“Welcome to the circus that is Mr. Colgate.”

With this auspicious introduction, Director of Greek Life at Colgate Tim Mansfield officially opened the appropriately named “circus” that was the 2008 Mr. Colgate competition. The Hall of Presidents has perhaps never seen such a crowd as the one that congregated there to watch the madness unfold as the ninth annual Mr. Colgate “pageant” began on Wednesday, November 19, filling every chair and space available inside the seemingly large room. In previous years, the competition was held in the Chapel, but it apparently became too much of a circus for the holy place to handle. The change in venue did not, however, affect the fun and spirit of the night, going on to prove that while Colgate may harbor some of the best and brightest…there’s always room for a little insanity.

The seven lovely contestants first made their appearance on stage in various stages of aquatic undress, with outfits ranging from full scuba gear to very little besides their own “gear,” gaining the expected appreciative chuckles. These seven men-which included Mr. Theta Chi junior Matt Muskin, Mr. Beta Theta Phi senior Adam Dudek, Mr. Brothers junior Charles Green, Mr. Link Staff sophomore Tom Cuppernull, Mr. Phi Delta Theta senior Mike Magee, Mr. Sigma Chi sophomore Charlie Gumz, and Mr. Phi Kappa Tau senior Zach Held-were prepared for anything, confidently sporting their swimwear and formalwear, showing off their incredible (or…not so incredible) talents, and getting through the ever-nerve-wracking Q&A.

Probably the most prevalent and remembered portion of the night belonged to the talent competition. While some contestants showed off their skills, others chose to show off…well, whatever they could. Mr. Theta Chi performed a medley of talents-juggling, tumbling, handstands then a bit of guitar playing. Following that was the rather unforgettable Adam “My body is a canvas…and a wonderland” Dudek, Mr. Beta Theta Phi, having an artistic masterpiece shaven into his quite astoundingly hairy chest. Mr. Brothers then showed off his pipes singing One Republic’s “Apologize,” while Mr. Link Staff did some quick dance tutorials for unsuspecting members of the audience-the dougie, pop, lock and drop it and walking it out, were his chosen lessons-before showing off his own moves. Mr. Phi Delta Theta donned his khakis, polo shirt and popped collar before being joined by his fellow frat brothers for a rap session about the life of the New England guy. That was followed by a rather creative interpretation of ballet performed by Mr. Sigma Chi, Charlie Gumz. And lastly, Mr. Phi Kappa Tau closed the talent portion of the show with a reenactment of the famous “revenge of the nerds” performance with the help of his frat brothers.

The Q&A portion of the night saw questions ranging from “If a man from Mars came to Colgate, where would you take him on a date?” to “Describe your most embarrassing moment,” to “What is the most meaningful Facebook group you belong to?” Answers ranged from the rather hilarious to the unnecessarily crude. The crowd neverless took each answer in, finally deciding on its favorites.

When all was said and done, the seven contestants stood proudly upon the stage in their formalwear, waiting for the judges’ results. As some contestants tried to make a few last minute pleas to the judges, the MCs tried to fill the wait with a few jokes. All while the crowd waited anxiously. When the results finally came in, Colgate students cheered as Adam Dudek, Mr. Beta Phi, was awarded third place, Charlie Gumz, Mr. Sigma Chi, was awarded second and finally, Mr. Link Staff, Tom Cuppernull was named the 2008 Mr. Colgate. As the new Mr. Colgate was crowned and congratulated, yet another Mr. Colgate competition came to an end. There is no doubt that next year’s competition will bring just as much spirit and fun.