On March 23, for the first time in over a decade, the Harvard Radcliffe Chinese Student Association (HRCSA) hosted “Mr. Asian Sensation,” a pageant in which participants answer trivia questions, perform talents, and flaunt their best outfits in a fashion show. Seven contestants, Alan Wang ’24, Aaron Kang ’25, Justin Ji ’26, Jōsh Mysoré ’26, Reade Park ’27, Peter Chen ’27, and Matthew Vu ’27, competed to be crowned as the most skilled and extraordinary participant of the night—Mr. Asian Sensation.
Audience members waited eagerly for the event to begin, shifting in their seats and murmuring to one another about their speculations. When asked for her thoughts, audience member Tessa Campolattaro ’27 said she was excited to see “all of the sensational talents they’re about to show us.”
The evening commenced with an essential activity: as the contestants first introduced themselves, they stated their favorite pickup lines. Among those pickup lines, the most enticing was that of Wang, who said, “Are you a Cauchy sequence? Because I want to be closer and closer to you.” Chen had a much simpler approach, stating “I am 6 ’1”.”
Afterward, the contestants demonstrated their talents. Vu performed stand-up comedy, describing an occurrence in which he accidentally cracked the screen of a computer that someone left on a bean bag chair. Insisting that it was not his fault, Vu placed the blame on the person who left the computer there, lamenting that he “could have gotten seriously injured.” Vu assured the crowd he would pay back the price of the computer, informing us that he would be peddling in Harvard Yard the next day to raise the money and encouraging us to be there.
Following Vu’s act was that of Ji, who danced perfectly on-beat to techno music. He swayed his arms left and right as if mimicking a robot, eliciting raucous applause from the audience. Afterward, Ji showed the audience his mathematical skills by solving a puzzle that involved quickly taking a string of four numbers and producing a final product of twenty-four using only elementary operations. He invited several math olympiads he knew from the crowd to participate in the game as well, but after a few rounds of adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying, it was clear they were no match for him.
Up next was Park, who performed an upbeat classical song with an acoustic guitar. The presentation involved hand tapping on the base of the guitar and vigorous string plucking. It left the audience speechless and us wishing we had more musical talent.
Mysoré, after demonstrating his multilingualism by speaking a few words in German, Spanish, and Russian, sang the classic crowd-pleaser “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (in English). In a display of great sportsmanship, the contestants joined arms and sang the final verse of the song together.
Chen followed Mysoré, walking on stage with a large plate of hot dogs. Even though Chen lamented that they were cold and unappetizing, this did not stop him from demonstrating his speed eating abilities. Chen began by devouring the first hot dog. He met some resistance with the next hot dog bun, though. As the timer dwindled down, the audience wanted to see Chen stuff his stomach further, so the judge granted him an extra minute. By the time the timer struck zero, Chen had eaten several hot dogs.
Succeeding that Joey Chestnut-esque performance, Kang, who runs a hair-cutting business out of his dorm called “Kang’s Cuts,” set up an old-fashioned barber shop on center stage. He then invited a member of the audience up to have their hair cut. Kang supplied his guest with a copy of the Harvard Independent newspaper and a pipe, completing the barber shop’s early 20th-century aesthetic. The guest was quite pleased with the final result, commenting that he felt “ten pounds lighter.”
To conclude the event’s talent portion, Wang performed a spoken word piece about the authentic Asian identity. He spoke of the sacrifices that Asian people have made for the United States and the discrimination and lack of appreciation they have experienced throughout history. He concluded that caricatures of Asian Americans exist only in one’s imagination and are “made, not born.”
For the next segment, the contestants competed in trivia. They flaunted their Harvard brains, correctly answering questions like, “What is the speed of light?” and, “Which Asian film won Best Animated Picture at the Oscars in 2003?” with ease. Team 1, composed of Chen, Vu, Park, and Wang, won the event by just one point.
After trivia, the contestants completed the ultimate test of athleticism: musical chairs. Chen put his rugby physicality on display, ultimately winning the final chair. The participants then competed in a fashion show, modeling outfits ranging from a full tuxedo to boxers and t-shirts. Several contestants animatedly gestured to their jawline as they strutted across the stage to emphasize their good looks and suave demeanor.
Finally, the crowd got the chance to get to know the contestants more intimately, with randomly selected audience members asking each participant two questions. Questions ranged in difficulty level, with one audience member asking Chen a simple, “How tall are you again?” and another audience member asking Ji which HRCSA member he would cannibalize during a hypothetical starvation episode on a remote island.
The evening concluded with the long-awaited crowning of Mr. Asian Sensation. Each contestant received a pink rose as they waited eagerly to hear their fate. The audience members scanned a QR code and voted on who they believed to be worthy of the illustrious title. After several long minutes of voting, the results were in: the HRCSA bestowed the title of Mr. Asian Sensation to the talented stand-up comedian and spokesperson for the Team 1 trivia team Vu. Elated, Vu posed with a check for 650 dollars that he said he would donate to Children of Vietnam, a charity reducing child poverty in Vietnam.
When asked how he felt about his victory, Vu said, “I feel so relieved. I thought everyone was cringing at me,” adding that he was “super grateful” for the people who voted for him. All involved enjoyed the camaraderie of the night and look forward to seeing who will be crowned Mr. Asian Sensation next year. For now, Vu can rest easy knowing that he has won the day and the title of Mr. Asian Sensation for the time being.
Sophie Dauer ’27 (sophiedauer@college.harvard.edu) looks forward to next year’s event.
Nicholas McQuilling ’27 (namcquilling@college.harvard.edu), a Dominican American, is upset he doesn’t qualify to be a contestant for Mr. Asian Sensation.