Mr. PC: Saved by the Belding

The weeks leading up to the annual Mr. PC Pageant were filled with anticipation and excitement for the event. It became almost inevitable not to hear mention of the pageant after awhile, especially as the event drew near. Was the excitement out of a desire to see all the contestants in their "evening wear"? Was it with anticipation of seeing the talent portion of the event? Or was all the hype simply due to the excitement of seeing who would be named this year's Mr. PC? In previous years, these may have the reasons for all the eagerness. This year however, the story was a little different.

This year's pageant was unlike all previous shows. For the first time in the four-year history of the contest, the majority of the audience was there to see the host of the show as opposed to the contestants. This year's host stole the spotlight from the contestants and gave this year's Mr. PC pageant a much larger turnout than in previous years.

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, PC brought to life the one and only Mr. Richard Belding from the popular 90's sitcom, Saved by the Bell. Many of the PC students who would not have otherwise attended the event bought tickets in advance this year so they would be able to see Mr. Belding in person.

Meghan Gallant '06 said, "Mr. Belding was like a third parent to all of us and I'm looking forward to seeing him at the Mr. PC Pageant."

Students started lining up over an hour before the pageant began and crowded to get through the doors when they opened at 6:30 p.m., an hour before the show began. By 6:45, there was standing room only. This year's Mr. PC pageant had a record breaking turnout with 850 people, breaking the previous 300 person mark.

After much anticipation, the big moment arrived, and out came the night's emcee, Dennis Haskins, also known as Mr. Belding. He was greeted with a wild applause and a standing ovation, responding, "How is everybody?" Mr. Haskins then went on to explain the rules of the contest and the judges.

This year's judges were Sharon Hay, Director of the SAIL office and Slavin Center, Sarah Fereto '03, Ray cafeteria employees Fran Cucino and Terry Rivera, and security officers John Dunbar and James Wally.

The students vying for this year's crown were (in order of appearance) Mike Giroux '06, Chris Ackley '06, Rory Davan '04, Micheal Wholley '05, Greg Damiani '06, Shereef Ahmed '04, Matt Weber '06, Jeffrey Pierre '06, Pete Farese '06, and Matt Cleary '04.

After the contestants were announced, "Mr. Belding" proved to be a crowd pleaser, getting a laugh out of everybody with his infamous "Mr. Belding laugh" and by saying his famous Saved by the Bell line, "Hey, hey, hey, WHAT is going on here?"

He also told the crowd a little bit about his personal life, explaining that he had attended 12 years of parochial school and went to college at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Haskins also took the time to answer some questions from the audience, and said that his favorite episodes were the graduation episodes.

The contestants were then ready for the talent portion of the show. The contestants displayed a variety of talents, including playing a guitar medley and imitating a Jurassic Park dinosaur.

The talent competition was followed by a brief intermission. Matt Chase '05, commented, "This is a very exciting show, well-worth seeing. (Mr.) Belding's the man."

"Welcome back! Did you miss me? I missed you!" Haskins cheerfully greeted the crowd after intermission. "Mr. Belding" explained a little bit about his life since Saved by the Bell had ended. He had recently traveled to Afghanistan to visit the troops there and deliver inspirational messages to the soldiers.

When asked which cast member he remains in contact with, Mr. Haskins replied Dustin Diamond, better known as Screech, because he was the only member of the original cast who appeared on the "New Class" episodes with him.

The formal wear portion of the contest was up next, and each of the ten contestants walked down the runway in their tuxedos, while Haskins read a little bit about each, including their hobbies, likes, and dislikes.

While the judges were tallying up the points, Haskins asked random audience members Saved by the Bell trivia, and gave away 8"X10" pictures of the original cast to the winners. Before announcing the five finalists, "Mr. Belding" remarked to the audience, "I really feel a lot of love from you, I love coming to colleges like this!"

The five finalists were then announced in random order - Davan, Ahmed, Weber, Pierre, and Farese. The question and answer portion of the show was next. Contestants answered questions such as what they would do if they became president of the College, what their favorite PC memory is, and what they would change about the school.

The judges then began counting up the points from the question and answer portion, while Haskins spoke to the audience. "How many of you have a dream? I think it's so important for all of you to pursue your dreams, because if you don't you'll never know what you can do. Take advantage of every opportunity you can...you never know what it could lead to." He then added, "It's ok to make mistakes in life, what's important is what you do after you make them." After these inspirational words, "Mr. Belding" answered some more questions about Saved by the Bell episodes. Before announcing the winner of the Mr. PC pageant, Haskins added, "I really do believe you guys are our future."

Then it was time for the winner of the title of Mr. PC to be announced. This year's winner was Pierre, with Davan as the first runner up and Ahmed the second runner up.

Farese commented on being a contestant in the event, "I think it went well and I was happy to be a part of it. I can't wait for next year's contest." After the event, "Mr. Belding" was more than happy to stay around and sign autographs and take pictures with people. A long line quickly formed with students eager to meet the one and only "Mr. Belding."

Orla Kennedy '06, said of the event, "Mr. Belding was all I expected him to be and more. We were so lucky to have such an inspirational speaker come to our school. He was a role model to us when we were younger, and I feel that he still is one now. Unless they bring Zach to host the event next year, next year's Mr. PC pageant will be hard to top."