Spertus came dressed to kill in a long, black skirt that split far above her knee and a custom-made corset that appeared to be covered with computer circuitry.
"I actually did some research on load-bearing undergarments," joked Spertus, who shares her birth year with computer chip giant Intel Corp. and made the leather thigh-holster that holds her treasured slide rule.
Ummm....OK.
Also rising to the occasion was contestant Jamie Hall, who said she spent four solid days memorizing the words to "The Diva Dance" and an aria from Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor," which were sung by Diva Pavalaguna in the science fiction film "The Fifth Element." The Houston Web designer painted herself blue and became the huge-headed alien, who sings once each decade.
"It was such a blast. I knew I had the right crowd," said Hall, 30.
Those efforts, however, did not come close to last year's most memorable stunt, which involved a finalist tattooing Microsoft's logo into his calf, said Steven Phenix, an account executive at Bite Communications Inc. and one of the contest's creators.
Wow, and I thought I was messed up and had no life.