The second annual Miss RPI Contest, held by Pi Lambda Phi, brought pageantry and fun to DCC 308 Wednesday night as seven female RPI students vied for the title of Miss RPI. In the categories of song, dance, formalwear, beachwear, question and answer, and other assorted tomfoolery, the Pi Lams provided an altogether enjoyable show. Between admission and the 50/50 raffle, the event raised $550 for Joseph’s House, which provides aid to the terminally ill in the Washington, D.C. area.
Jacqui Ferrari was the winner of the contest, and took home the coveted title of the competition. One of Ferrari’s more memorable acts was a rendition of the Spice Girls song “Wannabe,” with a few of the other contestants as backup. The number was well-choreographed and well-organized. An earlier Ferrari performance of New Kids on the Block wasn’t as well done, but was no less entertaining.
The first runner-up, Holly O’Donohue, brought a humor to her acts that the other contestants lacked. When announced that O’Donohue would be presenting beachwear, she walked out onto the floor wearing flippers, shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, a towel, a scuba visor, and carrying a toy fishing rod with a small plastic fish attached to the end of the string.
The usual tastes in college humor were evident, such as when contestant Keri Kiernan expounded the similarities between crew and sex in a question and answer session, closing with a delightfully crude joke about crabs.
The risque fun continued when one of the contestant’s beachwear top—name withheld for privacy concerns—was the victim of a sudden and forceful attempted removal in a reenactment of Superbowl XVIII’s “wardrobe malfunction.”
However, not all sophistication was lost when the reading of a monologue from Hamlet was provided by contestant Rachel Evans, who acted out the part with more than the requisite anger and frustration at the vagaries of life. Evans threw a metal folding chair to drive the points home.
While the judges deliberated, the 50/50 raffle was drawn and the prize handed to the winner in cash. The amount was unspecified, but jokes of “He’s buying tonight!” ensued no less rapidly. Ferrari was awarded the title and presented with the obligatory crown and bouquet of roses—a dignified end to a decidedly undignified show.
The show began at 7:30 and ended a little over an hour later. Although somewhat on the short side, the Miss RPI Contest was well-coordinated, and more importantly, just plain fun.
