Fred Ochieng '05 is king for a day after narrowly beating Eric Trautmann '07 for the mantle of "Mr. Dartmouth" on Saturday. The first annual competition drew a crowd of about 40 to Filene Auditorium and raised about $45 for the Listen Center, which aids needy families in Lebanon.
A panel of judges evaluated the contestants on a scale of one to 10 for their fashion sense, daring, originality, creativity and ability to laugh at themselves.
Trautmann did particularly well in the fashion and talent segments. He emerged in a Speedo and lip-synched to a Romanian pop song for the talent portion of the pageant.
Ochieng's silk pajamas and soccer ball dribbling proved less rousing than Trautmann's performances. Trautmann, however, committed what proved to be a fatal error in answering one of his questions.
"I'll work on fostering a sense of gender equality at Dartmouth for the ladies. And try to get all of the guys blowjobs," Trautmann said when asked how he would use his Mr. Dartmouth title to benefit the Dartmouth community.
The judges, all employees of the College, were apparently not impressed with Trautmann's response.
His reply pushed the competition, which had been close until the question-and-answer session, in Ochieng's favor, according to Jess Tory '06, who emceed the event.
"Stunned silence and groans ensued. I lost the competition there, which was pretty much what I was going for," Trautman said. "I was more interested in entertaining myself and the audience than winning the prize."
The competition, which was sponsored by the Office of Residential Life, was divided into three segments. Contestants first modeled either swimwear or eveningwear. They then had two to five minutes to display a talent of their choice. Finally, Tory questioned each contestant.
Trautmann will still receive a $15 gift certificate to Molly's restaurant and a smaller crown than the first-place winner, Tory said. In addition to his superior crown, Ochieng will also receive a $30 gift certificate to Molly's.
Three other Dartmouth men -- Jacob Crumbine '07, Kapil Kale '07 and Nathaniel Rimers '04 -- also vied for the Mr. Dartmouth crown. Originally, more than 20 men were slated to compete, but as the competition grew nearer, all but five dropped out.
Tory said she considers the event a success despite a relatively low turnout, which she attributed to the hockey and basketball games that also took place Saturday evening.
While there are plans to make Mr. Dartmouth an annual competition, Tory says she may plan other events next term.
"Tune in next term, when we host the First Annual Dartmouth Mud Wrestling Competition," she said. "The grand prize will be a date with Paris Hilton. Or me."
