Hofstra’s best, brightest and most beautiful male talent participated in the 16th annual “Hofstra’s Hottest Man” competition hosted by Delta Phi Epsilon sorority on Tuesday, April 9. Sean Davenport, a junior public relations major, won the esteemed title in front of an enthusiastic audience in the Helene Fortunoff Theater.
“It goes beyond looks,” Davenport said. “I put thought and time into this and I think the judges saw that.”
About a dozen students participated in the pageant, held by Delta Phi Epsilon (DPhiE) to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The sorority adopted the cause as one of its primary philanthropic endeavors after the daughter of one of its members was diagnosed with the illness and started the foundation in 1954. According to the charity’s website, cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes chronic lung infections and clogs airways, affecting more than 70,000 people every year.
Vice President of Hofstra’s DPhiE chapter, Danielle Baren, a junior speech-language-hearing sciences major, said the event raised $2,000 this year alone. “I think it went really well,” Baren said. “Hopefully it gets even better next year, with more guys, even better acts and of course more money to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.”
The winner was determined by a panel of judges, including Brianna Nester, a senior public relations major. “I had a good time as a judge,” she said. “They all did so well.”
Contestants were evaluated in four categories: formalwear, swimwear, talent and a question-and-answer portion. Bonus points were also awarded to whoever raised the most money.
The crowd favorite of the night was the talent portion, featuring Davenport’s elaborately choreographed routine to “Twerk” by Nicki Minaj, a performance of Chris Brown’s “Take You Down” and a musical tribute to “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Other contestants approached the talent portion with humor, such as one “Hottest Man” hopeful who simply sat on stage and ate a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.
Another contestant, Daithi Brady, a sophomore psychology and drama major, folded laundry and sang a traditional Irish work song. “I’m a simple person, and I thought to myself: ‘What’s the simplest thing I can do?’” Brady said. “So I folded laundry and sang an old song I used to sing, and though I didn’t really remember the words, I had a good time.”
He added that he had several loved ones who suffered from cystic fibrosis, so he was happy to contribute his time a good cause even if he didn’t win. “Everyone who [won the competition] did amazing,” he said. “They had lots of talent and they were beautiful people.
Sophomore accounting major Michael Gianni attended the competition to cheer on his friends. “I came out to support my fraternity brother from Phi Delta Theta,” he said.
“My favorite part was the talent because there were a lot of cool acts, a lot of big laughs, and it was a really fun time,” Gianni said. “I will definitely be coming back again next year.
