At one of the most anticipated school events of the year, the crowd in the Reber center was anxious to hear who would be this year’s winner of the Mr. LT pageant. Last year’s Mr. LT Chris Velisaris ‘17 stood offstage with a new crown in hand ready to congratulate one of the three finalist. Hosts Tim Mikulski ‘17 and J.P Remijas ‘17 opened the final envelope, cracked a few jokes and named Tim Rediehs ‘17.

“I could not believe that I was crowned Mr. LT,” Rediehs said. “Being crowned winner of a competition that- in any way- involved dancing to ‘SexyBack’ in jorts and a white tank top was not something I really expected out of high school… or ever.”

Joe Dillon ‘15 began the Mr. LT Pageant three years ago with the idea of bringing more unity to LT and donating to a good cause. Thirteen senior and two junior boys faced off on April 8 against one another in traditional pageant style with competitions in formal wear, swimsuit, talent and a final round of questions.

This year, Mr. LT profits were donated to the Kelli Joy O’Laughlin foundation. This fund benefits LT and other local high school graduating seniors and also sends a child to Camp Tecumseh each year. Admission was $5 and the Reber Center was three-quarters full for the show.

Rediehs sang “White Lies” and played guitar, disregarding student activities director Peter Geddeis’ suggestion that he evaluate math equations. Talents ranged from Billy Hannigan’s ‘17 rhythmic gymnastic interpretation of “I’ve Gotta Crow” to Thomas Atseff’s ‘17 stand-up comedy about the woes of high school. Ryan O’Malley’s ‘17 also recreated the dance scene from “Napoleon Dynamite.”

During the first two rounds of swimwear and talent, the judges assessed each participant and made cuts after the third round to form the group of seven finalists. The participants changed into formal wear and were asked questions varying from why they were dressed up to which host they would take on a date. Audience members were able to cast their vote for Mr. LT on their cell phones. The audience’s vote counted as 40-percent of the result, with the three rounds each counting as 20-percent each.