ZTA raises awareness through “All Out Pink” Big Man

By Maegan White

Elm Staff Writer

Zeta Tau Alpha hosted their annual Pink Out Week from Oct. 24 -29, concluding with their male pageant Big Man on Campus.

According to ZTA’s Director of Philanthropy junior Laurel Krause, all of the funds raised during Pink Out Week went toward the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation, which will distribute those funds to breast cancer awareness and education initiatives around the country.

Leading up to Big Man, ZTA tabled in Hodson Hall, passing out pink breast cancer ribbons, selling baked goods and pink roses, and hosting a bra decorating day. They also held a bonfire with a food truck on Sunday, Oct. 16. Entry was $8 per person.

ZTA’s Pink Out Week events culminated with Big Man on Campus on Friday, Oct. 22 in the Alonzo G. and Virginia Gent Decker Theatre. Tickets to the event were $5.

Big Man is an annual talent show hosted by the sisters of ZTA where male students from different sports teams, fraternities, and organizations compete head to head to be named Big Man on Campus. 

According to Krause, this year’s theme is “All Out Pink.” 

“I am really happy that this year’s theme is general breast cancer education and awareness,” Krause said. “I think it really brings Big Man back to the point of why we do it. This is about breast cancer awareness and this is a really important thing we need to focus on as a society.”

This year’s Big Man featured 11 competitors. The lineup included sophomores Stephen Hook, Patrick Downes, and Hunter Frederick; juniors Jay Dadhania and Jacob Lafferty; and seniors Omari Watkins, David White, Dylan Snow, Jastin Garcia-Mendoza, Alex Wilsey, and Adam Brown. 

Each contestant had a ZTA sister as a sponsor. ZTA sisters seniors Julia Totis and Cia Tiu hosted the event. 

The judges for the show were senior Asia Webb, senior Alexandra Solano Guante, and senior Kayleigh Maimone, the presidents from Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Omicron Pi, and ZTA respectively. The last judge was Director of Student Engagement Antoine Jordan ‘12. 

The contestants started off the competition with a dance to the song “Buttons” by the Pussycat Dolls, before heading into the individual performances. 

This year’s talents were diverse – some put on tear jerking performances, some stunned the crowd with magic, and others had the crowd singing along.

Musical performances included White performing “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley on his guitar, Hook singing and playing piano to “Lean on Me” by Billy Withers, Downes performing “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, and Garcia-Mendoza singing “Stand by Me” in Spanish and English.

Lip syncing and dancing was also popular this year, with Fredrick dancing to “9-5” by Dolly Parton, Watkins performing “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z, and Snow dancing and lip syncing to a compilation of Lady Gaga songs, which included two costume changes. 

Lafferty led the group in a jazzercise class and Wilsey performed “Sissy that Walk” by Ru Paul. 

Dadhania lit a dollar on fire and magically transported it into an unopened bag of chips. The dollar that he lit on fire and the one that was in the bag shared the same serial number. 

The final talent to go was Brown’s recreation of Tom Holland’s performance of “Umbrella” by Rihanna, which aired on “Lip Sync Battle.”

After a short intermission for the judges to deliberate, they announced the winners. 

The first winner was Best Pair, an award given to the contestant and sponsor with the most chemistry. This year’s winner was Downes and his ZTA sponsor sophomore Heather Fabritze.

Next was the Best Leg Up award, an audience voted prize given to the contestant with the best leg photo submitted by the contestants. This year’s winner was Hook.

Lafferty won the Mr. Think Pink award, which is given to the contestant who is most dedicated to ZTA’s philanthropy.

Jordan also gives out an award each year to the best talent. This year’s winner of the Judge’s Choice award was Brown.

Then, it was time to announce the most coveted award of the night – Big Man on Campus 2022. This award is given to the contestant with the best all-around score taking into consideration talent, video, and Think Pink attitude. The winner for this year was Snow.

Snow, the 2021 Mr. Think Pink winner, said that while winning the Big Man crown is a huge honor, he was more excited about ZTA’s commitment and dedication to their philanthropy. 

“Honestly it is really awesome and validating [to win Big Man], but at the same time it is not about me,” Snow said. “I really want to give props to ZTA and everyone in America with breast cancer. It really is such a good cause and I am excited for [ZTA] to continue to raise money for this cause in the future.”

ZTA sister senior Kristina Curley was Snow’s sponsor and said that he put in a lot of dedication and time into this event. 

“From his talent to his [Glee-themed] video, he did it all, including choreographing his own talent,” Curley said. “I was just there to support him along the way. I am so proud of him.”

Brown, the winner of the Judge’s Choice Award, shared that the group of guys got very close and had a great time over the past few weeks of rehearsal and preparation for the event. 

“It was a lot of fun, all the rehearsals, all the practices,” Brown said. “It was a great group of guys and a great group of ZTA sisters.”

At the end of Big Man, Krause announced that ZTA had surpassed their goal and raised over $3,500 for the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation. 

Photo by Grace Hazlehurst

Photo Caption: Big Man winner senior Dylan Snow wowed the crowd with a compilation of Lady Gaga songs.

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