Excitement and laughs were rampant at Habitat for Humanity’s tenth annual fundraiser, Mr. Siena. Being called the best performance to date, the mock pagaent is held to raise money and awareness for Siena’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Now in its tenth year, the fundraiser is one of Siena’s biggest events. The eight contestants competed for the crown in front of a full crowd, performed in front of the judges in talent, suit, and skit categories. There were nothing but smiles on the faces of the contestants and crowd as Mr. Siena proved to be a great night for not just the campus, but also for a great cause.
Amidst the perfomers and only adding to more of the laughs, Fr. Dennis had a dance-off with the reigning Mr. Siena, Shane Cronin. Fr. Dennis made the sign of the cross before he was about to break dance, and while he did not end up getting to spin around on his head or anything, a rematch between Shane and Fr. Dennis should happen. Soon.
Each act was memorable, and each contestant wowed the crowd with their talents, created laughter with their skits, and dazzled in their suits.
Travis Pyka 18’ set the bar high when he required a blackout for his talent perfomance, and with the combination of his glow in the dark suits and balloons, the audience had a ball.
Ben Caesar 15’ amazed the audience when he broke out the cello and played nothing other than “Stacy’s Mom,” and it was only a matter of time until everyone was singing and clapping along.
Matthew Pinchinat 15’ claimed the Mr. Congeniality award at the end of the night and made the audience melt a little when he sang “All of Me.” Okay, we actually melted a lot.
Mike Talarico 16’ boasted some serious dance moves, mixing in the Lion King and his friends. Mike walked away with the best “Habitat Wear” award and he was a good fit for that award, considering his 4 years of experience with Habitat for Humanity.
Also having some awesome dance moves, Erwin Premchan 17’, held on pretty tightly to that briefcase. Erwin’s talent and skit showcase followed each other, and his dance moves were pretty kickass.
Petros Lilikas 16’ performed “Agony” from the movie “Into the Woods” and there probably wasn’t a jaw in the room that hadn’t dropped open. Petros also managed to recover ever so gracefully from a little slip, but even the best fall down sometimes! His “Into the Woods” performance proved to be one of the best of the evening.
The runner-up of the evening was Paolo Fiore 17’, and let me tell you, there was nothing cuter than Paolo’s skit. The audience was in a fit of “awwwww”’s when Paolo arranged to have his girlfriend, Paulina on stage with him during his skit. You totally fell in love with this adorable couple, admit it!
And last, but very certainly not least, Ryan Moran 15’ took home the crown and the title of Mr. Siena! Ryan incorporated some of his famous and iconic Bhangra crew, leading to the perfect ending to a perfect night.