Before 4 a.m. Saturday, the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon was buzzing with excitement over the rumor that a special guest was scheduled to appear at 4:15.

The Goo Goo Dolls, Jessica Simpson, Dave Matthews, Justin Timberlake, Oprah Winfrey and George W. Bush were among those rumored to appear.

"We've heard so many rumors. It's out of control," said Alicia George (sophomore-public relations).

As time drew closer to 4 a.m., the attendance in the bleachers doubled.

"For all this has been hyped up for, it has to be something big," dancer Kelly Albert (senior-psychology) said. "I mean, it brought this whole crowd out."

Students watched in excitement as Adam Duff, Thon overall chair, took the microphone.

"Welcome," he said, "to the giant bathroom break!"

The "bathroom break" is an event in which dancers run and slide down a runway covered in baby powder. For 10 seconds, the dancers lie down in the powder while getting massaged by special operations volunteers.

Typically held in a Rec Hall hallway, the "bathroom break" was brought to the main floor this year.

The large crowd that accumulated in the early Saturday morning hours began to shout "We are Penn State" and "We want the dancers" as dancers slid in the powder.

Students were surprised that there was no celebrity at the rumored time, but many said they were hopeful someone was scheduled to appear soon after. As the night wore on, it became more apparent: There was no special guest.

Jess Hoffman, special operations volunteer, said she knew weeks ago that there was no celebrity scheduled to appear but was not allowed to say anything. She said she was surprised when she heard all the hype about a celebrity appearance.

"People were like, 'Britney Spears is coming,' " Hoffman said. "It wasn't as big as everyone made it; there is no surprise guest."

Some students were disappointed.

"I didn't expect it to be a big huge celebrity, but I expected it to be something cool," said dancer James Marin (sophomore-telecommunications). "It was a nice thing they tried to do, but it was more a disappointment than anything. I think a lot of the dancers were disappointed."

Dancer Leslie Hasness (senior-biology) said she had some idea the celebrity rumors were false. "My friends are the captains. They knew what was coming. They told me not to be too excited."

Other dancers enjoyed the bathroom break. "It's a rush of energy when you run down and see everyone cheering," said Rich Tate (senior-mechanical engineering).