Appropriately, it was on May Day Matthew Archer was crowned Mr. Northwestern to the cheers and applause of a packed auditorium.

Second and third place were secured by Devon Devers and Alessandro Consuelos, respectively.

"At first I didn't want to do it. I thought it would be kind of humiliating," Archer admitted. "But then I thought [Mr. Northwestern] was about having fun and not caring what people think.

"When all my friends signed up I just wanted to do it with them. I just want to be involved with as many things as possible with these guys before we graduate."

Eleven contestants vied for the crown.

George Haddad and Alexander Russo rounded out the five finalists.

Frank Dangello, Carter Mell, Jaedon Muhl, Cameron Richardson, Patrick Rowland and Don Luke Winzer also competed.

Not exactly a talent show or a beauty contest, Mr. Northwestern attracted a large and appreciative audience with a format borrowing from both.

The seniors competed in four categories:casual, swim and formal wear, and talent, with a question-and-answer portion for the top five vote getters.

The event was sponsored by student council, under the direction of Patti Mengel, who couldn't say enough about the participants.

Judges included teachers Lauren Keglovitz, Lissa Opolsky and Steve Weiss.

"Mr. Northwestern is run by student council every year and since we're officers, we kind of took the reins," Kristen Post said. "All the girls in student council are emceeing."

Post, along with Christina Shackett, choreographed the opening and closing numbers.

"We based them on simplistic moves and told the guys to be sassy. And they were."

Richardson admitted learning the dances wasn't easy despite his athleticism on the football field. "It's whole different story," he said. "It's different than anything I've ever done."

The girls, dressed to the hilt, counterbalanced the boys' antics with a graceful decorum.

"It's something fun we can give back to the school," said Ashlyn Dicataldo, vice president of student council. "We have so many unique and different people in our class it's fun to see how they interact.

"It's hard to get them to listen, but once they settle, they really get into it.

"You do not keep a straight face with the group of guys we have. We just laugh."

Archer also commented on the contest.

"When you have a bunch of guys who are mostly sports oriented and [somewhat] quiet and you put them in a beauty pageant to see them in an environment you are never again going to see, it's pretty enticing," Archer said.

Every participant said the evening event was designed to be pure fun for all involved.

Richardson has wanted to be part of this pageant ever since he was a sophomore.

"I thought it would be funny and a good [way to say] goodbye to Northwestern," Richardson said. "It represents the class well."

Muhl has been involved with the event since freshman year.

"I think it's such a great event. It's a great way to say goodbye," he said.

This sense of friendship and camaraderie infused the entire evening, from the opening dance to the crowning of the king.

"It's a fun way for everyone to come together," Dangelo said. "The whole class enjoys it. It's one of our last activities before the prom."

Winzer said, secretly, he is the most beloved person.

"I wanted to appear humorous on stage and lose gloriously," he said.

Rowland said he was competing to have fun.

"I found out that DL (Winzer) was doing it, so I'm not doing it to win," he said. "I'm doing it to have fun. It's great."

Consuelos knew all the competitors.

"People asked me to do it," he explained.

Russo attended the Mr. Northwestern festivities over a scholar athlete dinner

"All these guys are involved in sports but [that night] they get to act like goons," he said. "It's dudes being dudes.

"Twenty-five years from now I'm going to look back on this."

Mell said he was signed up by friend, Russo.

"I just kind of went with it," said Mell. "I had no reservations whatsoever. I actually pushed the boundaries."

Devers said the contest is not about winning.

"It's about making it a memorable event and putting on a fun show for everyone," said Devers earlier in the day. "We've been working really hard. "The girls have been really patient with us. It's going to be hilarious. The bar is raised high for this Everyone is really excited. I hope it will exceed expectations."

"This has special meaning for the senior classes but for everyone else, it's all about watching senior boys make fun of themselves," said Muhl. "It's a great fundraiser for student council. It's a great cause."

Students voted to donate the proceeds to Wyatt Newhard, who is combating neuroblastoma.

The Interact Club also held a "cupcake off" during intermission, with prizes awarded and proceeds benefiting Shelter Box USA.

Parents were supportive of their sons.

"Once they saw the tutu and the leggings I bought at Party City, it kind of hit them that this [might] be really embarrassing.

They wanted me to branch out, but now they regret it," joked Haddad.

"The boys have such conflicting schedules that I had to send mass texts every week," said Dicataldo. "It was hard to get them all together."

Haddad and Dangello performed a ballet to a song from "Frozen."

"Obviously it's outside of our comfort zones but that's the whole point. It's supposed to be funny," said Dangello, who also did an impression of Kevin Hart.

"I am singing though I am not a singer," said Mell before the contest. "I'm singing 'The Battle of New Orleans' by Johnny Horton. I have no idea how I found that song."

In homage to Jimi Hendricks, Consuelos played guitar. He also served as his sidekick when Russo did impressions of teachers, students and celebrities. "It [was] a mix of scripted [material] and improv," said Russo.

Comedy was also on the minds of Rowland and Winzer.

Richardson, aided by social studies teacher Scott Hippensteel, did a short skit based on the Gingerbread Man from "Shrek."

Muhl danced with Rachel Fisher and Jordan Schnur acting as his back ups. Devers followed suit with Lauren Anderson and Angela Motolese.

"Guys can dress up like mermaids," said Winzer. "People like having a good time with each other. It's our last hurrah."

"It's absurd art. Mr. Northwestern has a reputation of being edgy in the past," said Consuelos.

Archer, who performed an original rap about high school, kept his act a secret even from his family.

"They knew I [would be] doing something but all I told them is you'll have to wait and see," said Archer, grinning. "I didn't tell them what I was wearing. My grandmother is going to be there and they're going to be in for a nice surprise."

"I've known most of these guys for a while. Besides the prom and stuff it's a last hurrah. Everyone is not really showing it on the outside but we're going to be leaving," Devers said. "This is definitely one of the most memorable things we do."