MU students and visitors alike watched as five men competed to be the first ever Mr. Mizzou on Wednesday evening in Stotler Lounge.
Hosted by the Student Unions Programing Board, the pageant consisted of four acts: an introduction and evening wear, talent and interview sections.
In the opening, the five contestants were introduced to the crowd, each with a pageant alias they were referred to during the competition. Apollo Song was introduced as Mr. SUPB, Chris Henry was Mr. ICOM, Juan Mundo-Sifuentes was Mr. Gentleman, Toby Schellingerhout was Mr. GTU and Alex Cadice was called as Mr. MOJO.
Five judges watched intently as the participants charmed and entertained the crowd in turns.
After a few provocative dance numbers, the gentlemen showed off their evening wear for the crowd, some choosing to go the more traditional route and others, like Henry in his penguin footie pajamas, opted to spice things up a bit.
“I was pretty much crying laughing,” competition judge Jordan Dyson said in reference to Henry’s outfit.
The talent acts received even more laughs than the first two acts.
Leading off was Song, who set up a DJ table on stage and instructed all the “sexy ladies in the house” to get up and dance. Song, also referred to as DJ Panda, received compliments for the judges on his extreme enthusiasm.
Next on the lineup was Henry, who wowed the crowd with his juggling expertise by working with balls of different weights and masses and even included a few full water bottles into the routine.
Mundo-Sifuentes chose to appeal to the ladies in the room. He demonstrated his affinity for dancing, enlisting the help of a partner as he twirled across the stage.
Schellingerhout slowed up the pace and chose to recite his own poems to the audience. He wrote about beauty in imperfection and even recited a wedding vow he had written for his future wife.
Last up was Cadice, who represented ’90s kids everywhere with an incredibly energetic rendition of an Aaron Carter song.
The next act, the question and answer session, turned out to be more entertaining than informational. Questions led to everything from an authentic Chinese song performed by Apollo Song and a reenactment of a scene from the movie “Air Bud” by Alex Cadice.
At the conclusion of the pageant, the crowd was allowed to pick a favorite, though the final decision for Mr. Mizzou was made by the judges. The crowd pick was Cadice. but Mundo-Sifuentes was named the first ever Mr. Mizzou.
“This was a great experience,” Mundo-Sifuentes said. “I didn’t plan on doing it, but obviously it was a good thing I did. I guess peer pressure worked out for the best. It was a fun time, and I would definitely do it again.”
Kaitria Sievers, SUPB member and event coordinator, said she was pleased with the outcome.
“For the first time ever, it was absolutely fabulous,” Sievers said. “MSA and GPC were a huge help. It was a great event, and we really want to continue it in the upcoming years.”