Twelve of the college’s finest gentlemen took to the stage in SSS tonight to strip, shimmy and shake their way to the title of Mr. Yale. Ultimately, a winner was crowned in Mr. Pierson, Christian Probst ’16, who — in a drag performance of Christina Aguilera’s Ain’t No Other Man — utilized Yale Dancers, a short sequin dress and a long blond wig.
In his acceptance speech, Probst thanked all the other contestants “because they were phenomenal.” Then, in the spirit of Mean Girls (2004), he attempted to break his Mr. Yale crown and “give everyone a piece.”
Judge Kira Tebbe ’17 described the decision process as difficult. “We cared about how much they prepared and how confident they were, but also how the audience responded,” she said.
The evening had a promising start when Gary Sharp ’16 (Mr. Berkeley) entered in a silver, floor-length gown. Soon after, Mr. Trumbull, Matt Murawski ’14, put on a salacious variation of “The Twist” that ignited squeals, howls and laughter from the audience.
After the judges cut the number of entrants down to six, the remaining contests moved onto round two: the talent portion. Mr. Silliman, Stephan Riemekasten ’17, took this opportunity to exhibit his piano skills, wooing the crowd with his self-written lyrics set to the melody of ‘Let It Go’. Meanwhile, Mr. Morse, Jack Belcaster ’16, serenaded the primarily female audience with Frank Sinatra’s ‘The Way You Look Tonight’.
“I was never in it to win Mr. Yale,” Belcaster said. “I just wanted to get some face time with the ladies.”