Impressing the judges with his humor and charisma, senior Sachin Malik reigned supreme as the “Big Man” at DBHS, last Friday in the annual Big Man on Campus competition.
Event judges Catherine Real, Latitia Thomas, Matt Brummett, and Shari selected the best contestant based on four showcased categories: best formal attire, funniest joke, wittiest pick-up line, and the talent show. Though there were originally 10 total selected applicants as announced on the Stampede, three of the contestants had to drop out due to interfering events such as the Children’s Theatre Play.
The competition commenced with the boys in their best formal wear. As each senior was called forward to strike a pose in his clean cut suit and tie, USB officers briefly introduced each contestant’s unique qualities.
“There was a lot of time and effort put into the event. After selecting the seniors, there were multiple rehearsals and practices for the competition. We’re really thankful for all the support and we’re proud that this was a successful, last social event of the semester,” USB Commissioner of Social Activities junior Rochelle Sun explained.
After stepping forward with their best outfits, the seniors moved on to the joke round. The seven contestants, Bobby Meshesha, Elijah Ang, Jesse Chow, Kevin Li, Phillip Lee, Sachin Malik, and Shiv Jain took turns presenting their most entertaining jokes. The many puns and knock-knocks jokes successfully stirred the crowd and judges to laughter.
Following the joke fiesta, all the boys competed for the best pick-up line. Some of the seniors swooned the female judges with their pick-up lines, and one particular contestant, Malik, even made a reference to the Hunger Games with “Girl on Fire.” All of the pick-up lines, especially Meshesha’s “If nothing lasts for forever, can you be my nothing?” aroused “oohs” and “ahs” from the audience.
Finally, as the highlight of the lunch time activity, Big Man on Campus contest ended with the talent show. The various acts ranged from common talents like rapping and dancing to the rare gift of bird-calling. Meshesha, in particular, demonstrated his “bird-whisperer” side by whistling to the crowd and then receiving a phone call from Bluebird. Then, sweeping the crowd off its feet, Kevin Li and Sachin Malik stripped down to their leotard and tights to dance to their own rendition of Beyonce’s famous hit, “Single Ladies.”
“It was really fun. I’m glad I got the opportunity to compete with my friends,” Big Man on Campus champ Malik commented.
After all the intriguing performances, the seven males came together to dance to a remix of the songs: One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back,” and Ke$ha’s “Die Young.” To wrap up the competition, USB gave all of the seniors sashes and tiaras before crowning Malik as DBHS’ “Big Man.”
“It was really engaging to see each of the senior’s creativity and sense of humor. It was a very fun and entertaining event. The teamwork was great and the crowd was also very encouraging,” Principal Real said.