Mr. Gulf Coast Bear Contest 2001 - CELLBLOCK BEARS

The weekend of fun actually started Friday the 17 with our pre-contest warm up party at Dar's house in mid-town Mobile. It was rainy and wet outside, but warm and friendly indoors.  The food was a plenty, and there were lots of good looking men to keep company with as well!  Later, everyone headed out to B-bobs to help decorate the bar and do some more socializing.  Members and friends of the club brought Teddy Bears and helped decorate the bar for the contest the following night. The night was very festive and really set the mood for a great contest Saturday night.

Saturday afternoon the GCB's hosted the Judges Reception at Jerry's house.  Members, guests, contestants and judges were invited to eat, drink and make merry in an advanced chance to get to know each other.  The atmosphere was quite festive with the big screen TV showing some choice selections of movies, and the bears all participating in an attempt to reduce the monumental amount of food that was prepared.

The contest began at 10PM and was great fun.  Without doubt, this was our biggest and best contest ever.  We had a very large and enthusiastic crowd. The bar was packed with manly bears and admirers from all around the region. The contest consisted of three main portions - Bear image, Boxers, and JockStrap. Before the contestants go on stage, the Judges conduct private individual interviews with each of the contestants to get to know them a little better.  There were also special bonus sections to the contest to allow contestants to show their wit and other skills in front of the audience. 

The theme for the night was CELLBLOCK BEARS.  Our hilarious MC's coupled with some energetic and witty contestants made for a funny, entertaining, sexy, and all out riotous night!  The bar was decorated, the bar employees wore Bear County Correctional Facility shirts to fit in with the theme.  Bars, graffiti, a cot, and an industrial green toilet were added to the stage to set the mood.  The bears also got "de-loused" as part of the evening in the special Bear County Correctional Facility shower.  

We put in the take from the door and the lucky patron who won the 50/50 raffle donated 1/2 of the winnings so Mobile AIDS Support Services in all took $6xx from the event.  The primary goal of the Mr. Gulf Coast Bear Contest is to have fun, but it's nice to be able to help out a worthy cause in the process.  Thanks to Jerry and his staff at B-Bob's for their allowing the club to collect all the door cover charges as a donation, and for all the hard work involved in getting the bar decorated and setup for the contest. We are glad that we are able to make this contribution and want to say "Thanks" to all who showed up to participate and give their $ at the door!

