The annual Mr. TJ pageant was a great success, with creative and hilarious displays put on by the boys, while Mitch Moore earns the crown.
Mr. TJ, Mitch Moore. Photo by Aby Montgomery
On Friday, April 13th, the long awaited Mr. TJ pageant took place in the auditorium, being one of the best shows yet with Senior Mitch Moore winning the hearts of the audience and the judges.
This year’s lineup of studly senior boys were Cory Adams, Rovel Berhe, Griffin Black, Nate Brewer, Tyler Bybee, Michael Canady, Raziel Chaparro. Antonio Clark, Luke Fabian, Ricky Jones, Tyler McKay, Sam Miller, Mitch Moore, Dan Oaks, Harrison Ory, Mateo Rocha, Jacob Staple, Daniel Wakefield, Malcolm Wilkinson, and Amari Williams. “Mr. TJ was so much fun, especially the swimsuit competition because we all got to dance around in our funny outfits,” said Contestant Sam Miller.
The night began with the infamous Macho Man dance, in which the twenty senior guys got the chance to win points from the judges in a hilarious choreographed display. The boys then got to strut their stuff in the hilarious swimsuit portion, where the audience saw anything from policeman themed attire to shaving cream.
The guys’ last chance to win the judges’ vote was the rose ceremony, in which each contestant was to present a single rose to their female escort. The lady escorts of 2012 were dressed in gowns lavish enough to wear to prom. The rose ceremony was an excellent chance for the guys to show their creativity, with one contestant even using his adorable 1-year-old nephew to help him present it.
Judges tabulated their votes as the rest of the audience tuned into “The Making of Mr. TJ” video produced by Senior Abby Montgomery. When intermission ended, the top five finalists were announced to the stage, which included Mitch Moore, Amari Williams, Sam Miller, Tyler Bybee and Raziel Chaparro. The finalists each performed their talent, with additional talents also performed by Rovel Berhe, Tyler McKay, and Harrison Ory. The night also included wonderful vocal performances by Seniors London Thatch and Halli Green.
The final portion of the show entailed each of the finalists to answer on-the-spot questions asked by the masters of ceremony: Seniors Daniela Cardona, Molly Fitzgerald, Tracey Sanchez and Trisha Mortel.
The lights dimmed, and it was finally time to announce Mr. TJ of 2012. The audience roared in agreement when Mitch Moore was proclaimed the winner. Mr. Talent was awarded to Harrison Ory, and Jacob Staple won Mr. Congeniality. “I was really glad that my talent went well and that I got a final question that I knocked out of the park. After my name was announced I was pretty darn excited. Being named Mr. TJ at the end of my senior year is definitely one of my new favorite memories,” said Moore.
The show was planned, organized and put on by Kathy Wells, a parent of former TJ students. “Mr. TJ is an event I look forward to doing every year. It gets extremely stressful especially in that last week of preparation, but it’s all worth it. It’s a thing that I feel like if I didn’t do it, it wouldn’t happen, which is why I come back each year,” said Wells.
