked 10 steps across that stage and got the shoo-ing, I would've been mortified to turn around, see the audience, and feel a fool and have to walk off....even if it was not my fault in the least. this comment brought to you by a recent non-cosplay event I participated in which took three solid weeks of building a prop and then making an outfit and then finding out on arrival when queued up that I would have to DANCE MY WAY THROUGH THE CROWD to music I'd never heard to be judged. I died. A lot.
i have really bad anxiety and just coming on stage would already take a lot out of me, but this would be so humiliating and i definitely would've cried.
As a disabled cosplayer who needs to use a chair I won’t ever enter competitions because half the time they can’t even let me on the stage. It sucks so much
I saw this once at Emerald City Comic con with a Prof. X cosplay. She had to come out in front if the stage with her wheelchair and we could hardly see her. It was so upsetting because she's clearly done so much work, had a great bald cap and everything but people didn't know to clap. As an audience member it was upsetting.
Some contests let you get someone to model the cosplay for you if you made it, so maybe that might make things better, but idk I don't want to judge that for you, I hope this help tho.
@@user-il7ot1rn5b Not OP and not speaking for OP and this is not directed AT you, but I feel sad that that's like the only alternative in the situation :( Disabled cosplayers should have the same options for entering contests as abled people. I work in the events industry and it's literally so easy to get a kind-of-portable wheelchair ramp that doesn't require a lot of know-how to operate properly, and it's a shame that's not something more events organisers see as a worthwhile thing to do.
11:18 - _"and be able to judge a cosplay on its craftsmanship alone and not the appearance race weight or disabilities of the cosplayer wearing it"_ This immediately made me recall a quadruple amputee (someone who has both legs and both arms removed), cosplaying as Black Knight from Monty Python's Holy Grail (Character that got both legs and both arms cut off)
i saw someone with prosthetic legs cosplaying octane from apex legends, even going so far as to match her prosthetics to the costume! it's such a banger thing for someone to turn a daily struggle into something they can be proud of
the number one rule of ANY live show: DO NOT LET THE AUDIENCE KNOW SOMETHING HAS GONE WRONG!!! if you've misspoken, PUT THE FREAKING MIC DOWN!!! you are likely to misspeak AGAIN!!!!! i feel so awful for those poor novices as i know i would have simply crumpled to dust on stage then and there.
yes unless it is something major that has full on held up the show do not let it be known there was a mistake. literally was at a concert that got delayed for hours due to technical difficulties, they skipped the opener, then the curtain thats meant to drop at the start was rigged wrong and got tangled as they unfurled it ready for the band to come on stage, so of course in that scenario they announced that something was wrong. I've also been in a production where someone massively missed their cue and we had to improv until they arrived (I had literally one line and was not prepared for this) but we made it work and got a bloopers reel out of it
in the case of the contest, ONLY say what you're meant to say and NOTHING MORE. i may have never gone to a costume contest, but i can really imagine how embarrasing it would be for that to happen
Had something like that happen to me. Two of us were in the novice category cosplaying the same character but in different designs. They are usually relatively organized at this con so when they pull the winners from the holding area I saw the other girl get pulled and was like ah well maybe next year. When they announced on stage the novice number and character (this was for Best Novice) I was like waaiit thats my number (the one year they didn't announce cosplayer name just the craftsmanship number and character). So there was confusion backstage as I got their. I did end up walking on stage to greet the judges. According to my friends in the audience when the first cosplayer walked on the judges looked confused but didn't say anything (because ya know that would have made it even more awkward than it already was and It truly was awkward for me and the other cosplayer.) Then when I walked on shortly afterwards their was a look of relief on their faces. Everyone could tell in the audience that a mix-up had happened. I think she cosplayed the next year as well but have not seen her since and I have felt bad about it ever since.
My biggest pet peeve at conventions is panel hosts/MCs saying "yikes...awkward..." like YOU are making it that way and if that's the case then move on, don't make us wallow in it with you.
I used to do theater and dance. The literal FIRST THING YOU LEARN is "the show must go on"! This means that if something goes wrong, MAKE IT A PART OF THE SHOW. Don't stop the whole thing. Part of a costume falls off during performance? Have a background character pick it up and give it back! You trip and fall during a performance, and you're not injured? Pick yourself back up and keep going! One time I flubbed a line during dress rehearsal by saying my second line first. The actress I was working with went with it and said her second line first, and I realized my mistake and said my first line second. You NEVER tell the audience that you made a mistake. A particularly brutal director I worked with once said "if you're not bleeding, get back on stage" and though it was a bit harsh, she had the right idea! If the mistake/accident is not severe enough to be an emergency, pick yourself up and continue the show. Never EVER show a mistake to the audience, let alone ENUNCIATE IT BY SAYING "AWKWARD"
My worst cosplay contest experience was after I hosted the Disney cosplay meetup at Sac Anime. The girl who usually hosted that meetup was pissed that I registered before her and was running it. She sat on the sidelines pouting and loudly complained about how I made a bad Tinkerbell and a shitty host. Later that day, I went to the cosplay contest, and after waiting in line for hours to be judged, I finally got up to the judges. She was one of them, looked me up and down, and announced to the other judges and me that they should cut off submissions because it was "taking too long," even though judging was supposed to go on for another 35 minutes. So, I didn't get to compete, and neither did the people in line behind me because she was a spiteful, classic mean girl. I still keep running into her, and even years later, she makes loud, mean comments about me even though the only words I have EVER said to her was pointing out that I was the listed host for that meetup.
I think she was like Anna from Frozen or something but you are so right. We should have swapped cosplays so we could be in character.@@dancesmokesmile344
I hope u get a chance to call her out on her bs one day. That's not ok. I can't believe they got away with it when there was 35 minutes still left. How was there no backlash?
@@xXWaifuInsuranceXx@xXWaifuInsuranceXx I mean, the people who weren't judged were definitely upset, but they wouldn't have known the reason she called off the judging. I bet people did complain about it though but yeah it's not a very noteworthy story when it's just "the judges said they were running out of time earlier than anyone expected" rather than "vindictive princess cosplayer sabotages dozens of cosplayer's chances to compete over petty meetup confusion"
they didn’t even kick the people who bought their whole cosplays at the gen con cosplay comp (a mainly craftsmanship comp) cuz the comp was mostly to have fun
okay having now watched the whole video: gen con does their contest really weirdly. it’s not based on having won unless you win like grand champion or something (in which case you go to the professional category) and there’s only one judge per competitor for the craftsmanship aspect but 3-4 for the performance aspect. they were also having issues when i competed though, they had just lost their prejudging space so they were just working out of an alcove
@@KingOfGaymes i’ve only competed once but it was a guy from the gaming category who won. they choose grand champion by basically having the crowd choose their favorite of the “best in category” people, then that person has to compete in the professional bracket for the next 5 years.
