On Friday, January 23, spectators poured into Hatfield Hall not sure quite what to expect. The 2nd annual Mr. Rose pageant, presented by the Delta Xi Chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi on the Rose-Hulman campus, cost $5 to attend with all proceeds going to Strike Out Arthritis, AOII’s International Philanthropy. The initial 7 contenders were introduced by hosts AOII’s Erin Parker and former Mr. Rose Matt Melton. Contestants were ATO’s Cody Barron, XO’s John Sullivan, AXE’s Stutay Monga, Triangle’s Scott Vicino, LXA’s Nick Reed, IIKA’s Grant Walthall, and APO’s Ben Collins. Judges were AOII’s from neighboring chapters at Indiana State University, Quincy University, and Ball State University.

AOII is so grateful for all who helped the Mr. Rose pageant this year—we couldn’t have done it without you! We had tons of fun holding this event and we’re glad to be able to educate the community about arthritis and support the Arthritis Foundation.

—Amanda Vessey, past AOII President

There were six events total, three before and after the ten minute intermission. The first was the “Opening Dance Off,” where contestants were asked to “show off their skills of the dance floor to an unknown genre of music.” Songs included “It’s Raining Men” by the Pointer Sisters and “Bye Bye Bye” by N*SYNC. Some contestants, like Cody Barron, danced to the genre of the song, while others, like John Sullivan, performed random break dance moves like the worm. Next came the “Engineered Swimwear” category. Competitors brought swimsuits they made before the pageant to show off to the audience. More like stripper outfits than actual bathing suits, the swimwear ranged from Grant’s lumberjack, complete with axe and work boots, to Stutay’s cross-dressing masterpiece, with heels and a tear-away flower for one lucky audience member. However, “none compared to Melton’s pink duct tape Speedo from last year, ” recalled Erin Parker. Third was the “MacGyver Skills” challenge. Contestants were given a bag with such random items as a CD, paper plate, duct tape, and ruler. Then, they were asked to create a birthday present for a female friend in fifteen minutes. The results were hilarious. From Scott Vicino’s mask to Nick Reed’s towel doll to Ben Collins’ baby (who doesn’t want to take a baby with them to the bars?), the audience was laughing the entire time.

In between each competition, various items were raffled off. Prizes ranged from a giant barrel of cheese balls to a lip gloss set (won by a lucky male member of the audience) to a digital camera. Some were lucky enough to win one of the numerous items, while others, like Joanna Rosenbaum and Ramzi Zahreddine, won multiple prizes. Also interspersed between competitions were blurbs of information about arthritis. Random audience participants were asked to open a jar or button a shirt with socks on their hands to simulate the difficulties people with arthritis face. The pageant raised $1648.73 for Strike Out Arthritis.

Halfway through the competition, the final four contestants were announced. Cody Barron, John Sullivan, Scott Vicino, and Nick Reed continued on to the last three events. The “Question and Answer” session brought serious questions like “What do you want to do with your life?” Followed by a set of funny questions, such as “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?” Apparently, the cartoon supervillian was at the ATO house Thursday night and zombie ninjas would win the three way battle between pirates, zombies, and ninjas.

Next, the four contestants were asked to give their birthday wishes to two AOIIs celebrating their birthdays, Quincy University’s Lyndzie Thoms (19) and Rose Hulman’s Allie Terrell (22). Forms of expression ranged from poetry that promised a kiss from Mr. Rose to a Western song that was just the traditional Happy Birthday song sung with a Western accent. Last of all, the competitors sported suave formal wear and escorts on their arms. The person that collected the most money in their basket, Nick Reed, was awarded a set of coupons for local businesses before the winner of Mr. Rose was announced. The new Mr. Rose is Triangle Scott Vicino, escorted by Ashley Jackson. Scott and Runner-Up John Sullivan will receive Amazon.com gift certificates as their awards. Enjoyable and hilarious, the pageant was a success. As Brianna Butchart said, “I was impressed by the ability of the boys to engineer on their feet; going to Rose gives men an advantage with the ladies!”