We've all done car washes, bake sales, and 5ks for a cause, but when brainstorming fund raising ideas, a beauty pageant isn't the first thing that comes to mind.

...A male pageant? Now that's downright silly.

And that's exactly why University of Southern Maine's Alpha Xi Delta fraternity decides to go with it every year for their fund raising event to benefit Autism Speaks.

Thursday night, for the 6th annual Xi Man Pageant, a raucous audience gathered to watch 10 brave male USM students compete in four categories: swimwear, talent, evening wear, and speech.

The judges consisted of four experts: Kate Elliott, Miss Maine 2017; Briley Bell, Miss Teen Maine 2017; and two other questionably qualified USM-related civilians named Valerie and Gabe. There was also a "People's Choice" vote that included the number of shares and likes each contestant got on Alpha Xi Delta's facebook page prior to the event.

Despite the obviously facetious nature of the pageant, the contestants went all out with a coordinated dance:

Followed by an impressive showing of talents, including contestant Johnny Kyte, who exhibited his on-stage synchronized swimming skills to win the competition):

All proceeds from the event went to benefit Autism Speaks, and you'll be thrilled to hear that Xi Man is an annual event, so look out for it again next spring! In our book, all of these boys are winners.

Danielle Rainey
Danielle Rainey
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Videos provided by Valerie Sanborn, an Alpha Xi Delta sorority sister and one of the questionably qualified judges at the Xi Man pageant. Thanks, Valerie!

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