Can we please campaign for these qualifications to judge. I am an internationally recognized master's level cosplayer. And I have had tik tok influencers who have never sewn a seam judging me. Or people who do/ or do not give out awards because of who they are "friends" with. We need rules lol
Or Tik Tok influencers who have never sewn stating winners who won Best in Show didn't deserve it, I'm like CHILD! Did you see that costume up close? Did you examine it or did you just see a grainy vid online from the audience?
@@rebeccaabram2312as someone who isn’t a TikTok person but has a Belle cosplay who had my dress made by someone who could make it ebcause I didn’t want to risk ruining it and going down a spiral due to ocd issues - I paid the commissioner 500+ dollars and then tipped properly - I think general cosplay stuff for fun could be fun! It not being made by them shouldn’t affect the vote. If it’s a craftsman cosplay then YES but if it’s just for fun is okay as long as it’s not because of their popularity.
@@compassrose1466 most cosplay comps advertise themselves as mostly craftsman ship with sometimes a "crowd fave" or "performance" based award for those who didn't craft their cosplay but still want to show it off a little
This year i had my first competition, i got anxious and had a couple seconds of silence before beginning my skit on stage, i missed the beat slightly, the music was louder than my mic, and i hated the way my makeup looked; i almost cried getting down and being called again because i won a prize and the judges STILL complimenting me about my performance was what made me determined to keep competing. If a judge shooed me away like that i probably would have stopped going to cons in general; no one deserves that treatment, its rude, and if she got a more anxious person like me or others It could have really crushed their spirit, this is so disgusting.
I once did a cosplay of kindred from league of legends. I was entered to join the contest as a novice, and they planned a league of legends photoshoot prior to the show. Anyone in a league costume was to get in a big group photo. They ended up removing me from the photo because they decided that per league lore, Kindred didn't fit in with the other characters. I guess more people came than they expected and they divided up the characters by factions. Well... Kindred doesn't have a faction or a specific region. She's basically the Grim Reaper. She's everywhere! I wasn't invited to any of the group photos, and I pulled out of the costume contest. Some of the other cosplayers saw what happened, and they took a few photos with me unofficially. But I decided to leave the con early. I was told by some friends attending that people in the show actually asked what happened to the kindred? They just coldly said I changed my mind and wouldn't be competing. Didn't mention the fact that I was also removed from the photoshoot.
Tbf she said lets bring our novices, if we just lined you up come on stage. I think people heard the first part and in the shuffle it was hard to hear "we just lined up"
@@lordtette Also "just lined up" is confusing what do you mean by "lined up" They should have really called them all up and announced the winners idk why the bothered separating it out if there was only a few cosplayers
As a disabled cosplayer who lives in Atlanta I will say it fucking sucks. I’ve been in so many competitions but I’ve literally had judges who are supposed to be fair and judge on craftsmanship say to me “Sorry if you can’t show us the garment standing up then I can’t accurately judge it.” I CANNOT WALK?! I USE A WHEELCHAIR?! When I pushed back against it to the organizers saying the judges were being discriminatory they said “Well they are the judges so if you can’t comply with their requests then you can just not compete.” IM NOT EVEN JOKING. And this has happened multiple times to me. Different reasons each time. “I can’t see the back seam in your chair?” “This is incorrect for the character.” When I was in cosplay but I had to shorten the length and details so it wouldn’t get caught in my power wheelchair as I moved! They said it wasn’t accurate enough! Sadly I haven’t had many good experiences being in competition. And I honestly stopped because every time I would get so heavily discriminated against that it was emotionally exhausting having to constantly fight to be heard when I feel like that enough daily already lol. Edit: Wow I didn’t expect this to kinda blow up lol. So I want to explain a few things. I am not suing because honestly I don’t have the time, money, energy and emotional space to do so. I do still cosplay and enjoy cons and fandom spaces a lot! I wanted to elaborate on one thing I said. When the con judge said “I can’t see the back seam in your chair.” I asked if they would allow me to have my mom who was with me help me stand for just a minute so they could see it. But I asked if we could go in another room as it can be embarrassing. But I was told no that wasn’t allowed. Ableism is built into society as much as racism. They intertwine and connect.
@@Libby-Phantom Thank you. Yeah I don’t think I will. Sadly it made me lose passion for cosplay and fandom for a while so I’d rather just enjoy the community of good people if that makes sense lol.
@catcheek7761 Well, if you ever do become interested again, call them out. Do not be afraid to be loud about them being discriminatory. Embarrass the fuck out of them. No one that would say fucked up shit like that deserves your grace nor your sympathy. You deserved and still deserve better, and I'm sorry that you were treated with such blatant ignorance.
IK you said that you have stopped going into competitions, but if you ever do go back to one, try to secretly record your interactions with them and then post it online. It will garner more attention to this issue.
That moment was so adorable and suprtive that I kept int in mind while listening to the story. Tbh ig kept me going and I managed to get through this angering story!
one time i got disqualified from a cosplay contest for "too mush fraying" on the robe of my costume, but i was cosplaying A JAWA??? a character that lives in sand and is VERY messy??? the fraying was 100% ON PURPOSE too. i was so angry 😭
As someone at this competition, the announcers made it very clear who won which is not professional. When they made extra comments about certain cosplayers, we all knew that person had won.
Also, one of the winners was someone who had won a best in show prize with the cosplay they entered at DreamHack and lied right to the judge’s faces about it. Despite that being against the rules and having multiple people reach out, the organizers haven’t done anything about it. They also mixed up some of the stage names of people entering and completely lost my friend’s information. She had pre-registered and they lost her entry entirely. Had to ask her for name while she was on stage
@sarelcon9223 probably a mix of disorganization and corruption of the higher ups. The fact they made it so obvious so early they already determined the winner then claimed they misspoke to cover their behavior is quite telling.
