Hot Blind Debates

An adult spin on the classic high-school debate club format, Milwaukee's Hot Blind Debates adds an extra element of uncertainty (debaters are selected at random) and a whole lot of booze (spectators are given kazoos or confetti and encouraged to be loud). A fund-raiser for the nonprofit anti-poverty microlending group Kiva, the group's inaugural event pits debaters against each other on issues both heavy (religion and education) and less so (Riverwest vs. Bay View and Nicolas Cage vs. R. Kelly). The winners of each round advance to debate unannounced topics in a mystery round, and one will be crowned “Milwaukee's Master Debater.”