Mr. USU 2015 goes to…
Utah State University students line up outside the TSC ballroom doors Monday night excited and full of energy. It’s wasn’t a basketball game, tennis match or other event.
They were there for the Mr. USU pageant, part of USU’s homecoming festivities year after year. The 12 men that participated were each from a different college on USU’s campus and competed for the treasured crown on Sept. 28. The ballroom was packed full of Aggies ready to cheer on their favorite candidate to victory. The theme was “Gladiators.”
Participating were Rhett Crandall, Mr. Ag; Jace Goodwin, Mr. Arts; Andrew Kenney, Mr. Business; Max Bensen, Mr. CHASS; Derick Morales, Mr. Diversity; Ricky Coles, Mr. Education; Nic Cortez, Mr. Engineering; Chris Glaittli, Mr. Greek; Thomas Rogers, Mr. Involvement; Nathan Harris, Mr. Natural Resources; Ian Anderson, Mr. SAA; and Erik Dalton, Mr. Science.
Contestants were judged according to talent, fitness and formal attire, with an onstage question. For the talent portion, the judges were looking for creativity, stage presence and preparedness. Talents ranged from cowboy poetry, to dance numbers, to Jimmy Fallon “Thank-You Notes” and even a skating number.
The formal category of the competition was judged based on the confidence and poise of the men, as well as how well they represent USU. Questions included everything from what their favorite activities on campus are, to why they chose USU, to what their top three favorite things about USU are.
After a performance from the 2014 Mr. USU, drum rolls ensued throughout the whole ballroom. A new component to the competition was introduced — a people’s choice award contest through Instagram, in which Aggies went to the USU Blue Crew Instagram page to vote for their favorite to win. The People’s Choice award went to Mr. Greek, Chris Glaittli. The Mr. Congeniality award went to Mr. CHaSS, Max Benson. The second runner-up was Mr. Arts, Chace Goodwin. The first runner-up went to Mr. Business, Andrew Kenney, and Mr. USU went to Mr. Student Involvement, Thomas Rogers.
“I was shocked when they announced my name. I had my friends video it just in case,” Rogers said.
Rhett Crandall, Mr. Ag, said his favorite part of the competition was getting to know the fellow competitors and having fun.
“I really felt like we became friends and had time to bond. The hardest part was the fitness routine,” he said. “Although it wasn’t too hard, it definitely gave me a new respect for dancers. We all went out there on the stage like a family. We were out there to have fun and to have a good time.”
Rogers said he enjoyed the talent portion most.
“Everyone had something different, some were funny and some were unique,” he said. “The hardest was competing and just getting the routines down. We only had three days to learn everything, but it was fun to compete and to see what everyone brought to the stage. I had a lot of fun.”
— kortni.marie.wells@aggiemail.usu.edu