I competed in my local con’s cosplay contest - the tiniest cosplay contest you could ever imagine, with no stage, no requirements (lots of people in fully bought cosplays), no prejudging, but it was run 10x better than this. Went very smoothly and the first time I participated, where I made only a single prop and had no chance of winning, the judges were still incredibly kind to me and I still felt great competing. Absolutely wild that a con this big got it this wrong.
I had the same exact experience! Im an amateur cosplayer who does not have the materials or skills (at least currently) to handmake my own cosplays, nearly all of them are pre-made or each article of clothing was commonplace enough to be sourced seperately online. I participated in two local cos comps so far, and though I had no chance of winning, everything was smooth sailing. Judges were extremely nice, the in-between sessions were goofy and the atmosphere was overall very fun. The fact that bigger cons like this can't even get it right is extremely disheartening for someone like me :(
I had a similar experience, where my only crafted part was a comically large hammer, and although the rest was bought, they really complimented me on it
The worst thing about the "awkward!" to me is that if I'm there, nervous about walking on-stage, nervous about being judged, nervous about being called forward, nervous about being sent back...I'm never going to assume she meant "damn, I said the wrong thing, that was an awkward mistake for me to make." I'm going to assume she's telling the people who are in the audience/stage "ew, they thought I was calling them on stage with the actual people who matter. Awkward." And that would wreck me in the moment.
Honestly the whole thing comes off as "you that came up here made this awkward and I'm annoyed now" with the hand waggling and tone combined. It feels like she was low key passing the buck to them which just sucks when it was not their mistake
In contrast, I had a similar instance of something going horribly wrong and the MC swooped in to FIX it and made it 100% better: It was 2013 and I had done my most ambitious cosplay to date: The Demon Hunter from Diablo 3. The issue was that I'd NEVER done armor before, and did realize how contrictive I made the costume. I could barely move, turn, ect. Right before going on stage, my big shoulder piece suddenly felt wobbly but because how little I could move, I couldn't move my arms to fix it and had to go on stage with the wobby piece. Sure enough, mid-pose, I hear a loud THUD and the crowd went "awwwww" like something bad happened. My shoulder piece, which was a rather important main piece, came unattached and hit the floor. I had NO IDEA what to do, complete deer in the headlights. Yaya Han was the MC that year and saw the whole thing go down: "It's ok! That's just battle damage! Yeah keep going you got this!" and she pumped up the crowd to cheer for me again. It made so much of a difference to me. I got enough courage to finish my pose and awkwardly pickup my shoulder piece and run off stage. (I actually ended up winning Best Video Game that year!) The difference a good MC makes is night and day, and it's so upsetting to see the JUDGE misspeak and the shoo the contests off the stage. People saying that they'd cry if that happened to them, they aren't over exaggerating. I'd cry too if that happened to me
I myself am a stage actor and voice actor One thing ive learned is that you never ever tell the audience you fucked up, that you missed a line or mispoke If you mispoke dont sweat it just keep going If they know you made a mistake it draws them out so never let them know you made one Same as doing stuff like saying akward, it tells the audience they arent getting a good show and kills the mood instantly You have to own it even if you think you arent doing your best you own every second of it because the second you dont you make everyone else around you suffer for it
As someone who competed in this contest, this contest was so hard for me because it felt so unorganized. I was also in front of your boyfriend in the line and he was so sweet, I felt so bad for him.
They completely messed up my name when I got on stage that I had to correct them and they didn't even put my @ on the screen because they messed up. And the whole thing with lining up the winners was so disheartening so thank you for speaking up
I watched a small cosplay contest at a small local con, where they has a childrens, teen and adult catagory, where everyone posed and was interviewed, and the MC asked a teenager dressed as Indiana Jones ‘is there anything missing from your cosplay, or something you could have done better?’ Which I thought was rude because they were basically trying to point out that they didn’t have the whip, which doesn’t matter? They were a teenager who thrifted a really cool and recognisable cosplay, which is amazing! Cosplayers KNOW the faults of their cosplays, competitions should be a space to praise what cosplayers do RIGHT not what’s missing! Anyway, that’s my little rant done
When I went to a local con as a teenager (my first ever con), I came in a Reimu Hakurei cosplay I bought when I was in Japan but still had to source or make my own version of some of the smaller details like the shoes, hair ties, staff, clip on bangs, etc. which didn't come with the cosplay. I had no idea of cosplay etiquette and decided to join the cosplay contest, on stage they asked me if I made it myself and I had to say no not really, only some of the pieces, in front of the audience which was really embarrassing. It made me feel really bad because I had no idea I was even MEANT to make my own. One of the winners was a dad and his kid wearing a costume fully bought from a local costume store, only really rubbing in the salt...
If no weapons are allowed (which is the case at most cons now) the teen could have pulled out some Twizzlers and said they had their whip. Still tacky of the MC to do that.
@@wolfgalleader exactly!! unless it's literally made out of cardboard or foam, I never risk it cause I was almost kicked out of a con for a 3d printed weapon :/
If you gatekeep beginner level, you'll never have anything better. As stated, "it feels like you are not worthy", which can very easily be misconstrued into "this isn't for you", "don't try."
@@Naomi-pq6tv This comment is to address what it might feel like, or what some may think in a similar situation. I didn't keep my first armor set I made and I didn't even get to wear it for the full day. It just takes time and experience. Everyone starts somewhere, no one is born an expert
And I haven't tried to make a better armor, because of COVID-19 and moving. So I truly have one experience that is not great in memory, but it's a learning experience.
@@jonh2798You underestimate the power of a horrible first impression. Any experience that gets you off on a bad foot might make you more hesitant to try it again. Getting shooed offstage in front of a crowd is mortifying and considering hobbies like cosplay don't have stuff like age caps and kids can compete, saying that not stomaching that level of mortification and embarassment when you're already putting yourself out there means you just can't handle the hobby in general is such a tar pit mentality and how you get a hobby to stagnate as newbies get repelled from it.
