Video Credits: Photography: Sean Meehan;  Interviews: Justine Burt;  Script Writing: Matthew Gavin;  Editing: Sean Meehan

By Eliza Duggan, Layout Editor -

On Thursday, April 18, Welch Dining Hall was full of students ready to cheer on their favorite contestant in the Mr. BC competition. Of the six young men vying for the title, including finalists from the Mr. Upper and Mr. Newton contests, freshman Michael Judd was named “Mr. BC.”

The room was excited as the contestants prepared for the competition to begin. Each contestant had his own fan base in the crowd. Some audience members waved cutout pictures of their favorite. Judd’s fans cheered “J-U-D-D Judd! Judd! Judd!” throughout the event.

After an a cappella opener by the Dynamics, the contestants came out in white T-shirts and jeans to perform an introductory choreographed dance. The crowd was enthralled while the competitors boogied to a mix of songs by Lady Gaga, Shakira, Ricky Martin, and N’Sync.

The host, Dynamics member Paul Imbriale, then introduced the four judges: Father McGowan, Peter Folan, Molly Murano, and Mark Herzlich. They judged the contestants in five categories, including creativity, swagger, the “take home to mom” factor, humor, and audience support.

The first part of the competition was talent. Peter Arena, A&S ‘10, took to the stage, a place he felt that “destiny beckoned” him. He went for humor in his talent, performing all seven deadly sins in a matter of minutes. Next up was freshman Joe Lavin, who played and sang a slow, serious song on the keyboard. He was followed by Luke Lapoint, a sophomore who used his skills as a tour guide to give a funny, virtual tour of Boston College, poking fun at various aspects of college life. Senior Pete Kwiatek went next, who dressed as a lion and sang along to the opening scene from The Lion King.

Continuing the musical pattern was senior Anthony Lupino, whose faux sign language choreography to Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” incited huge applause from his fan base and the rest of the audience. Finishing out the talent portion was Judd, accompanied by his guitar while singing popular songs, eventually ending on Britney Spears’ classic “Baby One More Time.”

Next came swimwear, in which the audience saw angel wings, bowties, surfboards, goggles, and flotation devices. Especially memorable was Anthony Lupino, who sported a red Speedo, shaving his chest to read “BC.”

After a brief intermission, the judges eliminated the bottom two contestants. Pete Arena and Joe Lavin said goodbye to their fellow competitors, who promptly went backstage to prepare for the next event.

During the sleepwear section of the competition, contestants were asked questions written by audience members prior to the show. Luke Lapoint wore red heart boxers and a bowtie, and was asked to do a dance. Peter Kwkiatek and Anthony Lupino both wore BC Snuggies, and the host asked them to come up with a creative way to use their Snuggie. Mike Judd made the crowd laugh with his Yellow Man sporting event outfit, which he wore under kid’s Batman pajamas. After the next elimination, onlythree remained: Lapoint, Lupino, and Judd.

The final event was formal wear.  After a final judgment, Lapoint was in third, Lupino came in second, and Judd was the winner, to the ecstatic applause of his fans.

Judd was very happy with his win and said that he was “pretty pumped as a freshman winner Mr. BC!” He said he got into the competition when his friends suggested he interview for it.

To those who are considering entering in future years, Judd advises to “Just go up there and have fun!”

The members of the Residence Hall Association (RHA), who hosted the event, felt that it went well. There were more nominations than ever before, with 889 names submitted to the RHA. ”It was very successful,” said Will Rush, A&S ‘12. “It was a crazy ride, but the crowd was so much fun.”