King of the Campus

On Thursday night, nine daring men braved the harsh world of beauty pageants, displaying their talents, their wit - and in more cases than not, their bodies - as they vied for the prestigious title of "Mr. BC."

The contestants - Tim Bates, A&S '09, Jim Conti, A&S '07, Pat Corcoran, A&S '09, Peter Curran, CSOM '09, Sean Hanel, A&S '07, Chester Li, A&S '08, Donnie Muerer, A&S '07, Alex Rikleen, LSOE '09, and Neil Shea, A&S '07 - had to survive five categories of competition and a round of elimination in order to win the judges' favor and the coveted crown (and robe and scepter) of Mr. BC.

The fifth annual "Mr. BC" was an RHA-sponsored program designed to give students a fun break from the stress of the week and an opportunity to gather together as a community.

"It's a great event that brings the community out," said Paul Kennedy, RHA member and A&S '09. "I mean, it brings people together on a Thursday evening."

Many students did decide to pay the $5 entrance fee to watch their favorite contestant strut his stuff on the runway. Nearly 400 students gathered in the Rat to watch the festivities, which included a mini-concert by Bluebook Addiction, winner of the Qdoba Beanpot Battle of the Bands.

The event started with 20 minutes of music as Bluebook Addiction, who played covers such as "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors, "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson, and their own original songs, which were a self-described mix of alternative, punk, and indie by band member Roberto Iturralde, A&S '07.

The night continued with the comedic stylings of host Ryan Kagy, A&S '08, who provided a steady stream of commentary and provoked a great deal of laughter from the audience. As he introduced himself, he jokingly told the audience what his real function was in this competition.

"I'm here to make the contestants look better by comparison," said Kagy. "I'm like that ugly friend to you bring to parties to make yourself look prettier."

Kagy kept the audience and panel of judges laughing through the five categories of competition, which included casual wear, swimwear, talent, formal wear, and a question-and-answer segment.

Each portion of the evening certainly had its own memorable moments. During "casual wear," Meurer sported a full-body red pajama suit, complete with the token flap in back, while Corcoran ripped off his outer casual wear to reveal a Superman costume as he danced to the music of Backstreet Boys' "Larger than Life."

The swimwear category evoked an even greater audience response, as the contestants doffed most of their clothing - and in one case, some of their hair, as Rikleen revealed the "BC" he had shaved into his chest. Bates opted to rip off his shirt and pour water on himself, which Ed Taylor, professor in the accounting department and a judge, said was the most outrageous part of the evening.

The judges' panel, consisting of Associate Dean of the Office for Student Development Paul Chebator; Kerry Cronin, professor in the philosophy department; Jenn Castillo, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College president-elect and A&S '08; Margaret Galiani, A&S '10; Armand Lauzon, CSOM '10; Rev. Don MacMillan, S.J.; Catherine Mary-Rivera, assistant director of Residential Life; and Taylor, had a difficult decision to make in choosing from a number of enthusiastic contestants.

Although the crowd cheered loudly for every contestant, Hanel elicited a particularly emphatic response with his interpretive ribbon dance to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" during the talent portion of the competition. Meurer also chose to display his artistic talent, performing an original, BC-inspired rap to Mim's "This Is Why I'm Hot."

After a brief intermission, the contestants returned to compete in formal wear. While some, such as Muerer, tried to woo the judges and audience members by passing out roses, others such as Bates, decided to go a different, cross-dressing route, and wear a dress and blonde wig while dancing to "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals.

While such performances would perhaps not have been tolerated in the scandal-ridden Miss America, Miss Universe, or even the body-building Mr. Universe competitions, they certainly received enough catcalls and whistles from the mostly female audience. Mr. BC stands in a category all his own, as Kagy described.

"When I think, what is a Mr. BC contestant, I think - it's that guy dancing on a table in a mod at 3 a.m. singing along to Fergie," said Kagy. "And it's not because he's drunk. It's because he can spell 'glamorous.'"

The judges may not have followed the same criteria as Kagy in their decision in the first elimination round, which left contestants Bates, Conti, Hanel, and Meurer to compete in the final category of question-and-answer.

Kagy asked each contestant two questions - and the topics included: What particular dining hall theme they felt best represented them as a person and why, convincing Che-Chi the sausage vendor to hire them, what Ninja Turtle they would be and why, and how they would react if they found Jared Dudley in their bed, awake and unwilling to leave.

The answers varied and often left the audience breathless with laughter.

Both the audience and judges appeared to enjoy themselves and the antics of the contestants.

"I had such a great time," said Galiani. "It was more fun than I even anticipated it would be."

Members of the audience echoed Galiani's sentiments. "It's really funny and entertaining. Everyone seems to be having a good time," said Christina Farnham, A&S '10.

Winner of this year's Mr. BC title, Donnie Meurer, was also pleased with the outcome of the night. "It's an incredible feeling [to be Mr. BC.]," said Meurer. "I definitely didn't think I had it in the bag by any means. I was impressed with the other contestants' talents - and with their outfits."