The theater was warm as a night of laughter and cheers neared an end, Feb. 2. Spotlights illuminated 10 boys lined up on stage as they awaited the grand reveal of the show in silent anticipation. Before long, the crowd was erupting in whoops and applause: Ethan Madrideo (12) was crowned 2024’s Mr. Bayanihan — the first since 2019.

Mr. Bayanihan, also known as “Mr. B,”  is a male pageant hosted by Westview’s Bayanihan club that offers the audience a look into Filipino culture through the talents, performances, and activities put on by its contestants.

Since November of last year, Bayanihan co-president Amia Santos (12) has acted as the leading force in planning this year’s Mr. B show. Five years since passed since the last crowning of a Mr. B, and Santos was no stranger to the obstacles before her. 

“Bringing [Mr. Bayanihan] back was challenging,” Santos said. “We tried hosting the show two years ago and last year, but the planning was off. We weren’t able to get a theater date and we weren’t able to have a lot of participation with people in the club, so it’s really cool how we have a lot of members [this year that wanted] to do the show. The last time we had it in 2019, we only had five contestants, but now we are able to have 10 contestants.”

Since December, Bayanihan held rehearsals after school until 5:30 p.m.. As the show neared in late January, rehearsals became daily and went later, going from 7-10 p.m.. With the late and long hours, Santos said she was impressed with the commitment of each contestant.

“It’s not an obligation for [the contestants] to be at every practice because our practices [went] pretty late,” Santos said. “So, seeing how much involvement we [were] getting was really rewarding.”

 Inspired by and based on the international beauty pageant Miss Universe, Santos wanted to bring back the unconventional show of a boys pageant.

“Normally we’re used to girls in beauty pageants,” she said. “Just having something for the guys in the club to really present themselves, show off their personalities and Filipino culture is really nice.”

The show began with contestants being introduced on stage while accompanied by their friends as escorts, each dressed in sleek, formal attire. This soon transitioned into a high-energy catwalk, giving contestants the opportunity to let their character shine as they strutted down the stage in personalized outfits. The introductions concluded with each contestant presenting information on the Filipino province they were representing that night.

Madrideo recalled the joy of having the opportunity to learn more about the region he was born in, representing the Bicol province.

“I had to search up and ask my parents stuff about my region that I never knew about,” Madrideo said. “It was [a way] that I was able to learn about my province and also about our tradition with our dances.”

One of the show’s highlights was tinikling performances of the contestants and their escorts. Tinikling, a traditional Philippine folk dance, involves two people rhythmically tapping two bamboo poles on the ground and against each other as dancers step in and out between the poles. Contestants also invited audience members to join them on stage to learn.

Madrideo’s escort in the show, Lily Miller (11), was also involved in the process of learning and performing the dances with the contestants.

“I found it really interesting and fun,” Miller said. “It was really neat to learn about Filipino culture. Learning [the dances] was a lot of work but definitely worth it.”

Contestants also performed a ballroom dance with their escorts and showcased their skills, which included singing and a piano and saxophone duet, in the talent portion of the show. At the end of the show, contestants answered pageant-style interview questions to demonstrate their ability to speak in front of an audience and think swiftly on their feet.

Without any members of the club that participated in the last Mr. Bayanihan show, Santos invited alums Joey Litonjua (’19) and Caitlyn Parel (’19) to guide contestants and various parts of the show while also acting as the judges.

“They were the last people to be in Mr. Bayanihan so they [were] our choreographers for one of our ballroom dances [and] we [also] asked them to be our judges because normally the judges consist of alumni and teachers,” Santos said.

Madrideo said that receiving help from alumni of the Bayanihan club required a period of adjustment, but ultimately helped him gain new insights into the show.

“[Working with the alumni] was definitely a little weird at the start,” Madrideo said. “We had to know from friends who they actually were, but as time went on, we grew more comfortable with them and it was enjoyable to be with them, to talk to them, to know their past experiences with Mr. B, and to know their past experiences with the school.”

Madrideo hadn’t expected to be crowned Mr. Bayanihan and later learned through Litonjua what was considered in the judging process.

“They usually choose Mr. B on how emotional you are in your talents and in your [performances],” Madrideo said. “You don’t have to [have] the best talent. As long as you’re good at speaking to the crowd and the crowd reciprocates that back to you, then that’s what could get you the points.”

Madrideo faced the typical nerves that came with being among a crowd, but as the night went on, he’d let those feelings fall away with the audience’s energy. 

“At the start, I was definitely nervous,” Madrideo said. “But as [the show] gradually went on, it [turned] out to be fine. I just [thought] ‘It’s just me on stage, but I’m talking to all my friends.’ It was definitely nerve-wracking at the start, but at the end, I got more comfortable.”

Over the years of being in the Bayanihan club, Santos said she had found an invaluable space to reconnect with her roots.

“Before joining the club, I wasn’t very knowledgeable [of] my culture,” Santos said. “I [had] never done tinikling [and] never really done anything except cook Filipino food. It’s a really rewarding experience just to be in the club and learn more about my culture.”