I had heard that Scott was going to be there, so I knew at least one really awesome costume was going to be in the contest.

This photo shows a sample of regular costumes. Not crazy big costumes.

Mexican wrestlers

A very forlorn-looking kissing booth.

Surprisingly, not everyone hated Simon. A lot of people wanted to pose with him.

I hadn't counted on his bad-boy charm!

Moving around in the very large crowd can get tricky in a big costume, but it is part of the fun. The most fun is when a tight series of photographers line up, so that an almost constant barrage of flashes pop.

By the way, approximately 60% of digital camera owners curse violently during that long pause as they wait for their flash to charge. 

For $30, a Halloween party should have a mechanical bull. In fact, every party should have a mechanical bull.

A few people mistook the costume to be bartender-related, or found it hilarious to rest their drinks on this handy table. 

One polite couple even asked if they could have sex on the table. They were definitely going to Hollywood.

At last, it was 11:45 pm, time to line up for the costume contest. All of the really good costumes congregated to one corner of the warehouse, ready to take the stage.

This slot machine couple had won the top prize in 2004, beating out my Dr. Octopus costume with their tequila bottle and margarita costumes.

Could they do it again?