For Fun and Framar: Zein Al-Atrache is Mr. UMW

By MADELINE MCDONALD

At last Thursday’s annual Mr. UMW competition in Dodd Auditorium, 13 young men battled it out to win the title of Mr. UMW, but only one of these young men proved worthy enough for the crown: junior Zein Al-Atrache.

The contestants kicked off the show by dancing to a mashup of some of Lady Gaga’s well-known hits, like “Poker Face,” “Disco Stick” and “Telephone” while scantily clad in homemade versions of her often ridiculous costumes.

While they were a little out of sync, the dance only managed to add to their charm, while their group participation push-ups had the audience screaming for more.

The always-entertaining talent portion of the show followed the first round of eliminations. It mostly consisted of song and dance routines, though there were a few unique performances mixed in.

Some of the contestants really knocked it out of the park with their talents: Danny “Mr. Alvey” Browne sang an adorable song called “That’s What I like About UMW,” Andrew “Mr. Eagle Landing North” Hogan performed a hilarious “Shewolf” dance, and Zein “Mr. Framar” Al-Atrache demonstrated some amazing glow-in-the-dark nun-chuck skills.

After more eliminations, a sportswear competition, and plenty of hijinks, in the end it was Zein Al-Atrache, Mr. Framar, who was crowned Mr. UMW by 2009’s Mr. UMW, Chris Vellucci.

Despite some off-stage difficulties, 2010’s Mr. UMW Pageant was a huge success. All the contestants deserve a pat on the back just for getting up there and running around dressed like Lady Gaga, let alone for performing and showing off in front of a screaming, cheering audience of people they know and see everyday.

This whimsical and hilarious display of the young men on campus strutting their stuff will not easily be forgotten, especially since it can be found online.

So if you just couldn’t make it out to the show or want to relive all the hilarity from the comfo­­rt of your dorm room, check out umwbullet.com for a highlight reel of some of the best acts in our latest “This Week at UMW” video as well as the full performances of the opening dance number and Mr. Eagle Landing North’s great “Shewolf” dance.

[Photo credit: Paul Tindall/Bullet]