The NDA auditorium became increasingly louder Saturday night as a sold out crowd took their seats to witness the Mr. NDA XVIII competition.

The fifteen competitors began with their entrances, where they had to strut their stuff in tuxedos provided by Men’s Warehouse. Most entrances were based on popular movies such as Hot Rod, Saturday Night Fever, and Elf.

Senior Stu Kwaterski stood out from the crowd by lip-synching to Annie’s “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” while wearing a short red dress. He received plenty of laughs when he revealed his famous UPS short-shorts from last year’s Mr. NDA competition.

Senior Kieran DeGroot also made the crowd laugh with his spin-off on Elf, featuring  Spanish teacher Senora Amy Stover.

Next came the beachwear competition, where the boys stripped down to their swimsuits to come up with three creative photos to display on the big screen.

After beachwear was the talent portion of the show. Some talents featured singing, like senior Kevin Robinson’s, who sang while his brother Nick accompanied him on guitar.

Joe Curtin sang “Make Them Laugh” while being backed up by his senior guy friends.

Senior Luke Davison was given assistance from freshman Charlie Urick, senior Kevin Robinson and other senior guys in his talent, which featured a performance from the popular movie Pitch Perfect.

Senior Mason Appleton stood out in the talent portion, where he rollerbladed on stage with fellow hockey player Brett Gruber.

Isaac Seering stuck to his Napoleon Dynamite theme from his entrance and danced to a popular scene from the movie for his talent.

Finally came the most nerve-wracking part of the show: the Q&A. Contestants had to answer a previously unseen question quickly and with poise.

Some answers were funny and others were sweet.

When asked what superpower he would have if he woke up tomorrow with one, Kieran DeGroot said he would be able to go back in time to give himself more time to think about the question.

Junior Sam Liegel went for a sweeter approach when asked what advice he would give to his younger self, saying he would tell himself to never give up, even when faced with adversity.

Finally, Mr. Congeniality, second runner-up, first runner-up, and the new Mr. NDA were revealed.

The title of Mr. Congeniality, who is voted on by his fellow contestants as being willing to help and being an overall good guy, went to senior Stu Kwaterski.

Second runner-up went to senior and public performance member Joe Curtin, whose “Singing in the Rain” entrance certainly stood out.

First runner-up, who will take the place of Mr. NDA in Mr. Titletown should he choose not to compete, went to Stu Kwaterski, whose talent featured a hilarious dance with other football players.

Finally, the coveted title of Mr. NDA XVIII went to Kieran DeGroot, who sealed his win after a comical entrance with an even funnier talent, featuring magic tricks, including making someone disappear and quickly reappear somewhere else in the auditorium. He even “cut” NDA junior volunteer Emily Allen in half on stage.

In his speech, DeGroot thanked his fellow contestants for support, along with the “Fantastic Four” of Mr. NDA–Mrs.  Carolyn Brown, Frau Laaksonen, Mrs. Julie Campbell and Mrs. Sarah VanGrunsven and everyone who worked backstage, along with Jake Gerlikovski and Vince Hribernik. He also thanked Men’s Warehouse for his tux. DeGroot’s final thank you went to his mom and dad.

Overall, Mr. NDA was again successful. The emcees, Ali Lemkuil and Anna Corriveau, along with the contestants, made it another unforgettable Mr. NDA.