So, this is only tangentially related, but when I went to Momocon in Atlanta a few years ago, there was a *really* tiny cosplay runway contest that I decided why not, could be fun to join. It was a really tiny affair. There were probably about 12 of us, and the "crowd" was probably about 20 people? Basically we would each step out onto this little runway they had set up, and do poses at the top, midway, and the end of the runway, before returning to the head, doing one last pose, and walking offstage. It was really, really fun to think of a few poses. I cosplayed Noelle from Genshin Impact complete with a prop claymore and it was SO much fun posing with it, and doing the cute curtsies the character sometimes does. I came in 2nd, and it was really fun and flattering, especially when during my runway walk there was a small group of girls that were going absolutely berserk over my costume. They were so loud! And ot was my first time EVER cosplaying something beyond basic clothes, too, so even though it was a really tiny, relaxed affair based solely off of everyone's vibes, it was a blast~!
I remember cosplaying Testament from Strive and entering a contest. Took over 6 months to make everything. Now, Testament is a non binary character with an extremely feminine appearance. Im a male, but i have a feminine facial structure that helped accentuate the non binary aspect. When i entered, i was given a ton of applause and catcalls on the stage. Before the announcement of the winner, i got pulled aside and told i was disqualified because the judges couldnt decide if my cosplay was in the male or female category. I actually got asked if i was biologically male or female and got told im no longer eligible because there was no category for "non binary". I told them thats not how i identify and im fine with it being put in the make category. But they wouldnt budge as i "looked too much like a woman". Was upset a ton and complained to the management. I was refunded my ticket for attending thankfully but im still shocked this happened. Disqualified from a competition for being TOO accurate
this makes me livid for you. not only because theyre judging contests based on the gender binary (i’m so tired), but then even when you told them which category to judge you under it wasn’t the correct answer??????? i’m speechless
Why was there even a gendered division in the judging?? But yeah I’m pissed on your behalf, that’s so fucked. And I love that you chose Testament, I’ll bet if people in the audience knew they’d have been pissed that you got DQ’d too!
Tbh I hate the whole "nobody wears deodorant at cons!!!" joke. It def was a bigger issue at one point but I feel like this has changed a lot recently and the joke is just old and overdone
@@shinigami9816 ya- and like ppl who have social anixuety or smt like that(like me) have a possibility of having a panicattack bc of getting scared of it or sum
To be fair, it is still a massive problem at some cons, usually the 1s geared to younger crowds, especially the 1s right after pandemic restrictions were lifted
This is still an issue at many gaming conventions specifically. My husband used to go to EVO and man did that place have an odor from what he would tell me..... more so for some games than others. Not so much in cosplay and other conventions.... just seems to be a gamer issue mostly which it shouldn't be by now, but I heard its getting slowly better over time. I think its the whole gotta spend all my waking hours on practicing or I will lose and who has time to shower attitude.
are you telling me a big enclosed area full of people who are walking around lot, excited, getting sweaty, and many of who are in thick costume might have some kind of body odor going around?? sorry ya'll big groups of people in this situation are going to smell like people, don't know what folks expect lol
As someone who has judged competitions you made me remember one where there was a specific participant that had entered with extremely poor execution on his cosplay it really speaks to me with what you are saying to take the time to go through their costume as well. Turns out he entered since his best friend had entered and his best friend was so extremely nervous to the point of not being able to speak, him being a bro making a costume last minute to be there with him so he would be able to have support.
This is literally a plotline in Truth Seekers. One character is scared of open spaces and leaving home and spends a lot of time gearing up to go to a convention in costume. It's a mad series.
The moment when the person with the mic said, "AWKWARD!" made me feel awkward just watching the video, but I couldn't describe exactly why so I really like how you explained specifically what went wrong.
exactly like just watching that in a video gave me secondhand embarassment and now i feel real bad for the people who got shoo'ed off like that must be horrible
Niagara Falls Comic con has one of the worst cosplay contests ever. This year, for example, they didn't publish the contest rules on their website until 10 days before the contest. Then, just 5 days before the con, they changed them entirely, requiring a build book with fabric swatches , ON 5 DAYS NOTICE! (and that's if you went and doubled-checked the rules page in time to see the switch) thereby ensuring that only their friends (who would know about the rules change) would be in compliance. The whole thing is a big scam.
This comment reminded me of how shitty it is where I’m from :,)) Small experience from most small-medium Italian conventions: the rules and programming come out sometimes 3 DAYS before the con so most struggle to prepare their costume. Some write random shit on the sites that at the contest it doesn’t really matter like an image of your character or USB sticks with music because they can search it up for you. The rules like how long you can be on stage are sometimes shortened or lengthened if they like the performance and stuff like that persist for newer cons.
The Accidental stage call could have easily been used to grant a last shout out for their efforts, a quick highlight & motivation to have them comeback the next comp
Novice cosplayers are the most important entries, they are the ones that are just starting out and need to be encouraged to keep trying, they need the full experience so they know how to prepare for the next attempt. I would absolutely be getting up and checking all the seams regardless of how the costume is constructed. Also personal opinion, it’s hard work depending on entry numbers…but if feel judging in costume really helps give the entrant an idea that the person they are being judged by has an idea of what their doing (I’ve judged in a full 4 layer costume before which was hell, but I hope it made all the contestants feel like they where being taken seriously)
I agree 100% with the judging in costume part. As someone who doesn't participate in this culture, watching this video I definetly felt more confident in the judging abilities of the judges shown in cosplay themselves
@@thebighoney9034 happier than you 100% If you feel you need to go around online checking people. And for the record my comment was purely in context of the competition, i couldn't give less of a flying f*ck what people do else in their spare time.
There was only one announcer who did semi-improv comedy and literally entangled it with all contestants and their cosplays to boost their morale, this was amazing and that is the only time I will accept it
One small con I went to the announcer tried to do the cringey improv-comedy bit and after the first round every single cosplayer literally walked away from the announcer without saying a word, some cosplayers played it up by ignoring/dismissing them in-character LOL it was so funny, very memorable.
As a person with anxiety, I’d begin crying IMMEDIATELY after being told to leave by an announcer. Especially when they’re talking directly into the microphone while telling me to leave, and even making shooing hand motions at me, while an entire crowd is watching me. And the way the announcer was even saying awkward, it was understandable that it would be awkward if someone walked on the stage uninvited, but the way she spoke directly into the microphone was so unnecessary! Sarah’s example “Put down the microphone and tell them personally” was so much better in my opinion Edit: wth IM FAMOUS😭 I just wanna say that bawling out on stage is pretty relatable, but there’s something seriously wrong with me😫 If i get too nervous i literally THROW UP I’m serious like it’s some sort of problem I cant get rid of
Don't cry and don't let those type of people get to you. It's not your fault for someone else's being unprepared and irresponsible, you should never feel that way. That being said, if I was in that situation-I'd have to throw some hands
The myth of novice winning best in show happened to me and my best friend at Matsuri 2015. It was actually our first time competing ever. Every time I've competed and gone through the judging process, it's incredibly nerve-wracking. I can't even begin to imagine how this entire disaster felt for newbies and even the experienced competitors.
