The annual Mr. PV competition is one of the most anticipated events of second semester, with contestants of all grade levels showcasing their unique skills and signature dance moves. Hosted by Spartan Assembly, the contest provided the student body with a night of charity, laughs and surprise guest appearances.
“I thought it was a lot of fun to see kids that I didn’t already know,” said senior Ellie Spelhaug. “They just got up there and didn’t really care what they looked like, which was really funny for the audience.”
The dancing portion of the competition included creative performances from all eight contestants as they showed off their goofiest moves, hoping to impress the judges with their coordination and originality. Meanwhile, talents ranged from applesauce eating to stand up comedy to musical renditions of popular songs — one even included a promposal!
“Mr. PV exceeded my expectations by far,” said host Keshav Wagle, referring to the amount of time and effort that all of the participants put into their acts. Finally, contestants drew questions at random from a bowl and had to improvise compelling answers in order to convince the audience that they deserved the title of Mr. PV.
In the end, however, only one contestant could be crowned Mr. PV. Audience members voted for their favorite candidate by donating as much money as they could toward that candidate. Senior Cole Dorman walked away with the most money — and the coveted Mr. PV sash.
“The reason why I joined Mr. PV was to raise money for the Hunger Drive while being able to entertain the student body,” said Dorman. “And also so I could take off my shirt at the school.”
Dorman’s act began with a bang as he gave his all in the synchronized dance routine. But his talent was truly the highlight of the night: he sang a tune from the Nickelodeon show Spongebob with science teacher Mr. Marotta, ending with a dramatic jump into his arms. And for the question round, Dorman described his dream prom date with fellow Mr. PV contestant, Nabeel Affarka. Needless to say, Dorman’s crowd-pleasing stunts were unforgettable and cemented his first place win.
“I actually put in a lot of practice outside of school. I went to Marotta’s room eighth period to practice my song, and Rebecca and I practiced the dance part outside of school because I’m not a very good dancer,” Dorman shared. “And I had to buy decorations for the piano in order to make it look like a Spongebob scene.”
Thankfully, Dorman’s hard work paid off. Not only did Dorman’s big win grant him instant celebrity throughout the school, but all of the proceeds were donated to the Hunger Drive. This meaningful contribution to the local community offered an extra point of motivation for all of the contestants, inspiring them to ratchet up their antics to garner the most laughs from the audience.
“I’ve always seen that, at Mr. PV, the fundraisers are very effective because they utilize the momentum and excitement of the event to gather support,” said senior Anna Banerjee, who voted for Dorman during last Friday’s competition. “Everyone donates at the end for the Minute to Win It, and it’s a great bonding experience as well as a great fundraising effort.”
The success of Mr. PV 2018 will surely keep this valued tradition around for years to come.
