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Marquette seniors split $93,000 prize on 'Beat Shazam'

We all have those moments when a song comes on and you know the words but can't think of the title or artist. So we pull out the old smartphone to give us the answer in seconds. But the FOX show "Beat Shazam" keeps it old school, challenging contestants to know the song within a few beats.

Marquette students Alex Mirsberger and Stephen Poorten proved to be just about as good as the song-knowing app, taking home $93,000 as the grand-prize winners in the episode that aired Monday.

"Are you guys old enough?" host Jamie Foxx quipped during the introductions. "These guys look like they could be in 'Stranger Things' or something."

Poorten told Foxx that he and Mirsberger met through Marquette's athletics department. Poorten is a former cross-country runner, while Mirsberger still plays on the men's soccer team. Mirsberger revealed that — at the time of taping — the pair would graduate from the university in five days.

Mirsberger, a redshirt senior and 2021 all-conference performer, graduated from Brookfield Central High School, while Poorten hails from Sycamore, Ill.

Competing against two other teams, the youngsters squeaked into the second round by knowing "Sucker" by the Jonas Brothers and "Right Round" by Flo Rida quicker than the others.

In a $12,000 hole entering the final head-to-head round, the Marquette friends stormed back by knowing the instrumentals to The Who's "Baba O'Riley" and LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem." On the deciding song, Mirsberger and Poorten were faster in knowing the beats to "You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees, moving on with $43,000 in the bank.

The final round offered five songs valued at $25,000 per chance if they knew the exact song title, and the duo knew two: "Something Just Like This" by Coldplay and "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. They missed "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers, "Again" by Lenny Kravitz and "Could You Be Loved" by Bob Marley and the Wailers.

When asked what they'll do with their winnings, both said they'd use some of the money to pay off student-loan debt.


88Nine Social Media Manager | Radio Milwaukee