Belly dancing, spanish duets, and a swimsuit walk-off – where else could all of these come together? None other than Triton’s own annual male pageant, Mr. THS held Friday, March 23, in Triton’s very own auditorium. This year, Triton senior, Anthony Lentz took the crown as he belly danced his way into the judges’ hearts, coming out on top with junior Jeremy Duford coming in at a close second.

This year’s Mr. THS was run by the senior class officers and their advisors, Mrs. Mansfield and Ms. Dempsey. The show itself was hosted by senior Owen Heffernan, a strong, memorable competitor from the 2017 competition known for his Beyonce’s Single Ladies dance routine.

The competition was a battle between ten male contestants competing in five categories – formalwear, swimwear, talent, interview, and audience reaction. The ten contestants that competed this year included seniors Henrik Ernst, Will Parsons, Chris Brennan, Anthony Lentz, and Eric Fournier as well as juniors Sammy Rennick, Jeremy Duford, Wasif Shawman, and Franklin Cohen along with sophomore Ethan Tremblay. This year, champion Anthony Lentz got the prize of not only bragging rights but five library passes and a Dunkin Donuts gift card.  A laminated library pass was also raffled off and contestant Eric Fournier took the prize home.

For the formalwear category, each contestant dressed up and strutted across the stage with an escort (or two). The seniors’ escorts included: Henrik Ernst with Ms. Spiros Markopoulos, Will Parsons with Ms. Joe Killion, Chris Brennan with Kate Carter, Anthony Lentz with members of the color guard, and Eric Fournier with Triton alum Teddy Barlow.

The juniors were escorted by the following: Jeremy Duford with toddler Izzy Hartman, Wasif Shawman with Taylor Penniman, Franklin Cohen with Marlee Smith, and Sammy Rennick with Onica Mooney and Lynn Wideberg. Sophomore Ethan Tremblay appeared last, escorted by Julia Cordeau and Sofie DeSimone.

While the contestants took the stage, host Owen Heffernan shared some fun facts about each contestant. Highlights included Henrik Ernst having completed over fifty hours of community service and Wasif Shawman admitting to being spoon fed by his mother every night. Following formalwear, the contestants took the stage solo for the swimwear category.

Soon after the swimwear category, the contestants were to complete a question and answer portion of the pageant led by the host, Owen Heffernan. The highlights of this portion of the night include Heffernan asking Will Parsons who he was bringing to prom, and Parsons using this as an opportunity to ask his girlfriend Taylor Penniman to prom, complete with a floral bouquet. Some additional highlights include when Henrik Ernst was asked “if you could have one wish, what would it be?” He quickly replied with “a pair of wings”. Heffernan asked him where he would fly and he said “I would fly to Machu Picchu in Peru because it is a very mystical place”.  When Chris Brennan was asked “if you could relive your life what would you do differently?” he replied with “I wouldn’t change a thing because going to this high school was the best decision my parents ever made!” Brennan was followed by an audience favorite, Anthony Lentz, who was asked “what is your biggest failure?” After struggling with a response, he replied that he had faced more of a challenge of “being more closed off freshman year”. Next up was Eric Fournier and he was asked to elaborate on his role model. He answered with the former owner of Hard Nock’s Gym, Dave Nock, who had been a mentor to Fournier before he passed away. When Wasif Shawman was asked if he thought that technology is hurting relationships, he replied “I think that technology is not hurting relationships it is helping us communicate with others…I think technology might be helping relationships”. Franklin Cohen was asked what makes him different from the other contestants and he replied with a simple two word answer – “the beard”.

The interview portion of Mr. THS was followed by possibly the most exciting event of the night, talent. Henrik Ernst and Will Parsons sung a duet to Despacito by Justin Bieber. Chris Brennan shared some stand up comedy with the crowd, accompanied by his dog, Bailey. Eric Fournier saluted the U.S. of A. with a performance of Courtesy of the Red White and Blue complete with a large American flag. Anthony Lentz stole the show with his belly dancing, getting the crowd dancing and singing along to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie”. Jeremy Duford also shocked the crowd when he beat both sophomore Josh Stevens as well as Mr. Brennan in a wrestling match. Wasif Shawman performed card tricks for the crowd while Franklin Cohen drew a picture. To close it off, Sammy Rennick belted out a heartfelt “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars and Ethan Tremblay drank hot sauce then drew a picture.

After an exciting night of entertainment, it was finally time to share the results. Before that, however, Host Owen Heffernan gave the audience a surprise performance with the same talent that he performed at the 2017 Mr. THS, a dance to Beyonce’s Single Ladies.

While the judges discussed their decision, the audience was allowed to ask questions to the contestants directly. After multiple questions and answers, the results were in and the contestants were each asked why they should be crowned Mr. THS. While some explained why they thought they deserved to take the crown, junior Franklin Cohen simply admitted to the crowd, “I don’t”. After each contestant was given the chance to give their final statement, Jeremy Duford was crowned as runner up followed by Anthony Lentz, who was crowned champion and 2018’s Mr. THS.

It was a night full of surprises, excitement, and talent, but at the end of the night, only one individual can be crowned Mr. THS, and Anthony Lentz was the one to take that crown. Underclassmen will have the chance to vye for the crown again or come try out next year thanks to Mr. THS being an annual event. A huge thank you to Ms. Dempsey, Mrs. Mansfield, and the senior class officers for a great night!