Palm Springs for Gay Men: Mr Nude Palm Springs 2000
The Mr Nude Palm Springs contest was held, as always, at CCBC (Cathedral City Boys Club resort) in Cathedral City on the Labor Day weekend, specifically on Sunday September 3. This is a simple pictorial report of this annual event.
Later than last year's contest, this one was announced to start at 7:00 PM and, mirabile dictu, it actually got going at 7:30! At that time it was, of course, completely dark, but you could see that the lawn was filled with spectators (one could even hear one or two REAL women in the crowd, something that is, maybe, politically correct but still badly out of place at CCBC!). One ultimately prune-skinned guy with a camera spent the hours in the pool with his camera for close-up pictures of the contestants. The audience appeared to me more naked than in earlier years -- getting used to the nudity of CCBC.
In previous years, the format of the contest had been a preliminary line-up of all the contestants, fully dressed, followed by a one-by-one presentation of each of them. While they were standing there naked to the excitement and adulation of the crowd, they were interviewed by the gregarious MC, usually a fabulous drag queen, about issues of great importance. That way, each of them was standing there in his full glory for a full minute or two. It was relaxed and good. After this, all the contestants lined up again, now nude, whereafter the winner selection ceremonies took place. Not so this year.
Now, there was no drag queen in charge. CCBC handled the MC-ing themselves (and did a good job at it), and they had changed the proceedings. Each contestant came in wrapped in a towel, had to turn ass-ways and drop the towel and then turn around for the front and then leave. This operation took some 15 seconds, and the towel was often retained around the shoulders or in the hands, allowing even fewer glimpses of the body details. After this the contestant was to walk around the pool, and since the pool was not illuminated, nobody could see them.
Next event took place in a sofa on stage, where one at a time sat down, in the damned towel, together with the MC to be interviewed, from a form they had filled out, about their favorite movie star and their most unusual sex experience, etc etc ad infinitum. They got up from the interview, dropped their towel and immediately proceeded into the darkness around the pool.
Then, all contestants, nude or not, got onstage as a group. They did not all fit into the lit up area, so they kind of took turns, and then again traipsed around the pool as a parade of dark shadows.
Finally, they all lined up in various stages of everyday raggedy clothing (with most of them in the darkness outside the small floodlit stage center) for the winner selections. The winner got his trophy and his sash and the official winning picture was secured -- with his towel covering one shoulder. No, we don't want to give you that composition here on this site...
It was a nice evening in spite of all that was not done quite right. We hope that CCBC reevaluates the format for next year so the event can return to the earlier near-perfection. The people had a good time, and so did the contestants. And so will you, we hope, when you enjoy the picures we give you here below.
| The Allmighty Judges |
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| The Selfpromoting Contestants |
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| The Outstanding Winner |
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