“Beards, they grow on you” read the screen in the center of the stage as five Northwestern students competed for the title of Mr. No Shave November on Friday.
Some of Northwestern’s burliest manly-men gathered for the fundraising pageant hosted by Relay for Life. The pageant raised a total of $4,191 for the American Cancer Center.
Winner Matt Connolly, a Medill junior, earned the title of the first Mr. No Shave November.
“I do No Shave November every year, so I tried to treat this one as any other year,” Connolly said. “This time, I got to do it for a good cause and get an award for it.”
The pageant kicked off with a milk mustache contest, in which the five contestants were judged by the quality of their dairy mustaches. Following that, the audience watched a documentary that interviewed all the contestants as they were going through the weeks of not shaving. When asked what the hardest part about growing his beard was, one contestant jokingly answered “applying the glue.”
The contestants earned points in five categories: amount of money fundraised, beard aesthetics, contest performance, interviews and audience opinion. There were 50 points total that were scored in the end by the three judges.
Following the first contest, there was also a mud pie contest in which the five bearded men tried to pick up as many gummy bears in the pie as possible – giving them each a thick new chocolate beard.
As contestants cleaned up, the a cappella group Asterik also performed, providing a different kind of entertainment for the cheering audience. About 30 people attended the pageant in Fisk Hall. Since this was the first year Relay for Life put on the pageant, some audience members were not sure what they were going to witness.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Communication freshman Alexandria Paul said. “But it’s really fun and I’m definitely coming back next year.”
In addition to this event, Relay for Life will also have a benefit concert in Winter Quarter and a “Birthday Party” fundraiser during Spring Quarter.
“This is the first time we did Mr. No Shave November and it has been the largest and most successful fundraiser we have done,” said Relay for Life’s public relations fundraising coach Kate Lipstein, a SESP senior.
The final stage of the pageant included interviews in which each contestant answered questions pertaining to his beard or mustache.
After the interviews, the audience had a chance to participate and show their appreciation for each contestant before the crowning of Mr. No Shave November.
“I don’t think I’m ready to shave (my beard) yet,” Connolly said after winning the contest. “It’ll stick around.”
