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I just can’t wait to be Mr. USU

By Rachel A. Christensen

Ten USU men vied for the judges’ approval for the 2008 Mr. USU pageant Wednesday but only Tyler Tolson walked away with the title. This year’s theme, “I Just Can’t Wait to be King,” came from the Disney movie “The Lion King.”

The 2008 Mr. USU contestants were Brett Healy, Erik Wynn, Jeremy Winn, Jonathon Kidd, Josh Nagao, Lee Cannon, Michael Green, Nate Needham, Rich Wilkinson and Tolson. The contestants spent a lot of time together in preparation for the pageant, and Tolson said they depended on each other and learned from one another during that time.

“I learned how to calm my nerves to the strength of other people,” Tolson said. “The guys backstage were really supportive.”

Dione Garlick, junior in political science and one of the event’s narrators, said about 1,500 students attended the event.

The pageant started with a movie by John Reynolds which introduced the pageant’s theme as well as allowed each contestant to introduce themselves. They wore animal ears and performed a dance to “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” choreographed by Alyson Shepherd, president of the Student Alumni Association.

“Be careful, Broadway, USU is coming,” said Garlick’s fellow narrator Kyle Milne, senior in public relations.

Contestants modeled swimwear for the next portion of the pageant. The swimwear varied from Green’s merman fin and coconut bra to Winn’s blue speedo with a stuffed Big Blue head in front. Healy shocked the audience with his swimwear which displayed an ‘A’ for Aggies shaved out of his chest hair.

During the talent portion, the contestants were able to show off their abilities in music, comedy and art. Cannon kicked off the talents by singing and playing the piano to “Come What May” from “Moulin Rouge.”

“Most babies come out crying,” he said. “I came out singing.”

Needham performed an interpretive dance and lipsync to “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid” while wearing a pink ballet costume complete with tutu and ballet slippers. Near the end of his dance, two stage crew members came on stage and blew bubbles to give the illusion of water.

Tolson displayed his talent for graphic design by using white paint and a blue canvas with a white Aggie ‘A’ in the righthand corner. Before Bob Marley’s song “Don’t Worry About a Thing,” had finished, Tolson had turned the blue canvas into a portrait of Bob Marley using the ‘A’ to create Marley’s face.

“I probably practiced 30 times,” Tolson said. “It took repetition and patience.”

After the talents, contestants suited up for the evening wear portion of the pageant. The entries varied from Kidd, who rode in on a tandem bike, to Wynn, who wore forest green footsie pajamas. Nagao dressed to the pageant’s theme by wearing a safari outfit and carrying a live kitten dressed like a lion.

The competition part of the night concluded with a question and answer segment. Homecoming royalty Christie Bagley, Chelsi Lancaster, Braden Jensen and Scott Needham asked the questions and had each contestant randomly draw a question from a bowl. Green, still wearing a military uniform from his tour in Afghanistan which he wore for the evening wear portion, answered his question in an impersonation of President George W. Bush. In his fake Bush accent, Green said kids need to be taught to fight terrorists.

“America, that’s one thing we do,” he said.

Wilkinson was asked how he would close the income gap in Cache Valley if he became Mr. USU.

“It’s because I’m black, that’s why,” Wilkinson said in response, which was met by laughing and applause from the audience.

The judges were then dismissed to make their final decisions on the winners. This year’s judges were USU graduate Tim Hansen, Woman’s Center Advisory Board Member Andrea Coward, ASUSU President Grady Brimley, Aggie Facilitator MJ Tran and Director of Student Involvement and Leadership Tiffany Evans.

Spencer Lee, sophomore and guest talent who performed a rap earlier in the pageant, awarded Shepherd and ASUSU Traditions Chair Crystal Degan with flowers for their efforts in creating the Mr. USU pageant. CAPSA also held a raffle which the audience members could enter for $3 per ticket. Prizes for the raffle varied from $25 giftcards for Firehouse Pizzeria to tickets to the Jazz versus Clippers basketball game in November.

Needham was awarded as Mr. Congeniality, Wynn won best swimwear for his scuba gear, Green won the evening wear and question and answer segment, and Cannon was recognized for best talent. The coveted title of Mr. USU 2008 was awarded to Tolson.

“It’s crazy because all of the guys were amazing,” Tolson said. “I absolutely loved the time we spent together. I’m surprised I won. There was tough competition, they’re good guys.”

Tolson won a $100 cash award, a belt donated by S.E. Needham Jewelers and a gift basket full of prizes from various donors. After being awarded with a blue sash and his prizes, Tolson took off his old belt, put on the new one and took a bow.

–rac.ch@aggiemail.usu.edu