As homecoming week started coming to a close a few days ago, West Bloomfield students were hastily making final plans and preparations for the game and, most importantly, the dance. From freshmen to seniors everyone was anxiously awaiting the weekend, but prior to the grand finale there were a lot of other exciting homecoming week festivities. On Thursday, September 19th, WBHS hosted its annual Mr. WB pageant in which senior guys competed in a variety of events to win the favor of their audience. High school guys pageants such as West Bloomfield’s have been a cross-country tradition for decades. Their popularity reaches across all regions of the U.S. Besides being a ton of fun, Mr. WB is also a great opportunity to support WBHS as all profits from the $5.00 admission fee go to Leadership in order to raise money for more fun events and opportunities. 

Prior to the competition, judges and competitors waited excitedly for their time to shine. Judge Mrs. Jenifer Rosenwasser said she was, “looking forward to seeing the… wide talent we have at West Bloomfield.” She was particularly looking forward to the music-related categories. Fliers were passed around at lunch in hopes of drawing as large a crowd as possible. 

At 6:30 p.m. West Bloomfield families and friends gathered in the auditorium patiently waiting to be dazzled by the competition. To kick off the night two WBHS students sung the national anthem a cappella. The first category was formalwear combined with a question and answer session from the faculty judges: Ms. Drutchas, Mrs. Rosenwasser, and Ms. Keel. This provided a great way for the audience to become acquainted with each contestant. Here’s a quick rundown of the first two rounds:

For the next category, a Just Dance video to the tune of “Part of Me” by Katy Perry played on stage. The contestants did their best to execute a clean routine. As per usual, Koichi marched to the beat of his own drum, making up his own dance moves for the music. By now, most students at WB have already had the pleasure of witnessing and cheering on Koichi’s unique dancing. He brought his absolute best to the competition! Also noteworthy, Kurran was the most committed to actually following the video. He stayed concentrated on the routine while adding his own flare to the dance. Additionally, the efforts of Jamad, Jyon, and Ashton could not be ignored. Each gave incredibly upbeat and entertaining performances. Lastly, Tyler and Brendin put some great effort into the dance but seemed to lack enthusiasm.

The very last category was the eating competition. Contestants were presented with a plate full of pizza and given three minutes to devour as much as possible. Koichi declined to participate in this aspect of the competition per his preference of not eating in front of people and to protect his homemade costume from grease. As the audience waited patiently for the contestants to be done, the announcers got the crowd involved by asking everyone to clap for the participant they thought would win as they called each name. Viewers had their own ideas on how to be involved with screams ranging from helpful advice to playful heckling. In the end, each competitor ate about the same amount with leftovers ranging from about 2-3 pieces.
As a QR code was displayed for audience members to vote with, Kurran and Koichi made another appearance on the stage for an act seemingly adjacent to a dance battle. Koichi ran in circles as Kurran floated up and down the stage waiting for votes to be cast. One by one, the rest of the competition came back out for the moment everyone had been waiting for. Standing at attention, the contestants all anxiously prepared themselves for the announcement. Finally, after much anticipation, Koichi Kakazawa was awarded the title Mr. WB! He was crowned and allowed a brief response. Humbly, he said that the title really should have gone to Kurran, whom he bestowed the crown upon. With that and his final comment to the audience of “one, four, three, I love you!” Koichi stole the hearts of his viewers, locking in his victory.

Students in the audience found the competition “highly entertaining.” Senior Lynn Barber declared, “I think it was worth my five dollars.” Mr. WB is a fun and exciting tradition at West Bloomfield, cherished by staff and students alike. That being said, WB may not be keeping it around for much longer. Since, among other homecoming week activities, Mr. WB lacks popularity, the competition may be opened up to more than just guys next year. According to leadership teacher Ms. Strobridge, a gender-neutral talent show may take the place of Mr. WB as early as next school year. Students have mixed feelings about this, but many feel as though Mr. WB is an iconic complement to powderpuff, the other homecoming week event that reverses traditional gender roles. Whatever the case for next year, students should come out to support the continuation of Mr. WB and other homecoming events which do a wonderful job of building community among peers!