Mr. GCB 2000 - Bob S. from Tampa
	Mr. Gulf Coast Bear for 2000 held up the trophy for Mr. Gulf Coast Bear 2001.  Bob S. from Tampa won last year, and he came up to be part of this years contest.  He's a super nice guy and a good friend to the GCB's.  We see him at all the best bear events and we look forward to more visits!
	Oh those blue eyes!  Bob is a HUNK!
The GCB's kicked off the weekend of fun with a members and invited guests dinner and party at Dar's house in mid-town Mobile.  The food was plentiful, the bears were good looking, and everyone was in a festive mood!  The following pictures are from Friday's party.
	The fantastic flowers were donated by Elegance and Flowers.  THANKS to Tony and Randall for the great arrangement!
	Contestants, members, and invited guest mill about and get to know each other early in the evening.
	Member Craig (right) gets close to the young and cuddly Jayme.
	Member Joe R. drew the pencil drawing used as the logo for The CellBlock Bears contest!  Talent and looks, what a catch.
	Mark from Pensacola.  Not a member yet, but we're working on him.
	Mr. GCB 2000, Bob livens up every party!  This man is a HOOT to be around and we are always happy to have him visiting.
The Judges Reception was held Saturday afternoon at Jerry's house.
	After the BIG FEED on Friday, some of the bears had built up a good appetite again by Saturday afternoon.  Jerry and Phillip cooked up quite a huge amount of food, and everyone chowed down.  Members brought a six-pack of import beer to share with the judges and contestants.
	More of the food for the Judges Reception.
	And STILL MORE food for the party!
	Dennis is a new visitor to our GCB events.  Lots of fun to have around.  He drove down from Tennessee and we hope to see more of him at our future events.
	Derrick from Pensacola was enjoying a drink and getting to know everyone.  He's a great conversationalist, and so damned cute to look at!
	Most of the guys milled around the pool and talked.  Some stayed in to enjoy the eye-opening videos, but everyone had a good afternoon.
	Vern (on top on the sofa) is from Tampa as well.  He's one of the nicest (and best looking) bears in the South and we always love bumping into him at GayDay, Bears in the Keys, Decadence and anywhere else there's a good time to be had!
	Some last minute details were hashed out at the Judges Reception, including having the attendees write all the 'probing' questions for the contestants to answer later during the contest.
	Member Jeff brought the videos, and even though he's seen them so many times, he just can't peel his eyes off the screen.
	Some of the party attendees just couldn't help but get naked and get wet!
	Jerry from Mobile got caught by the photographer.
	Jerry and Bob got talked out of their shirts.  It didn't take much convincing to get them to take it off!
The Bar - CELLBLOCK BEARS Stage Set
	Bartender Gena keeps the crowd juiced up AND under control.
	Bartender Jason (aka Keisha So Fine) always has a smile for the bears!
	DJ Leroy keeps the tunes thumping on B-Bobs awesome sound system.  He has great taste and is always friendly to the bears!
	The back side of the raised dance floor became the Parole Board (Judges area).  They had a great view of the raised stage across the dance floor.
	The stage was set for the nights festivities!
Pre-Contest / Crowd Shots
	Member Bob from Tampa gets to know one of the locals.
	A visiting bear.
	Bob and Jim were decked out for the Contest!
	No idea who these guys are, but they generated quite a stir all night.  Seems like a really nice guys and didn't mind at all having their picture taken.
	Another shot.  I didn't think anyone would mind there being two of them!
	The bar was PACKED.  It was the best looking crowd of men we've ever had for one of our contests!
	The contestants went into the crowd and sold raffle tickets in our 50/50 raffle.  The raffle helps the club offset the money we spend to put on the contest, and some lucky attendee could win a nice chunk of change.
	'Sheriff' Bob has many admirers.  Including this audience member who rushed the stage for a hug and a grope during a short break in the festivities.
	See anyone you know?
	The mood was festive ALL NIGHT!
	Local bear Darrin rubs up against some bears to welcome them back to our area for a visit!
	The diverse crowd got quite a show!  This bunch was standing near the Bear County Correctional Facility Shower and de-lousing area.  They might have even gotten a little wet.
T h e    C o n t e s t
Contestant # 1
	Contestant #1 is Terry from Saraland, Alabama.  He's single.
	Terry's "Prison Bitch" name was "One-Eyed Ogre"
	Getting ready for the Judges Interviews.
	Terry gets introduced to the crowd.
	Contestant #1 chose to use his forearms to pick up the soap.  We actually thought most guys would do this when we were planning the contest.  As you will see later, some contestants had other ideas.  The only rules were, you can't use you hands...
	Getting moist from in the Bear County Correctional Facility de-lousing station.
	That's a BANANA sticking out of his shorts.  He chose to have the banana wait there till he was ask to eat in a seductive way.
	Explaining the contraband he tried to sneak into prison, to our Prison Guard Mee-Maw is no easy task.  Especially since the contestants have no idea what's in the EVIDENCE envelope till they pick one at random.  Terry did a wonderful job with his tube of Preparation H and a tube of Vaseline!  Although when he squeezed it up into the air and got a loud cheer from the audience, it proved to make a very slick spot on the stage.  Later contestants had to show great poise to traverse the stage upright!
	Mee-Maw wasn't impressed with his explanation, and teased the "One-Eyed Ogre" until Sheriff Bob got involved.
	Working hard to gain release from Mee-Maw!  Contestants were at "her" mercy until they were dismissed and she was satisfied with their explanation of their attempt to bring in items.
