Mr.Viking once again graced Forest Grove High School with an amazing crop of boys who put on an incredible show under the direction of Lilly Mejia and Olivia Bateman. Mr. Viking is always an event to look forward to, the pageant began with a brief introduction of the boys a spirit-wear section, followed by the talent portion and the evening-wear segment. Finally there was a Q & A segment preceding the final results. Overall it was a very entertaining and exciting event to attend. This year all of the proceeds and money raised by the boys were donated to Doernbecher’s Children Hospital, and the competition was more intense than ever.

The pageant began this year with an exciting entrance by the boys and the wonderful MCs Sinclaire Leto and Mrs. Laura Lewis. The contestants were introduced. A group of ten boys put themselves in the spotlight and fundraised in the time leading up to the event. The boys included freshman Victor Chavez, sophomores Elijah Gogo-Peters and Weston Stuckey, juniors Leif Jørgensen and Abel Mandujano, and seniors Ivan Garcia, Natan Lizier-Zmudzinski, Eric Rodriguez, and Eli Gale. The pageant progressed with an exciting spirit wear section where the boys put their fashion skills to the test in discovering an outfit that showed how much school spirit they had. After that fun display of Forest Grove Pride came the talent section. Victor Chavez kicked it off with some exemplary stand-up comedy. He had the entire audience in the throes of laughter, an amazing start to the talent portion. Next Elijah showed off his best moves, dancing to the likes of Hotline Bling, dare I say he gave Drake a run for his money? Following Elijah was Devin Imbat with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for Ukulele and voice, his performance was beautifully reminiscent of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. A spectacular take on the age old tune. Eli Gale took us to the theater with an exciting performance of a thought provoking monologue. His animation in conjunction with the breaking of the fourth wall was an exciting change of pace and thrilling experience. The next section of the talent competition included Natan Lizier-Zmudzunski rapping…in Italian. His delivery of the Italian rap was done well and effectively, not an easy feat whatsoever. Ivan Garcia played an incredible piano medley with songs such as Adele’s “Someone Like You”, One Republic’s “Apologize” and many more. An incredible mashup executed well. Eric Rodriguez came next channeling his inner Michaelangelo as he painted a beautiful masterpiece; a turtle auctioned off for $25. Leif Jørgensen sang an Elton John song; “Talking Soldier”. His powerful rendition struck the audience, and his vocal talent was beautifully shown. Weston Stuckey’s talent could very well have gotten him a spot on the television show “Lip Sync Battle”. He lip synced to a medley of songs including Adele’s hit song “Hello” and Katy Perry’s “ Firework”. Abel Mandujano also sang  an Adele song. His stage presence really sold the performance. This years group of boys was an exceptionally talented bunch, and I’m sure that the judges were really feeling conflicted. Luckily, the pageant was not over yet. The boys proceeded with the evening-wear portion of the competition. This was where the boys escorted an important person in their lives, mothers, cousins, sisters, etc. in tuxes. Then came the question and answer portion. No doubt an intimidating part of the competition, the boys answered eloquently and successfully. This concluded the pageant; it was now time for the Money Minute as the judges deliberated. After the successful money minute came results. There were three awards to be won; Mr. Moneybags, Mr. Congeniality, and, of course, Mr.Viking. The first award was Mr.Moneybags, Leif Jørgensen won this as he was the individual to raise the most money with a total of $395 dollars. The next award was Mr. Congeniality. Mr. Congeniality is voted on by the other contestants and was awarded to sophomore Weston Stuckey. Finally the much awaited moment came. Who would be the 2016 Mr. Viking? After a large drumroll the answer was revealed. Mr. Ivan Garcia won and became the reigning Mr.Viking. The competition was tough this year and every participant did an exemplary job. From Lilly and Olivia who put on the show, to the stage hands and tech people who helped it run smoothly, to the contestants, Mr. Viking was simply phenomenal this year. Bravo!

Photos by Photography Editor Kimo Fong