The men of Parks College had the opportunity to show off their brains, beauty and creativity during the annual Male Beauty Pageant hosted by the Associations of Parks College Students (APCS) on Saturday, March 23.

The male contestants participated in three segments throughout the night.

The seven participants started the contest by parading out dressed in beach attire while a classic Beach Boys song played in the background.

Secondly, the talent portion gave them the opportunity to show off their various skills.

“We had talents that ranged from eating a cheeseburger in two bites to karaoke songs,” Vanessa Williams, secretary of APCS, said.

After showing off their unusual and exciting talents, the participants answered questions from the four-judge panel, which was comprised of three women from the dean’s office and one student. The Q&A session was followed with a display of engineering skills where the boys were given humorous items that they had to put together in a creative way.

After much deliberation from the judges, 1st place was awarded to Eric Gehringer, 2nd to R.J. Eckert and 3rd to Greg Huston. The winners were given prizes such as remote control cars, folding camper chairs and super soakers.

The Parks College Male Beauty Pageant was a popular tradition with the students when the college was located on the Illinois campus, and the APCS is attempting to bring it back.

“We are hoping that each year it will be bigger and better as it gains popularity,” Williams said.

Williams coordinated the event with the help of Nikki Willmering, treasurer of APCS, and the Parks College service sorority, Phi Kappa.