They fought for the crown with their best dance moves, a couple of magic tricks, one Travis Scott impersonation and more than a few bare midsections on display.
But in the end, just one of the 10 young men vying to become Maine East High School’s Mr. Demon 2018 would actually be granted the title.
That honor went to Erti Tushe, a senior who got his fair share of enthusiastic screams and applause from the largely female audience who took in the March 9 competition and charitable fundraiser.
“I’m ecstatic,” Tushe, of Morton Grove, said back stage as he prepared meet a crowd of “fans” after the show. “I was surprised. I thought that Kristjan was going to win.”
Tushe was referring to runner-up, friend and mock rival Kristjan Gudmundson, who had the crowd in an uproar over his dancing — a fusion of Irish and hip hop — during the talent portion of the evening.
Coming in third place was Josh Portillo, a junior who played Wham’s “Careless Whisper” on a kazoo and injected humor into just about every appearance he made on stage.
Mr. Demon is an annual tongue-in-cheek male “beauty” pageant hosted by the junior members of the school’s Gifted Lyceum, a program that provides academic and leadership opportunities for students who academically make up the top 5 percent of the student body.
Mr. Demon helps raise money for causes selected by the Gifted Lyceum. This year’s proceeds benefited Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization, and Cradles to Crayons, which provides essentials to children in need, said Judy Tyler, Gifted Lyceum sponsor.
The remaining 2018 Mr. Demon contestants were juniors Noah Kim, Steven Vu, Danny Tenezaca, Sahaj Patel, and Raul Vargas, and seniors Andy Lam and Von Vic Cayas.
This year’s Mr. Demon winner is more than just a pageant contestant. Tushe, a native of Albania who moved to the United States when he was just a year old, currently serves as president of Maine East’s National Honor Society and was recently honored as an Outstanding American History Scholar by the Twenty-first Star Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. He is also involved in Maine East’s Scholastic Bowl and math team, and announced that he has been accepted to Yale University .
Last year, Tushe served as emcee for the Mr. Demon contest and decided to throw his hat — and abs — into the ring as a contestant this year.
“I thought, it’s my senior year — go out with a bang,” he said.
Each Mr. Demon competition opens with a group dance, this year featuring the contestants clad in just black pants and bow ties, grooving to Demi Lovato’s “Confident.”
“It was a never-ending job,” said Richa Shah, the main choreographer of the piece.
“We spent genuinely eight to 10 hours working on the dance alone,” Tushe said.
Lead organizers of the competition were Nick Maczuga and Vincent Nguyen. Faculty judges for the contest were Kristin Hussmann, Glenn Olson, Evan Rabens, Wendy Reitz, and Snjezana Salamon.
In addition to raising money through ticket sales, Maine East Gifted Lyceum will continue to collect funds through the sale of a Mr. Demon calendar featuring the contestants.
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune