The 34th Annual Competition of Mr. East, the show that all East students and community members love to watch that decides the “Man of the Class of 2021,” premiered Friday, April 23. Due to the Pandemic, Cherry Hill East, led by the Mr. East chairwomen, took a different approach. Following the successes of Mr. East 2020, where the pageant was held virtually for the first time, Mr. East 2021 was live-streamed on YouTube at 7 pm and still highlighted all the usual Mr. East favorites – the opening dance, the individual talent sections, bathing suit modeling, the interviews, a prominent theme, and a charitable portion.

The theme this year was Disney, in which all contestants took on the persona of a different notable Disney character that some used to tie into their individual acts. After the pre-recorded video aired, the chairwomen and the contestants, who all watched “Mr. East 2021” live safely together in person, hosted the live awards show. At the awards ceremony, the contestants, with the rest of the general public, all braced for the announcement of the newly crowned Mr. East and the runner-ups. As the envelopes opened, Mr. Gettin’ It Done, also known as Senior Jordan Grossman, took on the title.

“There was a lot to do and not much time to do it, but we pulled it off. I got to work with people I never would’ve worked with otherwise, and that alone made it worth it,” said Grossman. As well, he added that “winning Mr. East was super hype and it’s so incredibly rewarding to hear all the good feedback about my video that I worked so hard on.”

At East, Grossman participates in SGA, serving as the President of the Class of 2021, track and field, soccer, as well as other activities. Grossman’s parody of the hit Hairspray song, “Good Morning Baltimore,” in which he sang his version “Good Morning Cherry Hill,” won him the show as he wowed the judges and the audience with his humor and surprisingly great singing skills. As well, Grossman portrayed Aladdin during the opening and closing acts. Following Grossman, Seth Hornstein (‘21) and Tyler Semon (‘21) were crowned the first and second runner-ups for their performances.

The entire show was around 1 hour and 20 minutes long and can be watched here.