My first ever cosplay contest they randomly announced they were going to have a worst cosplay award/ loser award, sponsored by one of the booths While we were lined up… they also had no other categories, so it was literally just 1st through 3rd place and a loser award. they had professional cosplayers handing up full pamphlets about everything they did for their cosplay along with first time cosplayers. So all the places ended up going to professionals & they actually ended up choosing a really good cosplay professional cosplay for the worst cosplay prize. the judges said that they wanted to turn it into judges favorite award because they weren’t told about the worst cosplay prize but the announcer still kept switching between calling it the loser award, worst cosplay award and judges favorite..
I was very sensitive as a young cosplayer and incredibly insecure about my cosplays. If that had happened to me, I would have been so upset. They definitely didn’t give cosplayers the respect they deserve
Yeah I have terrible stage fright and even if me not winning wouldn’t have bugged me (I’d be bummed but not a huge deal) being shooed off stage would absolutely freak me out. Not entirely the MC’s fault but also still pretty bad 😅😅😅😅
@@1SpicyMeataball cosplayers earn the respect by putting our blood, sweat and tears into the costumes we make. For my last cosplay, I spent 20 hours on hand embroidery alone, not counting everything else. There is a hell of a lot of work that goes into it. We’ve earned our respect.
I’m not a cosplayer. Never even seen one irl. Definitely haven’t watched a contest. Don’t even know why this video was suggested to me. And even *I* was speechless with the way the stage show was handled. Absolutely unprofessional. What a mess.
Same! And the whole time I’m like 👁️👄👁️ I love how this community fights for everyone who wants to be involved! I definitely want to see a contest next time there is one near me.
Call me a sore loser, but my worst cosplay show experience felt a bit awkward in regards to the fact that I handmade and crafted an entire suit of armor, had sewn the clothes and put them through a serger to give them that completed look, had handmade a giant sword and painted tiny details into it and had actual lights built into it so it could glow green, and what won the contest? A kid with a closet cosplay of Ness from Earthbound. Didn't hand make the shirt or shorts or anything, bought a red cap, no backpack, no baseball bat. That won best in show, and I didn't get a damn thing. When I asked the judges why he had won, they said it was because he had the most recognizable character to them, and I didn't fit the character I was because I was just a bit chubby, even though the armor was built with my size in mind. For the record, I was barely overweight, but that actually full on sent me into tears and a bit of an ED later on Edit: hoLY SHIZ I DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO ACTUALLY BE SEEN. To clear a few things up, this was during my third competition and I was 16 years old. The character I was cosplaying was from League of Legends, and admittedly I don't want to talk about it too much because at the time she was popular amongst some friends of mine, but years later she gets a lot of toxic representation. I chose her mostly because I felt the most comfortable cosplaying her as she was one of the least revealing of the female characters and I was an insecure teenager. But I did really like the armor and it was fun waving around a giant sword that was bigger than me. This incident was not the main cause of my eating disorder, but it did contribute significantly. I was never hospitalized for it, but it did get to the point where I was sick enough to be susceptible to a lot of issues, such as anemia and some other things I'm not comfy talking about online. I had it for about 4 years and I finally got help while I was in university away from a bit of a toxic home that was not helping me overcome it. I've since healed from it all and while I don't cosplay anymore, I still admire the art and still love to go to conventions. I'd love to hear other people's stories if they wish to share! Thank you so much for everyone's kind words and support!
that's terrible! no matter what nothing is wrong with you or your body! what's wrong is their prejudice and that's something they should be shamed for.
That's horrible! A cosplay contest should never account a person's body type, especially weight, in the judging. It should be about the actual outfit and, in contests about craftmanship, the craftmanship put into the costume!
@@sinfulpuritan3430Yeah seriously imagine how awful a cosplay comp at an anime convention would be if the judges cared about what the person wearing the costume looks like so much, literally no one but skinny japanese (and maybe some white) people would be able to compete
…what? Someone who didn’t even make their costume won? I thought you had to make the vast majority of your costume to compete. You have every right to be a “sore loser”. Especially since they commented on your body like that. The contest is supposed to be about how accurately and nicely you made your costume, not about your body. Remind me never to go to that con.
It's realy nerve racking having all those people looking at you performing and then knowing your being judged. making them look awkward and feel weird especially while on stage just makes you feel absolutley lower than low
i got bumped up from novice to journeyman at my very first cosplay contest in chicago. they announced it before they announced awards, after i went on stage. but i DIDN'T WIN ANYTHING???? people clapped like it was some big honor, but if they bumped me out of novice then i probably should have won novice........ rip
@@luna_nova_09 not a rule or anything, but if you're admitting that their cosplay is so good it doesn't belong in that category, it also means that if they hadn't, you'd have been the best in that category by default
im sure they do. theres thousands of runescape players. and wise old man is basically a you meet him eventually. in runelite he even shows up to say : congrats on quest complete. with a plugin. @@emcg4131
I love the comment you made about how it’s basic courtesy for the judges to say who the character is and what the character is from. So many times I’ve been ant cons and it’s driven me crazy trying to figure out what character a competitor is, and the judges could easily tell the audience but they don’t.
