Dudes duke it out for Deepher contest

Twelve of Pitt’s prime man-flesh strutted their stuff to a loudly cheering crowd last… Twelve of Pitt’s prime man-flesh strutted their stuff to a loudly cheering crowd last night in the hopes of being crowned this year’s Deepher Dude.

Delta Phi Epsilon sorority hosted Deepher Dude, a male talent and beauty contest, in the William Pitt Union as part of a national fundraiser for cystic fibrosis. Deepher is a national nickname for Delta Phi Epsilon.

The judges declared Karthik Dwarki of the American Chemical Society the champion after he jaunted down the catwalk in a bath towel and gave a stand-up comedy routine that covered farts, masturbation and video games.

Breanne Roche, Delta Phi Epsilon’s Vice President of Programming, said that the contestants, who represent various campus organizations including The Society of Physics Students and the fraternity Phi Delta Theta, need to be funny and outgoing to impress the judges.

Dean of Students Kathy Humphrey, Delta Phi Epsilon chapter adviser Loreleigh Lewis and Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life Summer Rothrock, judged the event.

All judges said they were looking for enthusiasm and excitement in the candidates.

The contest was split into three categories — the Summer Round, Talent and Formal Wear. In the Talent portion, contestants were judged on presence, audience appeal and effort. Originality also counted in the Summer category.

The top five candidates of the Summer and Talent rounds advanced to the Formal Wear. Sean Malloy, C.J. Bonge, Ryan Johnston and Henry Brinkerhoff accompanied Dwarki to the final round.

Rothrock, who also judged at last year’s event, said she is looking for contestants who show pride in participating in philanthropic events, but also expects substance.

“In the talent portion, I really appreciate real talent,” Rothrock said.

The contestants did not disappoint.

Ryan Johnston, member of Panther Crossfit, performed a one-armed handstand while reciting the alphabet-Schwarzenegger style.

“’H is for ‘Hasta la vista.’ I is for ‘I’ll be back,’” said Johnston in a thick Austrian accent. Johnston made it to the letter “R” before tumbling, but recited the alphabet until “’Z’ is for zebra.”

Max Schultz, a senior at Pitt who came to support Johnston, said that Johnston deserved to be 2010’s Deepher Dude because he’s “ripped as hell.”

According to Schultz, Johnston also had qualities beyond the physical that make him deserve to be champion.

Johnston mentors first generation college students and drinks a lot of milk, Schultz said.

Other candidates used the talent portion to get the crowd involved.

Jeff Boyd of Phi Delta Theta wooed the audience with his soulful rendition of “Don’t Stop the Music” by Rihanna. Throughout the song, the crowd intermittently sang along, clapped to the beat and cheered wildly.

Julie Howell, philanthropy coordinator for Delta Phi Epsilon, said that getting the crowd involved was important in order to win the competition.

Humphrey said that being in the midst of students was one aspect of the competition she found exciting.

Before Bryan Marco of the College Republicans began his talent, he called out to the audience:

“All I can say is, I hope the next two and a half minutes speak for themselves.”

“Do you say that often?” an audience member yelled back.