Contestant # 2
	Contestant #2, Paul C. is from Irvington Alabama. He's a member of the Gulf Coast Bears and he's happily married. This studly man has been a longtime member of the club and is always fun to have around.  He has killer eyes, and a smile that melts mens hearts.
	Paul was comfortable on stage.  And why not!  He knew at least half the audience and had his own cheering section.  Paul's "Prison Bitch" name was "Glory Hole".
	During the 'Uh - Oh - someone dropped the soap' portion of the evening, Paul moved the soap to the bucket with his forearms.  Quite effective and quick, he got the bonus points.
	The boxer portion of the show finds Paul getting ready for his de-lousing.
	After he gets all wet, he had to retrieve a bananna from the toilet, and answer one of the probing questions written by members and guests at the Judges Reception.  Paul handled himself very well standing there all wet, on a stage in front of hundreds of people, and trying to be witty and charming!
	Later in the show, Paul is subjected to Mee-Maw.  You gotta love that blue jock!
Contestant # 3
	Contestant #3 is Doug M. from New Orleans.   He's engaged and looking forward to a happy marriage!
	Doug's "Prison Bitch" name was "Baby Buns".
	Showing off his "Bear Image" to the crowd.
	Doug gets "de-loused" before the crowd.
	After selecting a numbered banana from the special banana holder, a question is asked so the audience can get to know Doug a little better.
	Doug started out by 'squirting' some cheese into his mouth.  It got far more interesting after that.
	Don't ask!  It was quite a scene!  Actually, Doug was caught my Prison Matron Mee-Maw with some contraband.  (All contestants during the boxer part of the contest had to choose an EVIDENCE envelope from a wide choice of packages.  They had to open the package and explain to Mee-Maw why they had tried to bring this contraband into the Bear County Correctional Facility, and what they might use it for to 'please' Mee-Maw so she might forgive their transgression.)  Doug applied some cheese to Mee-Maw and licked her clean, then Sheriff Bob took the cheese and applied some to HIM!
	After contestants chose a banana and answered the question, they were encouraged to eat the banana in a seductive and entertaining way.  Doug chose to use Sheriff Bob as a banana holder of sorts.  Sheriff Bob had a big smile on his face, but this photographer thinks maybe Sheriff Bob is accustomed to having men kneeling in front of him!
	Prisoner "Baby Buns" gets directions from Mee-Maw.  With hooters like that would you not obey her?  She could put someone's eye out with those things!
Contestant # 4
	Contestant #4 is Jerry G. from Mobile, Alabama.  He 32 years old and described himself as "recently single".  He can be found on Wednesday nights working at Troopers in downtown Mobile.
	Jerry's "Prison Bitch" name was "Double Fisted".  He seemed to get a kick out of the name and carried his ID plaque quite proudly all evening.
	Workin' those bars like a professional!!  It was quite a show.  From the looks of things, this photographer was wondering if we were buying enough drinks for the 'fluffer' backstage, and exactly how do I sign up for that job next year!
	You can only IMAGINE how it felt to run your fingers through this chest of hair.
	When Jerry came out for his "de-lousing", he got quite acrobatic.  A stunned hush fell over the crowd, which soon turned to very loud cheering.
	Have you ever wanted to pull a zipper down so bad in your life?  I haven't.
	Picking out your numbered banana was a less than appetizing chore.  Don't worry though, the bowl was lined and very clean, but it was something to see the contestants making their selections!
	"Double-Fisted" touching his banana, I mean holding his banana and answering some questions from the MCs.
	Ok, it's difficult here to convey exactly what transpired with this particular banana.  Let's just say it was one damned lucky banana!!  After placing the banana in his mouth, without touching it further, and without any apparent effort, this talented contestant managed to somehow swallow the banana whole completely out of site, and make it reappear TWICE!
	It was quite a spectacle and the audience was all wound up by the amazing demonstration.  Seemed like a few of the audience members were working some fantasies during this part of the contest, and more than a few were pitching tents.
	One task for the evening, moving the "dropped soap"  got interesting when "Double Fisted" chose to BITE the soap bars to move them in the allotted time to the bucket.  The only rules were that the contestants couldn't use their hands.  We never envisioned they'd bite the bars, but it seemed effective, if not tasty.
	Jerry came out for the Jock Strap portion of the evening in a plain white jock.  After his earlier demonstrations, there was much anticipation.
	His EVIDENCE envelope contained a rather large cucumber.  He teased and taunted Mee-Maw that he would be suffering in prison with only one cucumber, and would like to have something "bigger".
	Workin' it any way he could to please Mee-Maw.  This is a bit extreme no matter how you slice it!!
	After saying "bigger" about a dozen times, and unable to appease Mee-Maw, Sherrif Bob got involved.
	Things went to hell from there.  All the while "Double Fisted" shouted for "BIGGER" and things got even more interesting.
	One more amazing thing during all the antics, Jerry managed to hold on to his cucumber!!
Contestant # 5
	Contestant #5 is Derrick from Pensacola, FL.  He's a big sports fan!  AND - Derrick has some big sports figures who are fans of HIM!  And who wouldn't be with those killer eyes and a furry chest that just begs to be touched!
	Derrick's "Prison Bitch" name was "Mouth Mangler".  It later proved a very effective monicker!
	Those eyes! That face!  Made you want to help him get out of prison, and maybe out of those clothes!
