Introducing … Mr. Westport! A night of talent and humor

Eight Westport seniors compete in talent, poise, swimsuit and more for the annual title of Mr. Westport

By Kathleen Troost-Cramer
Posted 5/4/18

The winner of the 16th annual Mr. Westport competition expressed himself “surprised” that he was crowned Mr. Westport.

“I knew I worked hard on it, but I didn’t think I …

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Introducing … Mr. Westport! A night of talent and humor

Eight Westport seniors compete in talent, poise, swimsuit and more for the annual title of Mr. Westport

Posted

The winner of the 16th annual Mr. Westport competition expressed himself “surprised” that he was crowned Mr. Westport.

“I knew I worked hard on it, but I didn’t think I was going to win,” said 18-year-old Matt Cliff. “I thought it would be just a fun time with my friends.”

He thought fellow contestant Brandon Marques would take the title instead, because “he had a really good act.” 

The friendly competition, organized by the Westport Athletic Boosters and directed by Angelet Viveiros, was held at Westport High School on Saturday, April 28.

Patricio Bernal was chosen as second runner-up, and Mark Brochu came in as first runner-up.

All contestants performed with grace and humor in six segments: appearing in formal wear, performing two group dances choreographed by Viveiros and Acadia Cass, a swimsuit competition, being grilled by questions from the judges, and talent. 

The young men, all seniors who volunteered to participate, were awarded up to 10 points in four judging categories: poise (a new category this year), swimsuit, talent, and answering questions posed by the judges. Judges submitted scores individually, and the numbers were then combined to determine the winners.

Although the competition is organized by the athletic boosters, students need not participate in athletics to vie for the Mr. Westport title.

Westport High students Maria Clara “MC” Rapoza and Jameson Winters emceed the event. Judging the contestants were Laura Charette, Tanya Earle, Wayne Wardwell, LouAnn Nygaard, who with Anne Vigeant established the Mr. Westport competition in 2002, and former Mr. Westport contestants Nick Friar (second runner-up, 2010) and Ryan Medeiros (2012).

Mr. Westport 2017, Taylor Page, was present to help bestow the title on his successor.

The highlight of the evening was the swimsuit portion. No parading about with muscles flexed here. Contestants wore swim trunks and acted out full skits, including Marques fighting a shark and contestant Corey Lesieur carrying a surfboard while singing his own lyrics to the tune of “Surfin’ USA.”

The talent segment was split into two parts bracketing the intermission. Cliff’s talent segment was a tribute to the “Jingle Bell Rock” dance scene from the 2004 film “Mean Girls.”

Second runner-up Bernal, a member of the school’s saxophone quartet, jammed on the saxophone while striding down the aisles among the audience. Lesieur treated the audience to a “Risky Business” Tom Cruise imitation, and grass-skirt-clad contestant Ethan Carreiro sang “You’re Welcome” from the 2016 Disney film “Moana.”

First runner-up Brochu performed a mock ballet in which he and a partner rolled a beach ball between their bodies to the musical accompaniment of the Bonnie Tyler hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart” without letting the ball fall to the ground. All while wearing tutus.

Act Two opened with the ensemble performing a dance routine to “It’s Raining Men,” complete with black hats and umbrellas à la Gene Kelly.

While Cliff’s “Mean Girls” routine had the audience in stitches, his response to the judge’s question was a sober one.

When asked “Who is the most influential person in your life?” Cliff answered “My dad. He’s done a lot for me. I don’t know where I’d be without him. He’s sacrificed so much for me, and I love him.”

LuAnn Nygaard, in her first time as a Mr. Westport judge, said this was just one of the things that made Cliff stand out.

“I think Matt really showed his personality,” she said. “His talent was creative, he put some effort into it. He had to do the choreography and all that. His answer to the question was very heartfelt. His swimsuit was very creative, very funny.”

Friar agreed. “Cliff had a presence about him,” he said, noting that Cliff “locked up” the poise category, closely followed by Brochu. “Right when Cliff walked onstage, he knew what he was doing.” 

“Poise is important,” Friar observed. “Can you carry yourself appropriately up there?”

For the runners-up, Nygaard said that Brochu stood out to her, especially for his talent act.

“Talent in this competition is not just God-given talent, it’s more the entertainment value and how much we think the kids put into it,” Nygaard explained.

She added that Bernal’s talent –– along with his solid dance performances — set him apart from other competitors and influenced her scores for him as second runner-up.

In the end, Friar said, Mr. Westport contestants don’t take the competition – or themselves – too seriously.

“When I was in Mr. Westport, I looked at it as a beauty pageant, but for guys,” he said. “It’s funny. If a kid’s using humor, that’s what’s going to do it for me.”

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