By Cynthia Retamozo
Students were treated to a throwback to their Nickelodeon days on Friday, when contestants for the title of “Big Man On Campus” competed in challenges modeled after “Legends of the Hidden Temple” and “Double Dare.”
The annual event was held in the Curry Student Center Ballroom Friday and was sponsored by Delta Phi Epsilon.
After a rousing rendition of the George Michael hit “Faith” during the individual talent portion of the competition, middler biology and environmental major Tommy Mountain walked away as Northeastern’s newest Big Man On Campus.
“I think me winning the Big Man On Campus is a lot like George Washington crossing the Delaware River,” he said. “Or Neil Armstrong crossing the expansive void of space on the moon; it was great not only for Northeastern, but it was a monumental day for America.”
Along with the title, Mountain received a round-trip ticket to any destination from JetBlue, and a “piece of the rock,” reminiscent of the trophy from the Aggro Crag mountain given on the Nickelodeon TV show, “Global Guts.”
Members of Delta Phi Epsilon introduced the contestants as they appeared on stage wearing different costumes. Some sported styles from “Legends of the Hidden Temple,” others were Tommy Pickles from “Rugrats,” and one dared to appear in a red leotard.
SGA President Rogan O’Handley, Junior Panhellenic Council President Jaime Mass, Delta Phi Epsilon Advisor Beth Ann Sullivan and a Delta Phi Epsilon alumna were judges for the event. They evaluated the contestants based on their enthusiasm, attire, sportsmanship, creativity and originality. Graded on a scale from one to five, the contestant with the highest score at the end of the night was declared the winner.
Every time a task was completed successfully, the contestant would receive a pendant, a reference to the procedure used on “Legends of the Hidden Temple.”
The first event was called “Truth or Double Dare.” The host asked the contestants to share embarrassing stories, to finish sentences, and to describe what they would do on a date with Patty Mayonnaise from “Doug.”
For the second event, the host asked the audience trivia questions from old-school Nickelodeon shows. Some of the questions included “What is Doug Funnie’s middle name?” and “What is the name of Clarissa’s pet lizard from ‘Clarissa Explains It All?'”
During the talent portion, each contestant had the opportunity to show off their skills of choice. Sophomore political science major Christopher Kelley and middler geology major Joey Fiore wooed the crowd through song with renditions of Prep Unit’s “Tea Party,” and Ludacris’ “What’s Your Fantasy.”
Senior biology major Smith Anderson and senior architecture major P.J. Miles, who were dressed as Quailman and Silver Skeeter from “Doug,” played flip cup using milk, drinking from about 20 cups each. Sophomore nursing major Chase Jacomini danced ballet-style to “Chariots of Fire” while wearing a midriff-baring shirt and a tutu. Senior marketing major Matt Handy impersonated Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice while reading passages from a book by Star Jones.
Between the three main events, the contestants competed in “Double Dare”-themed “physical challenges.”
The first challenge required eight members of the audience to wear headbands with cups attached to them and stand in a horizontal line facing the contestants. Each was assigned an audience member. Then the contestants tried to throw balls into the cups. Whoever had the most balls in his cup at the end of the round won.
During the second physical challenge, each contestant was given a box with a description of a physical trait and a costume inside. They had to find an audience member with the trait and bring them on stage.
Afterward, they put on the costumes, which were frilly tutus, and ate a pie without hands.
Delta Phi Epsilon member and middler medical laboratory science major Catherine Armato and sophomore physical therapy major Rachel Tabak coordinated the event. All proceeds went to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).
“One of our philanthropies is the CFF,” said Armato. “We chose it over others because of several personal contacts with people who suffered and died from the disease.”
Armato said they chose the Nickelodeon theme for its nostalgic value among college students.
“We knew it would bring back childhood memories,” she said. “And we also knew that people would be curious to attend the event when they saw old school Nickelodeon figures on the promotion flyers.”
Sophomore communications major Jason Carbonneau enjoyed the event, both for the tone and for its philanthropic aims.
“It was absolutely great,” he said. “There was a lot of different variety in talents and it was great seeing everyone coming together for a great cause.”