Ive realized a lot of things they implemented here are the exact reasons why i absolutely despised school cosplay contests when halloween came around. It was a popularity contest full of "comedy hour gags" that totally turn a blind eye to the effort me and my fellow creatives took. Every year, I gave myself a goal of, "ok im gonna make ___ cosplay for the school costume contest this year" and i did, and i suck all my heart, soul, creativity, sometimes tears, and most importantly, free time into my cosplays, and you know what, they weren't half bad. But the contest would gaslight me otherwise. How my school would """judge""" who won, was who could get the loudest screams from the audience. So I'd make the mistake of sinking my heart into this thing, just for the winner to be either, some kid in a party city mario bros costume that he got for 30 bucks, or the class comedian. They'd win cause the "costume" was everyones favorite character, or "haha thats so random!", that friend group had the loud banshee screamer in they're clique, or/and they were purely one of the popular kids. One kid won wearing nothing but normal clothes and a few lines on his face. He was a cat. He won cause he was funny. It was literal hell as a creative.
god this reminds me of the time i was put into a cosplay competition as a novice with my first cosplay, my friends wanted me to show it off (even tho it was BAD) so they signed me up and told me i was lining up to meet a VA i wanted to see (thankfully the VA was nice enough to come see me after :") ) When i got up on the stage (since once lined up THEY WOULD NOT LET YOU GO) the MC shoved the mic straight into my face and smacked me in the mouth before saying "oh you were so to close" then proceeded to ask me questions like my age and stuff like that. after the questions he just said "oh you're a weird and awkward one huh?" before the lights went out and i was forced off the stage before even being allowed to do my pose for the photo's and even before the judges could say anything (no one else was treated like this so i felt abit singled out like the MC didn't like my character i was doing or something) the VA i wanted to meet was a judge so i felt abit humiliated but the judges basically had to tell the MC to stop the next person from coming out so they could tell me their thoughts but he had already had some of the people get me off the stage (and apparently you aren't allowed back on the stage after being escorted off). i felt really humiliated and cruddy after it but there were alot of people after who asked me to pose for photos against a wall where they took the professional photos and even the judges came out to tell me their thoughts because they weren't happy with what happened, they were really nice and told me what needed work and what was done well and the VA i wanted to meet was super nice and signed my DVD for free and got a picture with me. The MC was told to apologize afterward but refused to apologize and even told me he wouldn't apologize. i think a few other cosplayers from the contest saw that too because i recognized some later who had changed their cosplay to other characters from the anime i was doing and were trying to make me feel better about the situation. I was young and cosplayed as Negi Springfield from Negima! (i was old enough but i was really short and young looking so it worked) tbh this put me off making and wearing my own cosplay for a few years, i just didn't feel good enough after that and have only recently been tempted to do a new cosplay though i doubt it will be anything well made ^^"
hold up, this could just be me misreading what you wrote here but... the mc forced you off stage because you were a character from an anime he didn't like!? the fuck!? that dude sounds like an immature hack!
@@jaycornu3351 yikes, that's extremely immature on his part. he should know as an MC to a cosplay contest that he's going to see characters he might not like, it's just how it is. people like that should NOT be MCing events like that
@@puppyhowler Another thing is that he should know that it's not him that judges the costumes, it's the JUDGES. Can't belive him. I hope that they never used him as an MC again.
It’s weird, as someone that works in a theatre costume shop, I find seam flipping very fascinating. Because for stage costumes, what the parts you can’t see from the audience look like are not important at all, all that matters is if it’s sturdy and if it looks good.
I think in a craftsmanship competition, it can be a way to differentiate skill, as even a plain unfinished seam can show skill and effort. Over my journey as a sewist, I've seen a difference in how my seams go together, even ignoring finishing. From ragged uneven hacking with the shears and skipped stitches to a more even seam allowance with better tension. I think it's far less important to seam flip in a performance competition where the display of the costume is more important than the quality of the techniques for the judges, more akin to a theatre costume setting.
I think a lot of the smaller con judges come from backgrounds like the SCA, where costuming is part of the Arts and Sciences and they have competitions that include construction methods, historical embroidery patterns, accurate fabrics, etc.
I feel this so much. I've been costuming for about 3 years while also working in bridal alterations. It took me a bit to remember that I don't need to do my super perfect, bridal-style sewing for stage costume alts. Especially when I have a cast of 40 🤣🤣
@@JInuOneSix I get why they do it, especially when you have close calls between very amazing costumes you probably get down to the nitty gritty. Also with theatre, you are usually on strict budget and time constraints so you don’t have time to make the inside look nice too. Plus cosplay is being built for a singular person, vs most theatre costumes where you have to make it easy to alter since you may be building before the show is fully cast. They are just very different worlds
It sucks how the announcer made the situation sound like it was the novice's fault for getting on stage and not a mistake on their end. I would've cried. :(
That needs to be SHUT down. Immediately. How disguisting they are. If you want PROFESSIONAL costume making then make an event for only PRO costume makers. Like it's such bully and gatekeeping mentality for these people. That announcer should be fined for the abuse.
I cosplay but have never competed due to my stage fright, but while in the audience for a cosplay contest I attended recently, I was spontaneously called on stage. The contest had been delayed and the MCs wanted to entertain the audience, so they asked me questions related to my cosplay and I proceeded to bungle the most BASIC trivia in front of everyone. To make it worse it was Star Wars trivia. At a sci-fi con. The MCs did their best to cover for me, but it was mortifying. Hearing you say that’s it’s unfair to thrust a mic on a cosplayer who wasn’t prepared for it is incredibly validating and also 100% true. Thank you!
I understand your struggle, but at the same time, I would assume they asked you to come on stage. They didn't drag you on, right? You had all the rights to deny and stay in the audience. If I would be an MC and asked someone from the audience and they accept to come on stage, I would expect them to not be shy and unconfortable with being on stage. Although, if you said no to that request and they insisted for you to come on stage, now their attitude is a problem.
@@vcool122 The people-pleasing urge can be insane, especially if you also have anxiety/stage fright. I personally would be just as anxious saying no to coming on-stage as I would being on-stage.
@@axolirvin971 also like, telling someone whos super anxious that they did the wrong thing for trying anyway is such a bottom tier take. If us afraid ones never ever allowed ourselves to leave our comfort zones we would just live an entire life of regret and fear with nothing to show for it. Thats just a sad way to live and any attempt, any single step made to try to escape it, is a triumph no matter the outcome.
This reminds me, just after you posted your first Dreamhack video last month I went to a small con and ohhh my god the cosplay MCs really bothered me. As well as being just generally unprofessional and unfunny they kept doing this thing where they'd announce the next cosplay by hyping up a DIFFERENT franchise, like "oh hey did you guys watch the Barbie Movie? Wasn't it great?? Anyway this cosplay is from Monster High!" and it was so weird. and so bad. and so awkward.
@@flowerfloofs YEAH idk if they were told they needed to stall for time or what but they so clearly hadn't thought out what they were saying. And thanks, though fortunately I was only watching
"oh hey did you guys watch the Barbie Movie? Wasn't it great?? Anyway this cosplay is from Monster High!" I mean, once it could be funny (still a bit annoying) :') But if it is for the whole show... Omg no thanks !
