Nine men representing various campus organizations competed in the 11th annual King of Hearts pageant last week. The event raised $6,681 for the Alpha Phi Foundation, which supports women’s heart health and cardiac research.
Luke Przymus, representing Sigma Phi Epsilon, was crowned Mr. King of Hearts.
“The best part of being a contestant was being able to work with the other men,” Przymus said. “They’re all great guys and getting to become better friends with men from across our campus was a great opportunity.”
Each contestant prepared an introduction video, talent and interview question. A panel of judges rated each section for a combined score to determine the winner.
Przymus themed his video and talent around the movie “Pitch Perfect,” with choreographed routines featuring his brothers in Sigma Phi Epsilon.
“My coaches thought Pitch Perfect would be a good theme to build around, and especially thought the final song from the Treblemakers would be a fun crowd pleaser,” Przymus said. “I am very grateful that my friends were willing and excited to help with my video and talent. I had 10 backup dancers, as well as multiple other guys that were willing to be in my video.”
Alpha Phi sold 525 tickets and audience members had the opportunity to continue donating while at the event. Raffle tickets were sold for a chance to win prizes and people were encouraged to donate a dollar per vote for their favorite contestant.
Jacob Stegman, Mr. KHOP, won Mr. People’s Choice by receiving the most live audience donations.
Sam Schroeder, Mr. KLOP, was named Mr. Congeniality. Caleb Wiseman, Mr. LoperCatholic, was named Mr. Talented. Jack Aschwege, Mr. Pi Kappa Alpha, was named Mr. Popular.
Other contestants were:
- Jacob Howe, Mr. Teacher Scholars Academy
- Garrett Hoefs, Mr. Football
- Nolan Dart, Mr. Delta Tau Delta
- Derek Pfeifer, Mr. Honors Program
Ally Sedlacek, Alpha Phi director of philanthropy, said the event’s earnings go toward several areas.
“The foundation provides funding for five different programs,” Sedlacek said. “The earnings from King of Hearts mainly go toward women’s heart health research, but also provides academic scholarships and grants and preserves Alpha Phi’s heritage.”
Members of Alpha Phi spent the last several weeks coaching the contestants and preparing them to grace the stage.
“Since the end of September, the contestants and coaches have been practicing twice a week for about an hour,” Sedlacek said. “The week of the event, the men have had a two-hour practice each day.”
Each contestant had two coaches who assisted in the creative vision of their videos and talents and introduced them to the audience at the event.
“The preparation was a lot of work for sure, but getting the opportunity to work with the other guys on the group dance was very fun,” Przymus said. “Working on my individual talent with my coaches was great.”
Photos by Shelby Berglund / Antelope Staff
