I planned to spend Saturday night studying for three upcoming exams — and somehow ended up screaming over a Mr. Asia tug-of-war match instead.
When my friends first suggested going to the Mr. Asia Pageant show, I was not a fan of the idea. Spending my Saturday night watching a two-hour show featuring a lineup of strangers definitely didn’t sound ideal, especially with a busy upcoming week. I also thought it’d just end up being a competition of who best fit the performative male stereotype. However, within the first half-hour of the pageant, I was fully invested.
The third annual Mr. Asia Pageant, organized by the Chinese Students Association and Korean American Students Association, brought a lively crowd to Klarman Hall on March 21 — with each person choosing a ‘photocard’ of their desired contestant as their ticket. The event was emceed by CSA’s President Larry Tao ’27 and KASA’s Vice President Joshua Kim ’27 and featured contestants representing eight Asian-interest organizations at Cornell: Chinese Students Association, Korean American Students Association, Taiwanese American Students Association, Hong Kong Student Association, Cornell Filipino Student Association, Cornell Asian Pacific Student Union, Pi Delta Psi and Lambda Phi Epsilon. The competition unfolded across four rounds — interview, trivia, physical and special talents — and included guest performances from K-pop and hip-hop dance groups E.Motion and LOKO.
The sheer amount of energy in the room throughout the show was astounding; it was hard not to get swept up in it. After a passionate performance from E.Motion, each contestant got a personalized entrance moment, ranging from nonchalantly throwing on some shades to chucking (and missing) a signed shirt into the crowd. No matter what a contestant did, the crowd responded with manic screams, supportive signs and standing ovations.
The interview round was both humorous and sincere as contestants answered questions about cultural identity and personality. When asked how they promote cultural diversity, several contestants said they supported small Asian businesses in the area — Lilos and E-Life Market, Ninja Chicken & Friends, Thai Joy — or engaged with Cornell’s cultural clubs. More light-hearted questions — like what Asian drink they’d be or what their life’s reality show would be called — drew animated reactions. At one point, a contestant related their relationship status to Single’s Inferno, which prompted an audience member to shout, “that changes today!”
The trivia round was a bit more tame. The contestants guessed the names of trending songs (“APT.,” “Dynamite,” “Soda Pop”) and answered various geography questions about Asian countries such as, “Which country has the most islands?” None of the contestants could name the author of Little Women (one said Anne Frank???), which was painful to watch, but they recovered their performative-ness with their knowledge of matcha and Labubus. However, the physical round soon reawakened the chaos; the contestants faced off in a tug-of-war, with some getting absolutely manhandled.
The final round on special talents was arguably the highlight of the pageant; some performances left me in genuine awe (and, dare I say, cheering wildly like some of the audience members I was judging earlier). The talents ranged widely, from singing and instruments to dances combined with taekwondo or comedy. KASA’s Paul Shin ’29 ended the round with a bang as he unexpectedly ripped off his shirt to reveal a bright red crop-top while dancing to a JENNIE track, causing the audience to erupt into frenzied cheers. The event itself came to a close with Lambdas’ Gavin Zhao ’28 placing first, KASA’s Paul Shin ’29 placing second and CFA’s Cole Garcia ’26 placing third.
Overall, I loved how the show promoted the Asian community by using a modern approach to entertainment and tapping into cultural and online Asia-related trends: K-pop, the Haidilao noodle dance, Asian dramas and shows, food, music and more. As a Korean-American, it’s great to see my culture represented, and as a member of Gen Z, it’s even more amazing to see that representation happening in a creative and relevant way. The many surprises throughout the show, including my friend unexpectedly winning the Weee! giveaway — a sizable package of Asian snacks and skincare from the U.S.’s largest online Asian market — only made the night more fun and kept me leaning forward in my seat the whole time.
Other audience members similarly praised the pageant. “The event was mad fun … I liked how all the contestants brought their own unique talents and promoted the Asian American community,” said Christopher Cho ’29. Last year’s Mr. Asia winner, Luke Chang ’27, also noted the crowd’s enthusiasm: “Seeing it as an audience member, it was definitely a great perspective, and I really saw how well the show was run. Also, I thought that the reactions of the crowd really showed how much fun everyone was having supporting their friends and the contestants on stage.”
Despite the humor and spectacle, the event’s core purpose — celebrating cultural identity and community — remained clear. Emcee Joshua Kim reflected that “even though it is a lot of work,” with tight deadlines for both the organizers and contestants, “it’s always worth it. I think the audience … they enjoy seeing the show, and we enjoy putting it on.”
What I expected to be a long and either awkward or overly staged event turned out to be one of the most engaging nights I’ve had in a while. Between laughter, performances and an overwhelming amount of energy from the audience, the Mr. Asia pageant proved to be not just a competition, but also a lively celebration of identity, culture and community.
Jua Kim is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at jk3239@cornell.edu.