Ugh. We had an insufferable MC two years back. He kept cracking really bad jokes, and he had a sidekick that just... didn't help. He had some contestants break their flow just to talk to them in an awkward exchange. Needless to say, when feedback forms were released after the con, the majority spoke. The following year, a new MC was there, and it was SO much better.
I've only competed once and the announcers did not give the character name, so I thought "Oh no, I picked something too niche." but people in the crowd were yelling my characters name. The announcer was like "I'm not sure what this cosplay is" 😕I never competed again, I was so embarassed
I was one of the competitors at DH ATL 2022 and yea it definitely hurt my feelings a bit when no one looked closely at the outfit or really said anything about my costume other than just talking about how thick my accent was 😭 so I totally get what you’re saying.
I’m normally shy, but I’m not sure I would be able to stop myself from giving the “judges” a cutting rebuke for that one. Maybe something like “Yes, some people tend to have strong accents…unlike some bland voiced MCs…” or “Yes, I do. Thanks for pointing out the obvious.” People being obsessive with the most petty of things tends to grind my gears.
As someone who's really insecure abt their accent, I'd literally cry if that happened to me, I'm so sorry that happened to you that's actually horrible
Jump scare didnt expect to see myself lmao. I was the Link shown halfway through Sarahs video. Can confirm that this contest was a mess, having both entered and judged contests nefore as well. Really made me never want to enter at dreamhack ever again
RU-vid randomly reccomended this video and I just wanna say the editing and script of this was so well done! I learnt so much about the inner workings such as Novice meaning "Never Entered/Won" rather than the normal assumption of it being skilled level Fantastic video, I hope to see more cosplays from Joe and yourself~! ✨
When I saw the moment of Joe and others getting kicked out of the stage again, I was just so happy and relieved that people in the crowd got disappointed
oh my GOD. that lady literally shooing those guys off stage is a nightmare. you’re right, they took it like good sports, but i can’t imagine the embarrassment. embarrassment they shouldn’t have had to feel, because it wasn’t even their fault!! the way she handled that was just sooo ick. hope she’s barred from these competitions in the future, or at least learns well enough from this to never let it happen again
Picking up what you mentioned right at the start about the creators of the con; The cosplayers come to YOUR event, take part in YOUR show that's meant to boost attendee engagement, so YOUR event is an actual event and not just a garage full of market stalls, and you don't even care to replicate what other events are doing for some semblance of quality and feel-good atmosphere? That is soooo cheap and lazy of them
Bro showd up as the wizard who robbed the bank from RuneScape...not surprised she didn't know who he was. That was like early 2000s when penguin club was the hype for kids 😂😂.
Yeah, smaller cons are becoming more and more like this, sadly. Stuff like this is why I stopped volunteering at cons - something that i used to love doing. I wonder how much other con departments were interfering with the costume contest at this one.
That getting kicked down the stage just would have crushed me if it was me, because I have never done any competition but I really want to but if I ever do then I most have encourage myself so much to take that step. I am shy, I overthink and if I was kicked down the stage I would have felt so embarresed and destroyed and never would have walked up on that stage again because of getting even more anxiety than the first time...
I'm an anxiety baby, and I'm not confident in my own crafting skills to go up on a stage. I'm terrified of embarrassment and I don't handle rejection well sadly. I'd love to watch a show and enter one if someone went up with me because I have stage fright and I'd freeze up and have a panic attack
The saddest part about this is that this whole experience has tanked the Dreamhack cosplay contest's reputation. It's gonna take real big, substantial changes for like,,anyone to trust the organizers again. Which really hurts the community around it and puts a lot of pressure on the people who get picked next year to run it that they didn't have to face if it was just done right the first time like years prior.
I did the NYCC costume contest a number of years ago I will say, it was an overall positive experience that I hope to repeat one day. I had this very detailed armor with handmade chainmail and everything. It was my first BIG contest. I had done a bunch of walk ons previously but I knew, in this case, that they were going to get up close and personal with what I made. I went in for pre-judging and I basically hit a wall. The judges just sat there behind their table. They didn't ask me any questions about things and I had to offer my helmet up for them to look at. It was disheartening. Again. It was an overall great experience, and I was just so happy to be there and be able to get on that stage, but I wish they had gotten a good look at my work.
One of my favorite ways to learn about something is to hear someone who's an expert in it go on a righteously indignant tear about something that was done incorrectly, and this was fantastic. Informative, fair, and a bit of rage sprinkled in for flavor, like cilantro. I loved this!
I and both my kids have been judges for cosplay (and ran repair rooms). We never sent someone away feeling bad about their costumes. We always asked questions, asked permission to touch them and offered advice when asked for. Yes, it's a competition but no one would want to continue year after year without some support and encouragement. Watched many cosplayers improve with each con. Always just do your best and enjoy what you do!!
My friends and I have been "bumped" up a category in multiple competitions despite having never won anything. We're always super confused when we're told to sit with/stand with a different category because we were "bumped" even though there was never a reason for it. I don't think we ever deserved the win or anything because it's true that our craftsmanship wasn't up to par with the others. But even our first cosplays we made ourselves in high school and entered into a craftsmanship competition didn't have a chance to win because we were "bumped up" and now we always have to ask which category we belong in since we have 14 years of experience and we've been "bumped up" to masters despite having zero wins under our belt. I have a lot of patience for competitions now, I know that they may have been organized by people who have no idea what they're doing. I hope to compete in a competition one day though that feels fair and well run and allows us to enjoy ourselves more 🤞
"Wow, your cosplay looks so much better than anyone else's in the category! I know, how about putting you into a higher category, so you can't win? Isn't it a great idea?" Excuse me, but WHAT???
21:00 a similar thing for me in music is, if you make a mistake(when performing) you just have to continue on EVEN if you make a mistake because you(the performer) are probably the only one who knows you made a mistake, so if you continue as if there wasn't a mistake, no one in the crowd will know there is a mistake. the same could apply here as you said
Back when I was learning a song, either Simon and Garfunkel or Frank Sinatra, they said to just keep singing because I would know the song better than most.
