UT beat out Ohio State, the University of South Florida, Syracuse, Brandeis, and Creighton in the 2012 College Challenge to have a Today show segment with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb broadcast from campus. Today show personnel were on campus on September 19 to film some “look-ins” on UT in front of Ayres Hall and were greeted by a large crowd of orange-clad students, faculty, and staff who had been alerted to the opportunity to participate in the effort to be deemed the “most festive” by e-mail from Chancellor Cheek. In short two- to three-minute segments, the cameras captured countless choruses of “Rocky Top.” National voting numbered over 150,000, and UT came out on top.
The show broadcast from the Ayres lawn on October 1, with Gifford and Kotb dressed in orange and white and hundreds of similarly clad people on hand to welcome them. The show featured a variety of activities, including makeovers for some UT staff, an interview with country singer Kip Moore, a trivia competition between Gifford and Kotb and UT students, a sign contest, and a pretaped segment touring the campus and sampling tailgate food.