	Sherrif Bob helps Derrick hold up his new name.  Bob is SO HELPFUL sometimes.
	One of Sheriff Bob's tasks was to assist (distract) the contestants while they tried to complete their tasks in a short amount of time.  Derrick aggressively went after that soap with his mouth as other contestants had done.  But this soap had already had a rough night.  It went to pieces in his mouth, and he ended up with a mouthful of soap chips!  There was much moaning in the audience as Derrick showed terrific restraint and managed to perform very well despite the taste of Ivory!
	There are few things sexier than a hunk in white boxer shorts! Well maybe two things, a hunk in wet boxer shorts, or no boxer shorts at all!  But this all takes place in Alabama, and we wouldn't be having many more contests if we did that.  But we sure can work a fantasy about it!
	After eating all that soap in the first part of the contest, and with the name of "Mouth Mangler", there was a great deal of speculation as to what he might do with his banana.  Derrick takes a moment here to contemplate his question, and his banana.  While he took a moment, there was much contemplation in the audience about his banana too!  It wasn't so evident in the pictures (sorry guys) but after he got all wet in the de-lousing, we could all see his banana pretty well!
	Derrick gets coached to pull out his contraband and try to explain it all to Mee-Maw.  His responses were HILARIOUS!
Scroll down to see who is Mr. Gulf Coast Bear 2001!
The First Runner Up - Contestant #5 - DERRICK
	Our First Runner up this year is Derrick.  In case our winner is unable to attend any contests to represent the Gulf Coast Bears, Derrick will be invited to attend in his place.  Part of the winners package was a run package/hotel room/and entry into BearAll 2002 in Atlanta.  If the winner is unable to go, that package will be transferred to the First Runner Up.
	Derrick's poise, good looks, sense of humor, aggressive pursuit of having a FUN TIME made him a crowd favorite and a very close first runner up.  We were honored that Derrick participated in our annual contest.  He sure helped to make the night a HUGE SUCCESS!
	Sweaty men under pressure, very sexy!
The Winner of Mr. Gulf Coast Bear 2001 - Contestant #4 - JERRY
	Our Winner this year is Jerry.  The winner will receive $100 off Bears in the Keys 2002, run package, hotel expenses, and entry into the Mr. BearAll 2002 contest in Atlanta, T-Shirt, Belt Buckle, trophy, GCB Club Membership for 1 year, Club pin, and other prizes.
	All the contestants got to know each other pretty well during the evening.  There was much hugging and congratulations all around.  Bob gives Jerry his trophy and belt buckle, and Jerry lets off a little pent up tension!
	This DAMN WELL may be the BEST picture I took all night. The thumbnail image to the left is linked to an image that is <514x768 and is 54.3K>.  If you would like to see a higher resolution copy of this picture <1024x1529 and is 156.3K> you may click HERE
	More smiles and hugs.
	Jerry got much congratulations from the audience, and there were several folks taking pictures this year.
	Ok - maybe this is the BEST picture I took all night.  You decide.
Other Pics ...
	Prison Trustee (or Rustee as he came to be known) makes an attempt to clean the stage between sections of the contest.  Vaseline doesn't sweep up very well, but we got the biggest chucks of soap and banana peel out of the way!
	Chris from Atlanta (former Mr. BearAll 1999) was one of the Judges for the evening.  While it looks like Chris might have been assisting in putting on a harness, I'm not all that sure that was what was going on.  But it looks like fun what ever they were doing.
	A group shot just before the winner was announced.  There was a fair amount of tension in the room.  It was a very close contest.
	Another group shot.
	Mee-Maw in ALL HER GLORY!
	The Gulf Coast Bears will not be held responsible if you require therapy after viewing the thumbnail to the left.
	All our GREAT CONTESTANTS!
	It seems they became quick friends, and we look forward to having all five of them around to participate in our club activities in the coming year.
	Getting ready for the final part of the contest.  Finding the hidden key baked into a cake, facing away from the audience in a jockstrap, for bonus points.  At first all the contestants thought they'd just have to eat the cake facing us, but we put the cake behind them, and had them turn around.  Those pictures are a little too racy for our web provider, so you'll just have to trust us that it was very revealing.  Derrick won the bonus points for finding his key first, without using his hands!
	The contestants genuinely seemed to have a good time!
	Getting ready to munch down!
	The contestants had no idea what was coming up next.  Each part of the contest is a well kept secret.  They were all a bit puzzled by the cakes when they first came out.  But it all became clear soon.
	All participants got a club T-shirt, and club pin.  Note how Jerry is holding his prison bitch name sign.  Can you imagine anyone in the audience looking anywhere else in the room than that area just at the top edge of his sign.  It was a real attention getter.  And some folks were paying close attention!
	The contestants sold raffle tickets with the one who sells the most getting bonus points.  They sold $838 in raffle tickets.  One half the money goes to the club to pay for expenses and one half to the raffle winner.  Rhonda from Mobile won the raffle.  She and her wife were out celebrating their 10 year anniversary!  Rhonda and her partner conferred real quick, and they asked to donate 1/2 of their winnings ($419) to MASS!  That brought the donation for the evening to $662.75!!
	Derrick with the winning key in the jock strap bonus round.
	It must have been really HOT up on that stage cause Sheriff Bob has lost his shirt.  Maybe it was equally hot up on the Judges stand, cause Chris has lost his too!

