Senior guys. Dancing. Dressing up in ridiculous outfits. It’s no wonder the male beauty pageant also known as Mr. Longhorn has sold out every year for the four years it has taken place.

There will be 23 senior contestants competing to be crowned Mr. Longhorn. All students who signed up get to participate.

“I’m really looking forward to the event. Since last year I’ve wanted to do it because it was so funny to watch and it looked like a good time,” senior and contestant Logan Williams said. “It’s always fun messing around and looking stupid with friends.”

The show will take place in the theater at 7 p.m. and include an opening dance, occupation wear, talent portion, formal wear and an interview portion for the top five contestants.

“I’m excited for the talent part of the night. When I watched the seniors do it last year, they were really funny, so hopefully I can live up to that reputation,” senior and contestant Josh Gorman said.

There are three practices to prepare for the night. At these practices, the boys rehearse their talents in front of the eight junior and senior girl volunteers coordinating the event and are given advice on their acts.

“I helped last year and I remember it was really hard to get the boys to focus. One night, we had to get pizza as an incentive. After a while they realized they actually had to practice or else they were gonna look stupid in front of the whole school,” senior and emcee Demi Ferretti said.

They also practice a group dance that is choreographed and taught to them by the poms team.

“I am a phenomenal dancer so I’m not worried about that part at all,” Gorman said. “I am a little nervous for my talent portion, but hopefully I can practice enough to where I can perform under pressure and still do fine.”

In 2016, Nick Lathrop was crowned Mr. Longhorn.

“Last year his interpretive dance with a beach ball was hilarious. I thought he deserved to win,” Gorman said. “I think the key to winning the whole thing this year will be having the best talent and looking the best in the fashion show.”

The judges for the event will be teachers Debra Klevens, Kristin Judd, Colleen O’Toole, Kate Piffel and Val Kamhi. The judging system will be based off of hashtags: #nbd (nothing but despicable), #lol (lacking only a little) and #lit (legit in talent).

“Judging is so difficult. There are so many creative ideas and approaches to the event. Being able to critique each boy on their occupation wear, talent wear and formal wear is not easy. They are usually very talented and entertaining,” teacher and event coordinator Annie Wayland said. “There is no doubt this competition is always very close and so many do so well. The more they embrace the fun part of this event, traditionally the better they do.”

Tickets are five dollars and they will be sold by the contestants or can be purchased at the school store. All proceeds will go to the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition.

“This event is highly entertaining and the money raised goes to an incredible cause,” Wayland said. “It’s so fun to see the boys having a good time, being in their element, embracing the silliness and sharing a memorable experience with their friends before graduating.”