By Rachel Levy

Phi Mu Alpha hosted their seventh annual Mr. Shenandoah contest on the night of April 10. Benefitting the Ira Lindberg Harris Scholarship fund, this lively event was held in Armstrong Concert Hall, and many students and staff came out to support representatives from various clubs at Shenandoah.

Grad student Jimmy Smith co-hosted this year’s pageant with Byron Jones, DMA. The two made a perfect couple on stage, making jokes with one another and keeping the comedy going. Smith’s energy and Jones’s mellow attitude complimented each other well keeping the audience laughing and engaged. Smith remarked that he had a lot of fun in his first year hosting.

The pageant men started out strong with a dance number to Backstreet Boys hit, “Everybody.” All the contestants came out in white shirts, and Matt Hanson ripped his in half at the end.

After the dance, the men were challenged to a comedy competition. Some had the auditorium, while others were not the best, but they were all in good spirits.

Their jokes, however, were not nearly as funny as their feats of strength section. Some honorable mentions included sleeping in front of people and not caring, arm wrestling a John Cena doll, and even running into a column during an epic lightsaber battle.

While the judges were deliberating on top three, the Phi Mu Alpha boys came out to perform a dance to Big & Rich’s “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).” The girls went wild for the men shaking their hips on stage.

The three top were chosen and had to perform a talent and answer questions. Matt Hanson ended up winning by lip syncing “Let It Go” as Elsa and having a heartfelt answer to what motivates him. His performance led to his ultimate victory.

When asked how he felt about winning, he joked, as he did all night, and said he was “overwhelmed.”  He talked about how before the show he had the video for “Let It Go” on repeat for an hour to remember it and accidentally ended up singing while on stage.

Mr. Shenandoah was fun for everyone who attended with a lot of cheering and singing in the audience all night long. The hosts and contestants made it funny and enjoyable for all, while raising money for a good cause.

Feature photo by Rachel Levy