Megann Horstead
Social Media Editor
CUAB hosted its annual Mr. NCC competition by showcasing eight of the college’s most gregarious personalities Saturday night.
Mr. NCC gives students the chance to vote for their favorite NCC student. Through a series of competitions, the men demonstrated their talents, strutted their stuff on the runway, and busted out their best dance moves.
Looking back on the evening, the level of excitement in the room was evident. Alayna Dufour, CUAB Special Events & Traditions chairperson, said this about this year’s Mr. NCC competition. The fact that the men represented their organizations or sport gave the event more meaning to the contestants and student body.
She added, “The event’s attendance completely surpassed anyone’s expectations. We were just expecting a smaller crowd and we ended up having over 300 people where Meiley-Swallow which only holds about 245. There was a good amount of people standing around just to watch the show.”
The NCC students took to sensationalism at various points and levels throughout the night. Whether or not the event would stack up well entertainment-wise to year’s past is arguable. However, it is clear that this year’s men sought with honest effort to outshine each other in an all-out showdown to be named “Mr. NCC.”
To be named Mr. NCC says a lot about the winner of the competition but the times we are living in too.
We live during a time where sensationalism and the presentation of self have reached a high point. Historically speaking, the American culture places so much value or belief into what’s most sensational or most glamorous. In reality, what’s burned into the audience’s brain does not always equate to outshining all others.
During the talent show portion of the evening, the students had the opportunity to show what they do best. From singing and dancing all the way to giving a stand-up comedy performance, NCC’s men showed that they had a wide variety of gifts to offer.
One of the evening’s first talent demonstrations, Phil Norris and a friend, performed a live parody of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s “Bound 2” music video. The original video had people talking and Norris’s rendition looked to follow suit.
Along the way, Sebastian Flieger showed us what futbol is about. He was thrown an American football by mistake, but then returned the ball to the sender that sat in the audience in exchange for a soccer ball. He would play with the soccer ball to the rhythm of a contemporary beat.
All of a sudden, the audience is left watching Flieger as he stopped mid-routine to take a selfie. After what seemed like a minute or longer of waiting, he proceeded to wrap up his performance.
Then, the guys transitioned to the runway. Each of them donned their most show-stopping formal wear. In true runway fashion, they were quizzed on what they wore. Many of the men wore typical formal attire for this portion of the event, but a few looked to stand out visually from the pact. Who said a zebra-striped cowboy hat couldn’t count?
Following that, each of the guys was given a chance to talk extemporaneously about a topic to be declared by a random drawing from a hat. Questions stemmed from the topics like “Who is your favorite NCC professor?” to “What is your idea of the perfect date?” It was then that each contestant’s way with words took center stage.
To wrap up the night, the NCC students were asked why they should be declared this year’s “Mr. NCC. “ In an event, where personality reigns supreme, tallies were totaled and Nick Smith was named “Mr. NCC.”
Nick Smith’s personality, much like his stand up comedy, had shown consistently bright. Perhaps this made the difference. Smith was not shown to be the flashiest of night’s performers, but the way he presented himself was not underwhelming either.
That night may suggest that the college places value in connecting with the audience by means of genuine stripped-down charm rather than exhibits of sensationalism. We saw that consistency and an ability to showcase charisma can align with our values and prevail too.
