First Annual Man Pageant and Auction Raises $550 for GS Senior Fund

Men were shedding standards for a good cause at the first annual “Mr. GS Mangeant,” held Friday at The Parlour at 86th and Broadway.

The pageant, hosted by the General Studies Student Council, was held to raise money for the GS senior gift fund.

“I’m excited to judge men,” Lemi Guidice, GS and one of the five judges on the panel, said before the event. “I feel like I’ve prepared and practiced for this all my life.”

“I’m here to show a little bit of who I am. There’s nothing I’d rather do, I’d do anything for GS,” contestant John Deserio, GS, said.

Miriam Aarons and Lauren Bedrosian, both GS, started organizing this event in early September. They recruited nine GS student competitors, who were given two hours to charm the judges and audience in an evening-wear competition, a talent show, and an interview session.

“We hope this will be a fun event that is different. We want people to be entertained,” Bedrosian said.

“It’s our way of giving back to Columbia,” competitor Ken Barnes, who is co-chair of the GS senior gift fund, said. “Our goal was to have the maximum participation.”

The crowd cheered as the would-be Mr. Mangeants marched onto the stage to the rhythm of Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack.” Barnes made the audience roar with laughter at his stand-up comedy criticizing racism, while competitor Andrew Greene demonstrated the art of making the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The most controversial “special talent” was competitor Garth Stewart’s sexually suggestive Brazilian jujitsu, which he claimed to have learned as a ground-fighting technique.

As the judges retired to make their final decision, the members in the audience placed bets on their favorite competitors. Haley Moon and Laura Oseland, both BC ’11, both agreed that Greene was their favorite. “His peanut butter and jelly performance was very appetizing,” Oseland said.

Kevin Flora, GS, disagreed. “I liked the jujitsu guy best; the way he kept a straight face was amazing.”

With a one-point margin, the honor of the first Mr. GS Mangeant went to Stewart. He was wrapped in a red robe and crowned with a silver Mr. GS Mangeant headpiece.

A silent auction followed that intended to “sell off” contestants to lucky bidders, which organizers said, “wasn’t a date auction but a service auction, like tutoring, or having dinner together.” Contestant Liron Lerman was sold for the highest amount at $61.

Although the turnout was not as big as organizers expected, the pageant raised 550 dollars via five-dollar entrance fees and the silent auction.