The school gathers to enjoy an evening of laughter and to see this year’s crowning of Mr. TJ.
2011 Mr. TJ: Hayden Johnson. Photo by Hanna Kazlouskaya.
In a comedic, annual Thomas Jefferson tradition, twenty of the classiest senior boys of 2011 invaded the auditorium for the Mr. TJ pageant on Friday March 18th to perform their unique talents, strut their stuff in the swimsuit competition, and compete for the title of Mr.TJ.
This year’s contestants included: Tyrone Alexander, Nick Becker, Ryan Colean, Kyle Freeland, Austin Hearne, Hayden Johnson, Anthony Jones, John Jones II, Kevin Kumar, Tim Mahoney, Mitchell Mankoff, Miles McIntosh, Robert McMacken, Ian Melnicoe, Ohran Ramadani, Joe Sedig, Kelly Sinopoli-Martinez, Brandon Tara, Danzeal Truesdale, and Justin VanNostrand.
The competition is judged by a panel of female students and two female teachers. “I think this year we had a great group of guys and they were really dedicated to making this year’s show the best it could be. Being able to judge was great because you were able to be a part of everything going on and overall it was a lot of fun,” said Senior and one of the Judges of the competition, Catherine Ramirez.
The competing boys entered the stage with a dance to the song Macho Man, exciting the audience for the evening’s events. Following the dance was a crowd favorite, the swimsuit competition. Dressed for a day at the beach, the contestants find a clever way to make their way across the stage and impress the judges. “The bathing suit competition was very refreshing this year. The boys were so creative with their suits and topped it off with their delivery. They were very successful in making everyone laugh and creating a memorable night,” said Senior Anna Becker, one of the event’s judges.
Next up on the list of events was the rose ceremony. In this part of the show, participants present their escorts in a creative way with a rose and answer a personal question for the crowd and judges. The boys get to show of their creativity as well as show that they’re a true gentlemen. At the end of the ceremony the five finalists were announced: Nick Becker, Austin Hearne, Hayden Johnson, Kevin Kumar, and Tim Mahoney.
The five finalists then each performed a talent for the audience and panel of judges. “I really liked Austin’s talent because it was funny, catchy, and was very original. It did a great job of making me laugh. I really also liked Hayden’s talent. It was creative and pretty hilarious,” said Junior Cole Stewart.
After the finalist performances and a few non-finalist performed they’re talents, it was time to make the announcement and crown this years Mr. Talent, and Mr. Congeniality, and of course Mr.TJ.
This year, Mr. Talent went to the one and only Nick Becker, Mr. Congeniality was awarded to Kevin Kumar, and Hayden Johnson stole the show and was crowned as Mr. TJ. “Winning Mr. TJ was without a doubt a great senior memory for me. All of the finalists deserved to win it just as much as I did, so it was awesome that my hard work paid off in the end. I’d also really like to thank Rylan Rudebusch for his work in helping me out with my talent,” said Senior Hayden Johnson.
The show could not have been put on without the continued work and dedication of Kathy Wells, whose three daughters graduated from TJ, and from all the contributing parents and faculty members who worked hard to make it a fun night for all who attended.
