Click here to view a slideshow of the pageant.
Wearing a Borat G-string or tuxedos and bow ties, University men strutted their stuff and showed off their talents at Phi Mu’s Man of the Year pageant this past weekend. The pageant, held Saturday afternoon at the Varsity Theatre, benefitted the Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for children’s hospitals across America, said Cathleen Caffery, kinesiology sophomore and Phi Mu philanthropy chair. The 11 male contestants were judged on swimwear, talent, formal wear and overall crowd appeal. The top five contestants were also asked a final question. Chad Zibilich, history sophomore and first-place winner, wooed the judges and crowd with his Harry Caray impression. “I feel like a bunch of kangaroos are jumping around in my stomach,” Zibilich said after being crowned. While most men wore traditional male swimwear, such as Hawaiian-flower board shorts or a lifeguard outfit, one man was secure enough with his masculinity to sport a woman’s sun hat and beach cover-up. As entertaining as the swim round was, the crowd seemed to be most amused by the talent competition. Talents ranged from renditions of songs such as Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” and Garth Brooks’ “Callin’ Baton Rouge” to reenactments of “Napoleon Dynamite’s” dance routine and Will Ferrell’s ribbon dance from “Old School.” But nobody was a match for Eric Reimsnyder’s pogo stick ensemble. Reimsnyder jumped rope and even played LSU’s fight song on the keyboard while bouncing on his pogo stick to songs such as House of Pain’s “Jump Around” and Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” “That was just a lawsuit waiting to happen,” said Glen Penton, finance senior and co-host. It was no surprise when Reimsnyder was voted the crowd favorite and second runner-up. He was awarded two New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival tickets, a football autographed by Les Miles and a round of golf at the University Club. “I liked Eric [Reimsnyder] the most,” said Matthew Mick, finance sophomore. “He has a lot of odd talents.” At the end, the competition was narrowed down to five contestants who were asked one final question. The questions varied from the typical pageant question: “What are your thoughts on world peace?” to the not-so-typical question such as, “What do you think about children?” “I did it [the pageant] out of the compassion of my heart,” said mass communication junior, Rustin Steib. “I enjoy having a good time and embarrassing myself for the entertainment of others. But mainly for the children.” First runner-up went to Cody Loup, mechanical engineering sophomore, who showed off his tennis skills for the talent competition. But only one could be crowned Phi Mu’s Man of the Year. Zibilich said he was not too nervous because he had participated in events like this before. He said a good friend asked him to do it, and he gladly obliged. “I love doing stuff like this,” he said. “Doing Harry Caray impressions is one of my favorite things to do.” Zibilich, who won a two-night stay at the W Hotel in New Orleans, said he was pleased with his prize. “I plan on taking some friends to New Orleans for the weekend and just letting loose,” he said. McKenzie Nelson, biology and Spanish sophomore and Man of the Year chairperson, said this year’s event was a success. Phi Mu raised at least $5,000 for the CMN, she said. Katherine Tucker, nutrition sophomore, and Kathleen Johnson, kinesiology sophomore, agreed their work paid off. “Everything went really smooth,” Johnson said. “And it was really entertaining.” This was the second year Phi Mu has put on the pageant since it stopped a few years ago, Nelson said. “Last year it was just thrown together because we had not put it on in while,” she said. “But this year, we worked hard to make it big. And it was packed. Overall, I think it went well.”
—-Contact Drew Belle Zerby at [email protected]