Plano’s annual male beauty contest, Mr. Plano, where 12 young men representing various organizations put on a show to fundraise for charity, will take place on Feb. 24.    

    “Each guy performs in an opening dance number, fashion, a question portion and the talent portion,” participant Mr. Student Congress Pankaj Israni said.   

    The contestants include Travis Chudej (Mr. Band), Corey Li (Mr. BPA), Max Kuenzer (Mr. Choir), Jack Segler (Mr. FCA), Drew Christian (Mr. Football), Tom Lee (Mr. NHS), Jonathan Heo (Mr. Orchestra), Andrew Ritz (Mr. PALS), Tetsuya Hung (Mr. Raider Nation), Nick Senktas (Mr. Speech and Debate), Pankaj Israni (Mr. StuCo) and Andrew Kingsley (Mr. Track).

    The show begins with the dance number, then each contestant competes in a fashion show where they dress to impress. Also, they compete in the question and interview portion, where they either attempt to wow the audience or make them laugh.     

    “My favorite part of being in Mr. Plano is the opening dance number,” Israni said.      

    The opening dance number is taught to the contestants by the senior Planoette officers, Jami Friedman, Claire McKinney and Sydney Coon, and is notably one of the best parts of the pageantry. The act includes popular dance moves and showcases each of the contestants. Each representative is responsible for coming to the dance rehearsals to learn the choreography and many of them also choose to practice on their own.      

    “My favorite part of Mr. Plano is being surrounded by such funny and talented guys,” Li said.     

    Performing in front of a large crowd can be intimidating, but the contestants of Mr. Plano encourage each other and make the experience fun for everyone involved. A night of competing against one another is ultimately made fun and exciting rather than nerve wracking and competitive.     

    “Getting to work with all of the guys and seeing all of the talent they have is my favorite part of being involved with Mr. Plano,” senior director Jennifer Lee said.    

    As the senior director of the show, Lee is responsible for planning the entire performance and making sure everyone shows up to rehearsals. She keeps in contact with all of the contestants to make sure that they are prepared to compete in every category.      

    However, the most important part of Mr. Plano is the charity of it all. Every year, the proceeds of the show go to a charity of the winner’s choice. Last year, the winner, Charles Brockman, chose for the money to go to Minnie’s Food Pantry, a local food bank.

    “Last year we raised $3000, and hopefully we can make even more this year,” Lee said.