BIG THANKS to all the CONTESTANTS for making this such a fun filled evening for everyone!!!  We really appreciate how hard you guys worked on stage, and we hope you all had a memorable evening.  I know the audience members did!!

Our JUDGES were terrific!  THANKS to all six of them for working so hard to pick a winner.  It was not an easy job!  Our judges for the night were Chris (Mr. BearAll 1999) from Atlanta; Mark from Huntsville, Vern from Tampa, Jim and Perry from a tiny little town in north Alabama, and Roger (bar manager for The RoundUp) in Pensacola.

Also, it's important to say THANKS to the Mr. GCB2001 committee members!  Many hours were spent planning, decorating, writing scripts, emails, food preparation, hosting parties, and designing and posting web pages and many more issues to take care of.  Putting on an event like this is a lot of work.  But it's a lot of fun too!

THANKS to B-Bobs, Jerry, Phillip, and the entire staff!  You guys always make the bears feel welcome, and your set was awesome.  The lights and sounds system were right on.  We know and appreciate how much work you all put into making the night such a great success!

Anyone who attended knows that Dar and Buddy, our MC's for the night worked their asses off on stage!  The script was HILARIOUS and delivered with professional quality!  It was impressive to listen to these two go off script and ad-lib some of the funniest lines I've heard all year.  You guys should consider taking this act on the road.

THANKS to Bob (Mr. GCB 2000) for coming up and participating in our contest again this year.  Your presence really added a lot to the nights festivities!

Joe R. did a great job on the artwork for CELLBLOCK BEARS and we really appreciate his personal attention.  The original pencil drawing will be framed and auctioned at a fund raiser later in the year.  THANKS again Joe.

Tony & Randall from Elegance and Flowers provided an incredible flower arrangement to help pretty up our party tables.  THANKS guys.

... and our BIGGEST THANKS to all the folks, some who drove for hours, to come out and attend our contest!  We truly appreciate you sharing your evening with one of the most fun bear clubs anywhere!