PHOTO/ Tiffany Phan “We were all rooting for each other, so it didn’t really feel like a competition,” Eduardo “Eddie” Rocha said. Seniors Tony Tong, Joseph Hinckley and Rocha competed in Mr. TC and won their respective titles of Mr. Fan Favorite, Mr. TC and Mr. Congeniality.
By Tiffany Phan,
Staff Writer
This year’s Mr. TC pageant saw 10 seniors compete to win the hearts of the crowd through showcasing their dance moves, talents and best pick-up lines on the evening of April 19. Working to win the titles of Mr. TC, Mr. Congeniality and Mr. Fan Favorite, the contestants’ comedy left the audience roaring with laughter.
Mr. TC
The audience’s cheers filled the air as the spotlight centered on senior Joseph Hinckley’s invisible juggling act, following him across the stage as he entertained the crowd. As Hinckley finished showcasing his talent, applause echoed throughout the room.
“I tried hard to win, and it was cool to see all my hard work pay off,” Hinckley said. “I thought it sounded fun so I joined. I just went up there to be the funniest one and it worked.”
The judges were Activities and Athletics Secretary Dianne Blank, economics teacher Ryan Lauterbach and English teacher Michael Liu. Together, they scored the contestants’ pick-up lines on a scale of one to 10, and Hinckley scored two 10s and an eight with the line: “They told me happiness begins with ‘h,’ so why does mine begin with ‘u’?” At the end of the show, the judges awarded Hinckley the title of Mr. TC.
Mr. Fan Favorite
The silent room tensed with anticipation as senior Tony Tong carried out his violin on stage. Though the audience expected a solo performance, he set down his instrument and launched into a standup comedy instead, entertaining the audience with an anecdote about babysitting mishaps.
“Before the show started, I was very nervous,” Tong said. “It was the first time I had ever had stage fright. It’s pretty scary, performing in front of everyone and thinking that the others are better than you. I was hopeful to win, though, and it was pretty exciting when it happened.”
Tong did not originally plan to join the competition, but he eventually agreed to try out after encouragement from a friend. Armed with his humor, Tong went on to receive the most votes from the crowd for the title of Mr. Fan Favorite.
“Tony Tong is an absolute icon,” senior Ryan Wong said. “There’s no surprise why he won fan favorite, the entire left side of the crowd was there for Tony. His cat-walk was incredible, and I found the standup comedy both humorous and relatable.”
Mr. Congeniality
The audience watched eagerly as the 10 contestants waited to discover who won Mr. Congeniality. As senior Emily De Leon walked on stage, holding out a bouquet, the hosts triumphantly announced the winner: Eduardo “Eddie” Rocha.
“I was asked to try out because they needed people,” Rocha said. “So I said, ‘you know what, I’ll do it. I’m a senior, there’s really no reason why I should say no.’ That’s why I just did it. I went in there to give it my all, try and be the best I could, and see if I could win.”
After rehearsing for three days and getting to know each other, the competitors voted individually to decide who they thought deserved to win Mr. Congeniality based on their experience competing together.
“I was very surprised, I genuinely didn’t think I was going to win,” Rocha said. “To see that my peers recognized me as Mr. Congeniality felt really good. It was exciting to see all my peers come to support me.”