Mr. Peninsula Review

Senior%2C+Dominic+Lauer%2C+showed+off+his+special+talent+at+the+second+annual+Mr.+Peninsula+Pageant.

Cassandra Bundrick

Senior, Dominic Lauer, showed off his special talent at the second annual Mr. Peninsula Pageant.

Madeleine Johnson and Grace Lewis

Last Thursday, dreams came true and limits were pushed in the PHS auditorium.  20 of Peninsula’s most brilliant and skilled men participated in the second annual Mr. Peninsula Pageant. Hosted by Mr. Miranda and judged by Mr. Hosford, Mrs. Demianiw, and Ms. Kurtz, the boys brought their A-game in all four sections of the show.

As the lights dimmed and spunky upbeat music flowed in the background, the boys entered the first stage of the competition: Formal. One by one, the 20 contestants walked onto the stage with a lovely Peninsula senior lady as an escort. As each Mr. Peninsula hopeful was presented to the audience by Mr. Miranda, cheers and hollers sounded throughout the fan-packed auditorium, reflecting the growing anticipation for the next section: Beach Wear.

Although the entire Pageant was extremely light-hearted, the Beach Wear round was definitely one of the most fun parts of the contest. Boys came out dressed in flippers and oversized floaties. Honorable mentions include Warren Mangabat’s flirtatious wave in an elegant sun dress, Jaquori McLaughlin’s expert showcase of his crawl stroke, and Josh Richardson’s signature flaunting of his beloved booty shorts.

At the closing of Beach Wear, the boys showed off their interesting (occasionally questionable) talents. Teagan Horkan and Justus Rector performed a mind-blowing acrobatic/juggling routine with a carton of eggs and a whole lot of concentration. Dominic Lauer’s spot on impression of Hot Rods’ daring stunts on the scooter and bike literally made a crash on the stage and into the audience’s hearts.

Throughout the entire talent segment, fans were constantly entertained, even starstruck. In several acts, the audience members were kept on the edge of their seats, completely in awe of the phenomenons occurring onstage. In one such circumstance, friends Dustin Beene and Ben Ramirez performed what was arguably the most disgustingly amazing, stomach-churning act: eating mayonnaise and drinking windex for a full two minutes.

However best part of the talent portion, was getting a chance to see some of Peninsula’s genuinely hidden talents. Alexander Black wowed the entire audience and judges with his extraordinary dancing skills. His popping and locking left fans gasping with wonderment.  Blake Cohoe and Marty Pattin earned the audience and judges’ approval with their talent of dancing rhythmically to the song “Sail” by Awolnation, accompanied by ribbons. Chance Stolz and Nic Purser were definitely a crowd favorite as they shot trick shots to High School Musical’s “Get Ya Head in The Game”.

Despite the immense amount of talent shown on stage only three men could take the highly desired titles of the Mr. Peninsula Pageant. After what seemed like an eternity of drum rolling, Mr. Miranda announced the three winners.

Teagan Horkan, escorted by Maddie Davis, stole the title of Mister Congeniality through his irresistible charm and talent of juggling eggs and acrobatics with Justus Rector. Reminiscent of Sandra Bullock’s performance in the hit film, Horkan’s stage presence and carefree aura of commitment to the pageant were undeniable.

Dominic Lauer took home the crown for Next Big Thing. Dominic’s tremendous joy couldn’t be hidden, and he was gleaming from pride when his escort, Josie Barncard, draped the beautiful sash over his shoulder. Dominic’s hard work definitely paid off.

At the end of the night, Thomas Oatridge, escorted by Allie Wojtanowicz,  earned the title of Mr. Peninsula. Oatridge’s beach round was definitely a standout element of the show, with the disgusting consumption of a mouthful of sunscreen causing judge Andrew Hosford to warn Oatridge’s mother about her son’s dangerous acts.

Despite the fact that Oatridge used the talent portion to apologize for his wrongdoings at PHS and never actually got to show off his talent, he still managed to steal the hearts of every last audience member through his sincere honesty.

“Thank you America and thank you to my freshmen ladies who support me everyday on Instagram. Thank you,” said Oatridge.