It was a night filled with colorful talent, swim suits, dancing, sparkling dresses, and lots of skin when Phi Sigma Sigma hosted the annual Greek God and Goddess Pageant Monday evening.
Competing for the crowns were 18 contestants from various Greek organizations.
After fierce competition, Jennifer Prague of Lambda Phi was named Greek Goddess. Patrick Murphy of Pi Lambda Phi and Vasco Lopes of Sigma Alpha Mu shared the title of Greek God.
“I was surprised there was a tie,” Phi Sigma Sigma’s Aileen McDermott said. “We were caught a little off guard. I had to give the crown to one guy and the sash and the flowers to the other.”
All of the contestants were handpicked by each organization. They were judged by the sorority and fraternity presidents in four areas: Greek wear, swim wear, evening wear, and talent.
“The show was very well planned out by Phi Sigma Sigma,” student Peter Foglio said.
The candidates began by modeling various layers of clothing sporting the name of their Greek organization, which was followed by a modeling of swim suits.
Among the crowd’s favorite performances in this category was Prague’s rendition of “Bad Boys” in a black bikini bathing suit, complete with a toy gun and handcuffs. You could almost see the dollar bills creeping out of onlookers’ pockets.
During the talent segment, Lopes did a dance reminiscent of Saturday Night Fever and Murphy solved a Rubik’s cube in under three minutes.
“I like the talent part because it’s interesting to see what people can do,” McDermott said.
David Starosciak, who came in second place for Greek God, impressed many in the audience when he sang the Dashboard Confessional song “Remember to Breathe.”
“The singing was really good,” said Jennifer Abreu of Gamma Phi Beta.
The contestants then modeled their favorite evening wear in various creative ways. Second place contestant Rosalie Maiale of Gamma Phi Beta wore a sparkling light pink dress, prancing to the Cinderella tune “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and leaving a shoe on stage behind her.
“She performed to the best of her abilities,” Abreu said.
While last year’s competition seemed more intense, the 2005 Greek God and Goddess Pageant seemed to be a bit more lighthearted.
“I didn’t think the crowd was as into it as in the past, but everyone enjoyed it,” McDermott said.
Some students within the Greek organizations felt that the show served to unify the Greek community.
“It’s one of the few events all the fraternities and sororities partake in,” said Richard Barquero of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Other students felt that the nature of the Greek God and Goddess Pageant created a gap among the Greek organizations.
“Competition yields division,” Sigma Phi Epsilon Vice President Chris Nieves said.
While the majority of those in attendance enjoyed the show, some students felt that it would have been more impartial if the candidates were judged by faculty or people not affiliated with the organizations instead of by the sorority and fraternity presidents.
“The decision (the judges) make is influenced by some bias,” Barquero said. “Anything with students judging breeds bias because everyone knows each other.”
But despite any bias the judges may have had, most people felt that the crowns were well earned by Prague, Murphy and Lopes.
“I think the judges made good choices,” McDermott said.
Abreu added,”The people who won really gave the crowd some entertainment.”
