The six boys who were brave enough to compete for the title of Mr. Saratoga last Friday night at the McAfee Center showed off everything from their top talent to their bathing suit good looks.
In the end, the 120 people in the audience voted senior Will Turpin as the alpha male in the annual senior class fundraiser. Also participating were juniors David Berkowitz, Justin Chao and Sora Ebrahimi and seniors Nathon Chin and Vishal Narayan.
Turpin decided to enter because he enjoyed being around the other participants and giving comedic performances. Prior to the competition, he spent a lot of time preparing and practicing his dance moves to the song “Canned Heat” from the movie “Napoleon Dynamite.”
“It feels unbelievable because I didn’t think I was going to win,” Turpin said. “You could say I lacked confidence, and I can’t thank the crowd enough for voting for me.”
The runner-up, Chin, dazzled the crowd during the talent portion with his rendition of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” He entered the competition in his last year of high school, determined to leave good memories. Before the show, he and senior Alan Xiao had prepared for three to four hours by singing in the choir room.
“Mr. Saratoga was a memorable experience and I am glad I participated,” Chin said. “As a young kid, I’ve always loved Taylor Swift so that inspired me to sing this song. I felt like I was truly myself on stage and I loved the audience because they loved me and my performance. Even though I got second place, it was a fun experience.”
English teachers Carrie Bohls and Ken Nguyen and Spanish teacher Bret Yeilding sat at the judging table in front of the stage, eager to evaluate the six boys. The three segments of the mock pageant included modeling, a talent portion and a question and answer session.
Between each portion, the judges were given the opportunity to critique and comment on the contestants’ overall performance. The winner was decided by the audience who would text in their vote for their favorite contestant.
The judges comically critiqued each round. “Will, get some sun,” one of the judges said, after seeing the contestants’ swimsuit showcase.
Since 2015, the Mr. Saratoga has been a tradition to fundraise for the senior class. The senior class raised about $500 from ticket sales for the competition.
Senior class president Robert Scott said the night was a success even though the boys' soccer team's Senior Night drew away potential audience members.