The audience that nearly filled Rezac Auditorium Thursday night witnessed a wide range of entertainment from the candidates up for the coveted title of “Mr. MHS.” Along with an array of colorful costumes to be observed, the auditorium played host to magic, serenading, pop-princess-impersonating, single-handed acting, a “promposal” and much more, as Mr. MHS contestants took the stage that evening.

After much preparation over the course of a couple of short weeks, which included not only the design and construction of costumes and rehearsing of talents, but also the learning of group dance numbers, contestants were finally ready to perform in the “Safari Allure”-themed pageant, each with the intention of impressing a panel of judges, some members of the community with animal-related professions.

“A lot of it [the preparation] was mainly costume-related. A lot of it was just figuring out what I had to do. My friends helped me out a lot. I asked around for what would be a good idea, but overall, I think you just have to have a plan, and it’ll all come together in the end,” senior Trevor Bashaw, this year’s Mr. MHS, said. “My favorite part to do was probably the dances in the end. They were just kind of fun because I don’t dance that often, so that was kind of interesting to do.”

For senior Levi Jones, who was awarded the “crowd favorite,” of the pageant, working hard to prepare for the show was made enjoyable by spending time with fellow contestants.

“You get to work together with all of these guys. I mean, you get to work together with both people you’re friends with, and people you don’t really know that well, so you get to meet some cool people,” Jones said.

As far as how the pageant events were evaluated, there were a number of opportunities for the contestants to impress their judges and audience, earning points in categories such as talent, evening wear, swimwear and opening number costume. And while the pageant was, in fact, a competition, according to Jones, the it was all more about showing off each individual’s unique sense of unique sense of self through personal performances and creative ideas.

“The audience is so super supportive of you. They’re not going to judge you for being weird or crazy. They’re just going to accept you for however you present yourself because that’s who you are. They’re not really looking for a fake version of you; they’re looking for the real you,” Jones said.

According to Bashaw, he didn’t expect to be awarded the title Mr. MHS, but it was good to know that his and everyone’s hard work paid off to make the show a success.

“I didn’t really expect it, to be honest, so that was cool. It was a surprise. I didn’t think it was this big of a deal at first, but then I won and people were like, ‘Good job,’ and now I feel good about myself,” Bashaw said. “I would just like to give thanks to all of the contestants, Molly [Bollman, senior] for choreographing, Dalton [Juneman, junior] for actually putting on Mr. MHS as the stage manager. Otherwise, thanks to everyone for coming to the show and supporting it.”

Mr. MHS was a successful event this year, and Jones hopes the traditional success of the pageant will be carried on in years to come.

“I recommend that people do it next year. It is lots of fun. It is also lots of hard work, but don’t be intimidated by the hard work, but it is a really fun time. It’s just a good thing to do in high school to get yourself out there. It can be kind of embarrassing for some guys, but it could be something unexpected to do to shake things up,” Jones said.