On Friday, March 3, the RM auditorium was filled with parents and students waiting to watch the highly anticipated 15th annual Mr. RM competition. This year’s competition featured 14 contestants from the senior class of 2017.

Hosted by seniors Vanessa Barnes and Valeria Parra, the three-hour competition featured displays of talent, as well as formal wear, casual wear, and beachwear events. Each contestant had a clever nickname based on their talent, background or personality. The crowd was well-entertained throughout, and the final winner was Drew Byrd, known by his nickname “Mr. Black and Boujee.”

As always, the competition began with the opening dance, followed by humorous introductions read by the hosts and acted out by each of the contestants. After the introductions was the talent portion of the show. Many talents came in the form of amusing videos, captivating musical performances, and even a display of juggling. Notable talents included Byrd’s original rap and accompanying video, as well as a lively performance of Irish dancing by David Ramarui, “Mr. Luckycharms.”

The following two segments of the show were formal wear and casual wear. During the formal wear segment, competitors escorted a special girl across the stage; many chose to bring their mothers, while others chose sisters, girlfriends, or friends. The casual wear segment offered a chance to see contestants in their everyday attire, and featured clever pickup lines.

The final segment before the first cut of contestants was made was beachwear, in which the contestants donned swimsuits, flippers, and other beachy attire while receiving leis onstage from hula girls. While the judges deliberated over who would make the final five, the audience was shown a blooper video of the 14 contestants learning the opening dance.

The audience excitedly awaited the names of the five contestants who would make it to the final round of the competition. These finalists were Thomas Hughes, “Mr. T,” Thwang Tang, “Mr. TP,” Alec Hall, “Mr. Steal Yo Girl,” Marcelo Amorelli, “Mr. Worldwide,” and Byrd, “Mr. Black and Boujee.”

In the final round of the competition, each of the final five contestants had to answer both a silly question and a more serious question. When asked what song would feature on the soundtrack to his life, Hughes answered with “No Diggity” by Blackstreet, which drew laughter from the audience, and Hall won over the crowd when speaking about who his inspiration was, naming his father as his primary inspiration and role model. While the judges further deliberated over who would win the title of Mr. RM, the audience was treated to a slideshow featuring each contestant’s baby pictures, showing how they evolved over time.

Before announcing who would be crowned Mr. RM, the hosts announced the contestant who raised the most money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This contestant, who gets the title of Mr. Coingeniality, was Joey Moore, “Mr. Sweatpants,” who raised $177.17.

Finally, the moment came for the crowning of Mr. RM. As Byrd’s name was announced, the audience erupted into applause and his fellow contestants lifted him onto their shoulders onstage. “Winning Mr. RM was a pretty big thing for me. I put in a lot of work and effort in my talent, with the help of Tatiana Traore,” Byrd said. “The environment was really friendly, and I got to meet a lot of people that I didn’t know before getting into Mr. RM, but everyone was still driven to win and everyone was putting in a huge amount of effort to come out on top.”

The 15th annual Mr. RM competition was a huge success, and all of the money raised from ticket sales as well as by each of the contestants will go to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in order to fund blood cancer research and help affected patients. The high-spirited event will surely be remembered as one of the most captivating in the history of the competition.

All photos by Tanya Syarnubi.