Michael Tree '13 and Kate Shelton '14 were crowned Mr. and Mrs. Big Green on Wednesday night in one of the closest races in the competition's history. The event brought together five men and five women from across campus to compete for a $500 prize to be donated to a charity of their choice.
Tree chose to donate his winnings to the Family to Family Foundation founded by one of his high school teachers which provides scholarships to students in rural El Salvador who would not otherwise receive an education.
"I am interested in social activism, and it is my hope that my prize money will allow at least one student in those areas to attend secondary education and therefore will be more likely to attend college," Tree said.
Shelton chose to donate to the Prison Project, an organization devoted to raising the self-esteem, motivation and confidence of prisoners in the Windsor Correctional Facility in Windsor, Vt. through programs organized by volunteers. Among these programs are job re-entry classes and the filming of imprisoned fathers reading bedtime stories to send home to their children, according to the project's website.
"The foundation is extremely beneficial to both the inmates and their families and fosters opportunities for improvements in their lives," Shelton said.
The competition itself consisted of three rounds. In addition to Tree and Shelton, competitors included Aaron Limonthas '12, Micah Zhao '13, Michael Haughey '15, Millen Abselab '13, Sandi Caalim '13, Holly Foster '14 and Erin Purcell '15.
In the first round, competitors walked down the runway to songs of their choice and introduced themselves and the charities they had chosen to support.
In the next, the contestants showcased their talents, which ranged from riding a unicycle to dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
Tree, wearing a crown of flowers, serenaded the audience with his rendition of Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You into the Dark," while Shelton performed an interpretative dance to a recording of Maya Angelou's poem "Phenomenal Woman."
The judges chose two men and two women Tree, Shelton, Limonthas and Abselab as finalists to compete in the final question round, during which judges asked Tree what he does differently than other people.
"I strive to live without fear of judgment," he said.
When asked what she does alone but not in front of others, Shelton said she writes at the close of each day to "decompress and clear my mind."
This year's competition showcased more talent than those of previous years, according to judge Richard Stephenson '12, who won the title last year.
"There was a lot more diversity in the talents that the competitors brought to the stage, which made it impossible to decide a winner amongst the judges," he said.
Due to a lack of consensus at the judges' table, the audience's cheers ultimately decided the two winners.
The Mr. and Mrs. Big Green competition began four years ago and was inspired by a similar event at Yale University, known as the Mr. Yale contest. In addition to promoting the winners' charities, the competition also aspires to foster a sense of community, according to competition co-host Andres Ramirez '14.
"The competition aims to inspire bonding both within each class and across classes through friendly rivalry," Ramirez said.
The Mr. and Mrs. Big Green competition was sponsored by the Class Councils and judged by Stepheanson, Rachel Ofori '14 and Charlie Laud '14. The event, which took place in Alumni Hall, was hosted by Ramirez and Molly Hassell '13.
