Kappa Sigma brothers ‘bring out the dancing lobsters’ for a good cause

It was a colorful and musical Thursday night. What seemed just like a party, complete with dancing lobsters, was an annual philanthropic event in support of veterans and their families.

The Kappa Delta chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity hosted its fourth annual Bachelor Auction benefiting the Fisher House Foundation, raising almost $4,000 for the organization.

Twenty-seven bachelors were auctioned off amid plenty of sexy dance moves from the bachelors and screaming from the audience. Date packages included experiences such as a comedy date night and a jet skiing excursion.

The first bachelor of the night, Tyler Christiansen, was auctioned off for $55. His “big package” date was a dolphin-gazing harbor excursion.

To add to the thrill of high-stakes bidding, dancing lobsters came out each time a bid reached $150.

Daniel Schrank, the next bachelor, took his shirt off when his bid reached $100. He was auctioned off for $155, and out came the dancing lobsters.

Bachelor Ricky Hernandez serenaded the audience with Thomas Rhett’s “Die A Happy Man.” He also took his shirt off after plenty of encouragement from the crowd.

The higher the bids went, the more clothes came off.

Jim Carver, whose date package included a golf date and lunch, played Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” on guitar while the audience sang along. An intense auction led to a bidding war between two audience members. Carver was auctioned for $125.

Jake Falcon danced his way onto the stage and into audience members’ hearts. He performed a cooking dance routine to the encouraging screams of the audience. His date was a wine and seafood dinner at Eddie V’s, which sold for $55.

A brief intermission allowed the audience to play games onstage with the dancing lobsters.

Tyler Stentiford, also known as the “Kappa Sigma Pianist,” played the Titanic theme song for the audience. Keeping with the watery theme, Stentiford’s date package was a booze cruise and dolphin watching. He was auctioned for $220, the highest bid of the night.

The current president of Kappa Sigma, Charles Richardson, was auctioned off for $190, and the lobsters danced once again. Richardson’s date package included a five-course dinner in Ybor City with tickets to a comedy show.

Kappa Sigma partnered with iQ Luxury Apartments to match the winning bid for the 25th bachelor, Lance Perlman.

Bryan Weller, the auctioneer, said, “Ladies, this is your chance to do something good.”

Perlman sold at $125, for a total donation of $250.

A Facebook “like” contest allowed two girls from the University of Iowa to be flown down to Tampa and put up in a hotel to attend the event. The young ladies announced the raffle winners at the end of the show.

The girls also announced a surprise bachelor: Lecio DePaula, one of the hosts of the auction. He and his dolphin-watching date sold for $210.

Overall, the event proved successful. The audience was involved and excited about each bachelor. The auction itself raised $2,550, and the entrance fees an additional $1,366.

The Fisher House connects veterans to their families during hospital stays. The money raised was donated through the Kappa Sigma Military Heroes Campaign, a program of the A Greater Cause Foundation. The Fisher House is close to Stentiford’s heart.

“It’s important to me to be able to give back to the people who have given their lives to our country to support our freedom,” he said.