On Friday night, the sisters of Alpha Xi Delta sorority hosted an all-male beauty pageant called “Xi Man” in Bayley Auditorium to benefit their national philanthropy, Autism Speaks. Contestants Brad Barren, ‘20, of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, Leul Bulcha, ‘19 and President of Concerned Black Students, Luke Flechler, ‘18, of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity and Harrison VanTilburg, ‘21, of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity competed in the categories of runway, trivia and talent for the title of “2018 Xi Man.”
The runway portion kicked the pageant off. Flechler, the first contestant to present himself, ran down the carpet in a purple shirt and tie, the only contestant to wear formal attire. Barren, the next contestant to enter the auditorium, nonchalantly strode down the red carpet in a blue button-down shirt, corduroy pants and sneakers, bowing before the audience of over 100. Next, Bulcha suavely danced his way to the front of Bayley in a Ralph Lauren polo shirt, fitted black pants and tan leather loafers, eliciting a large cheer from the crowd. Lastly, VanTilburg dashingly “twerked” his way to the front in a green Nike sweatshirt and corduroys, causing the audience to roar in laughter.
For the trivia portion of the event, the contestants were asked to answer questions relating to Wittenberg history, Greek life and autism awareness. Questions included: “When was Wittenberg University founded?”, “What was the first sorority on campus?” and “How much does autism cost affected families per year?” Participants received a point for each question answered correctly.
The talent portion proved the most entertaining part of Xi Man, with the crowd cheering the loudest during it. Flechler set the tone for talent with his own rendition of the infamous “Worm Dance,” arching his body forward on the floor over and over again. Barren performed a rap wanting the crowd to keep beat for him by clapping. Bulcha, following suit of Flechler, performed the “Backpack Kid” dance to the song “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. VanTillburg finished off the show with a crude stand-up comedy routine about his drunken friends vomiting on him during a trip to Taco Bell and Kalahari.
Following the talent Portion, a brief break occurred as the judges tallied up the points before awarding the winners. VanTillburg came in fourth and Bulcha came in third, while Flechler received the second place award, leaving the first place award to Barren.
The audience seemed pleased with the event with the second annual Xi Man compeition. Skylar Senters, ‘20, said that she “enjoyed supporting the sisters of AXiD,” and that the event definitely had a greater turnout compared to last year. “It seems like everyone had a great time,” Senters said.
