Staff Writer
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was televised just two weeks ago and it attracted 10.3 million viewers. The Best of Broadway club at Springfield College is putting on its own fashion show of sorts, Mr. SC, and though there will not be millions of attendees, it is sure to be a popular event on campus.
Mr. SC will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Fuller Arts Center. During the event, the contestants will do an opening number, a short dance, a beachwear display, a formal wear part and finally, a talent section. There will be seven contestants, all talented, entertaining and brave… and all male.
Eliza Foresti, a junior physical education major, is the president of the Best of Broadway and was a key part in putting together what she calls “a male beauty pageant.”
“It’s been going on since the ‘80s, and we haven’t had it since my freshman year,” Foresti said. “It’s been a pretty long tradition that just kind of got phased out a couple of years ago, so we figured we’d bring it back and make it a tradition again.”
This is sure to be an entertaining, impressive and fun event for all of the viewers. With final exams beginning four days after Mr. SC, it is a good way to take a break from studying and enjoy a stress-free night. “We have seven contestants. It might go up, it might go down. It’s just a really tough time of year with exams and stuff. We don’t want it to be a really tough commitment for people, but right now, we have seven people,” Foresti said.
The process of the competition is fairly similar to most beauty pageants or talent shows. What makes this more unique and gets the audience involved is that there is an audience vote on which contestant they enjoyed the most.
“They’ll be judged by three judges composed from faculty and staff on the campus,” Foresti said. “They’ll get the results in, then there will be an intermission, then there’s a question-and-answers portion. Finally, the winner will be announced.”
The audience may not ultimately decide the winner, but they do have an effect on the voting and the earning of additional prizes.
“The judges decide the winner, and then there are two runner-ups. This year, we’re also doing an audience choice,” Foresti said. “So, when you enter Mr. SC, it’s a $2 admission, but you get a ticket and that’s one audience vote. You get to vote for whoever is your favorite contestant during intermission, where you can buy additional votes, and they’ll also win prizes, whoever wins the audience choice.”
The competition field is wide open, and every person technically has a 14.3 percent chance of winning, but there is one contestant that seems to have a lot of confidence and is ready to go.
“It’s going to be fun; I’m not nervous,” junior Patty Long said. “I can’t tell you what I’m going to do for the talent section, but it’s going to blow your mind!”
So what would compel a Springfield College student to participate in this nerve-wracking yet enjoyable event?
“Because I go to SC, I want to be Mr. SC,” Long said.
Victor Barbosa may be reached vbarbosa@springfieldcollege.edu