I've been to one con so far, and the cosplay contest there consisted of 3 party city Spider-Man costumes, fat Batman, walmart Ash Ketchum, and Jack Sparrow with a jar of dirt. Everyone had fun with it and Jack walked away with the top prize.
I love that this is such a thoughtful, constructive and insightful review/discussion of a cosplay show gone wrong. More people need to know what goes on with how Cosplay Contests are run! Also threatening to call my mom is such a power move! 😆
The person with the mic and the people who organized this should have won the award of making people feel awkward, heartbroken and disappointed. I really hope there will be better organization next time because I can't immagine it getting worse than this
"if standing up and looking at a cosplay in detail can make or break someones experience of competing, im gonna do it for every person that walks through the door" the world would be such a better place if everyone had this ammount of kindness
In Finland, we have the same thing and it is called assembly summer/ winter. the competitions have been nice but the judges don't examine the outfits. they sit in their chairs, look at the original anime outfit (not cosplay) and ask questions
My first few comps they asked questions but no touching. The next year however they must have gotten a new batch of judges because they DECENDED on me and my costume LOL, hems flipped seams examined props poked ect it was quite jarring and warned people when I got out because if you are not ready it gets overwhelming. Now more ask first before getting handsy LOL
The production value of this video is excellent. The quality, the humor, the editing, the pacing, the knowledge level, all of it was perfect. You are so easy and fun to watch and listen to. I probably wouldn't have remained interested the whole way through had it not been for how well done this video was. Kudos
I competed in a contest where they did line all the winners where the audience could see them off stage and it felt weird. I won my division at the contest but even as a winner I felt so bad for all the other contestants who automatically knew they didn't win before they even announced the winners.
I went to a local con in 2017 where you had to sign up online in advance. I wasn't expecting to win or anything because I am very beginner level at sewing, however as soon as the contest started, they began calling for people to join even if they hadn't signed up. They put the children and novice section together, and they included store-bought costumes in the line up. I had just spent three days making costumes for me and my brother, and only finished mine that morning, and I lost to a girl in a store bought black dress and headband. I haven't made a full costume since then, but I'm trying to motivate myself to try again.
this is so insane and awful oh my gosh - it’s so jarring to hear because dreamhack aus had a cosplay competition last year, and I accompanied a friend to pre-judging. they were so meticulous, and the organisation was absolutely incredible so it’s so disappointing to hear that this con didn’t do the same!
The worst cosplay contest I went to was a small comic con in SE Pennsylvania. The winners were announced by the director/president of the whole thing. In the experienced category is where it went AWKWARD. I forget the names of the actual characters that won but when she was announcing 2nd place she was like “Hatsune Miku!! Wait, wait, wait not Miku! It’s InuYasha!” Said it directly into the microphone and the “Miku” cosplayer was halfway up the stage when the director backtracked. “Miku” made a u turn and left the room. While the director was like “wait! Come back Miku! Come back! We’ll give you SOMETHING!” My friends and I afterwards left a complaint that that was unprofessional and the director was “I was stressed out and had a lot on my plate because we had to move venues last minute. And I’m new to this. And why is everyone being mean to me about the contest?” SO AWKWARD
I’m a pretty young cosplayer, and this really hurts to watch because I actually can relate. I have only participated in a handful of contests before, and none of them have been very great. They were all local, so I tried to brush it off, but it’s just annoying when I look at them now. At one of them, I had made a cosplay that, for my age, was very difficult to create. I had put hours of my time and effort into this cosplay, but I decided to join the “masquerade” section of the contest instead of the craftsmanship one, because I hadn’t made a build book and honestly was too scared. After standing there, waiting anxiously for the winners, it’d been announced that a man in a store-bought hotdog costume had won first place. I believe they just determined it by listening to how much the audience cheered when they entered the stage. There was no sort of pre-judging or questioning besides a literal picture being taken. One picture. I am very disappointed.
Watching this reminds me of the DISASTERS I'd witness at the Midwestern cons. I still remember a year at Kitsune Kon (WI con) where cosplayers were immediately REJECTED if they were cosplaying from specific series (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, even stuff like Supernatural). It caused a huge stir when some phenomenal cosplayers were just shy of rioting because of this "rule". Like??? If it's handmade and someone puts in all that effort, who CARES if it's a popular character??? I believe that was...2015ish? It's been years so I'm a little foggy on the exact year, but I do remember this was a common "rule" in the MW before 2020.
Yeah I remember a few official unofficial "No L's" rules from back when death note was the biggest series at the time. Where you'd end up with a dozen people showing up in a white T-shirt calling it a day. I kind of get it for that specific case but it's a pretty bad rule even unofficially.
@@TheyCallMeScifioh God I almost forgot about all the L's I remember going in plain cloths and someone asking if I was cosplaying L. I was literally just wearing jeans and a t-shirt. When I look around and notice like 50 people wearing the exact same thing walking around I swear I almost thought about trying to sneak in with the "wild herd of L's" lol
The only time an MC at a cosplay contest should be making jokes is to vamp for time in between sets. At Salt Lake FanX, the same announcer has been there for years, and during judging, he'll hype up the crowd so expertly by telling a max of 3 bad jokes, but also engaging the crowd trying to get chants going, etc. But that's either in between categories when they got to reorganize people back stage, or while the judges are making last minute judgements. I can't imagine a stand up routine during the contest itseld 😭
If I at any point dared doing the impossible, breaking through my social anxiety and major stage fright, and I was then shoo'd away like an unwanted animal, and have my hygeine questioned or be the butt end of a joke at my expense, and nobody wants to give me the exact same treatment and respect that I see others receiving, I think I would've become so affected by it, that it would set off my disorder, which would likely cause a seizure. I would've never dared trusting anyone ever again, about something that's meant to be enjoyed, fun, and bring people together. How disgusting.
Oh my gosh, yes. It reminds me of two events I was fortunate enough to be able to judge, the first was rather awkward regarding my fellow judge. She basically said 'Yeah, this costume looks good, but this is her first contest and I don't see her as a winner, so no, less points' and gave full points to a Cosplayer whose costume was falling apart (they knew about it and told us and they ere totally realistic and said they know it's a mess) because 'I know they are good, they deserve to get a price'. Eh yeah. I didn't apply to be a judge after that anymore. The second one wasn't as bad, my co-judge was just so arrogant and dismissive towards the contestants, I tried to really make up for it by being extra friendly and supportive.
