Mr. UMW brings humor and talent to Dodd Auditorium

By AMANDA MOTLEY

Dodd Auditorium filled with glitz and glamour as the men of the University of Mary Washington residence halls competed in the annual Mr. UMW pageant.

The show, which had a Disney theme, showcased the men as they competed in talent, battle round and dancing ability.

The show opened with the men performing to classic Disney songs, including “I Just Can’t Wait to be King,” “Under the Sea” and “Be Our Guest.”

As the show continued, the contestants were introduced with hilarious biographies announced by graduate student Brandon Smith and sophomore theatre and chemistry double major Chris Sandoval.

By far, the most popular round was the talent portion, where the men chose a talent to showcase in order for them to earn points with the judges.

Senior biology major Kamsi Paul Young Edemobi kicked off the talent portion with his rendition of the “Footloose” dance that involved flips and turns, much to the audience’s delight.

Other notable talents included senior Evan Smallwood performing the iconic dance number from “Napoleon Dynamite,” freshman Dalton Baughn lip syncing to Beyonce’s “Love on Top,” freshman Josh Smallwood tying six bow ties in under a minute and sophomore Mikey Barnes lip syncing the theme song to the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

“Mr. Commuter’s talent by far stood out,” said junior Helen Bower. “His ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ dance was classic, and it was so cute.”

After the talent portion of the night, two of the men were voted off the stage. Unfortunately, Josh Smallwood and Alex Siven were voted off, leaving six contestants vying for the coveted title.

As the show moved into the next round, the men chose a weapon to show off their strength and fight for additional points from the judges. Each man brought a unique spin to show off their strength, but after this round another two were voted off.

Sophomore journalism major Chris Markham and freshman Dalton Baughn got the boot following this round.

Before the third round, three additional titles were awarded to the contestants as bonuses. Smallwood won the Philanthropy Award for raising $135 for the scholarship in Bob Ericson’s name, and Barnes won both the Social Media Award and the Peoples’ Choice Award.

However, in the end, only one man could become Mr. UMW, and Barnes prevailed. Kevin Sol followed in second place, with Evan Smallwood taking third place.

After the show, Barnes commented how thankful he was for the people who supported him..

“I owe it all to everyone who helped me out, from my roommate, to all my friends posting on social media,” said Barnes. “I really want to thank my Grandpa, who walked me across the stage.”

The competitors spent last week practicing and perfecting the event to make for a hilarious show.

The money from the event went to the Bob Ericson Science scholarship fund. Tickets from this event were one dollar, and all the proceeds from the sales and raffles went toward the scholarship.

Ian Spangler, a junior English and geology double major announced details about the scholarship. He informed the crowd that every penny counts toward reaching their goal of $25,000.

At Mr. UMW, the Association of Residence Halls raised $350 dollars. One Note Stand, who is organizing the fundraising, is close to reaching their goal, having raised $21,000 currently.