Dozens of shirtless contestants, waves of obscure talents, and gallons of baby oil: No, this isn’t Spring Break in Cancun, but rather the 2012 Mr. Panther competition.
On December 1, 2011, seven judges (including beloved former A.P. Chemistry and TV Production teacher Mr. Jay Salon) judged the charm, presence, and talents of 37 male contestants in the 7th annual beauty pageant spoof. The competition raised money for Palmetto’s Television Production and raised awareness for the clubs and sports (including O’Interact, Lacrosse, and Mu Alpha Theta, among others) that each contestant represented.
“The whole Mr. Panther experience was a lot of fun. Off stage we’d be showing our talents to the other contestants then switch to serious faces onstage. The second that we got off the stage, we’d be back to goofing off. Robert Urquiza [Mr. HOSA] – with his down-to-earth personality and great guitar talent – definitely deserves his Mr. Panther 2012 winning title,” senior Ryan Florez, Mr. GSA, said.
While the Mr. Panther community comprised of hard work by the contestants, talented students devoted their time to the show, too.
“Overall, the experience working with the contestants was fun. I’m thankful that our dance practices were only an hour each, though. Some of those boys had a very short attention span,” senior Mollie Girnun, a Mr. Panther choreographer, said.
The female-jammed screaming audience, however, seemed to enjoy the show the most.
“The talent-competition blew me away! Mr. Science NHS, Albert Liu was incredible on the piano. I can’t wait until next year’s show,” freshman Nathalie Calderon said.
The talented and entertaining contestants were not the only positive facets of the show, though.
“Even the music videos and commercials in between the phases of the competition were entertaining. Mr. Osuna [New Television Production teacher] and the whole TVP team did a much better job than I expected,” sophomore Jordan Ballester said.
Summing up the Mr. Panther experience, TVP Treasurer, Junior Andres Flores said, “We had so much pressure on our shoulders considering this was the first Mr. Panther show without Mr. Salon. The fact that the tickets sold out and that the show went smoothly is a great accomplishment. Is next year’s show going to be even better? Heck yes!”
