The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Erin Odell Jim Anderson, winner of the Captain Shippee contest, shimmies and shakes Thursday night.

The Shippee Pit buzzed with excitement Thursday night as 10 strapping young lads - each oozing with brawn and brains - competed in the third annual "Captain Shippee" contest. Sponsored by Shippee Area Council, the Miss America-esque pageant for male honors students consisted of a group dance, formal wear, beach wear, a talent portion and a question-and-answer session.

"Winning Captain Shippee will prove that I'm the biggest stud in the whole world," said Shawn Deford, a 2nd-semester English major and competitor in the pageant.

The show opened with the 10 men dancing a choreographed number that included lots of pelvic thrusting and hip shaking.

"The training was intense. I've had nothing but protein shakes for the last six weeks," said Alexi Wiemer, a 2nd-semester business major in the competition.

The effort showed. The dance took around three weeks to choreograph and teach to the contestants, and it was executed stunningly.

Next, the men displayed their formal attire. Some donned their classiest suits, while others took an alternative approach to the concept of "dressing up." One contestant sported nothing but shorts, a pink tie and dress shoes. Another, along with his escort, completely immersed themselves in plaid.

Swimwear proved to be a steamy portion of the show. One contestant ripped off his pants halfway through his entrance. One wore a child's bikini. Another wore nothing but a blue Speedo and then proceeded to "shake it" in front of the judge's table. The hosts were reeling with laughter as one contestant stormed the stage wearing snorkeling gear.

Finally, the contestants had a chance to really win over the judges, two of whom were Jennifer Lease-Butts and Lynne Goodstein, associate director and director of the Honors Program, respectively. The contestants displayed their talents, bringing the competition to a new level. Some boys exhibited obvious years of hard work to perfect their talents. One boy stunned the crowd with his tap dancing performance, while another won over the audience with his rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," accompanied by his own piano playing and falsetto voice.

Other contestants took less conventional routes in order to impress the judges. Two of the contestants teamed up on a carpet, one wearing a green bra and the other a mean pair of shades, and sang Aladdin's "I Can Show You The World". Another demonstrated his ability to peel and eat four clementines in under a minute.

Continued...

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