University Of Texas-Austin Student Who Channeled Beyoncé Among Grammy Awards Guests

AUSTIN, TX — Texas was well represented at the Grammy awards broadcast on CBS Sunday night: Collin Wang, a native of Katy and sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, was a guest of the ceremonies after winning a Beyoncé look-alike contest last week.

It wasn't so much a look-a-like contest focused on looking like Beyoncé (who does, really, she's stunning, right?) than it did to achieve her presence, to channel her with one's ensemble, look and attitude. Last week, television host Ellen DeGeneres issued a tweet to her Austin fans directing them to the UT-Austin campus with their best Beyoncé attire.

In less than an hour, fans — mostly students at the campus — responded by the hundreds with their sartorial homage to the Houston native. Various Beyoncé iterations were represented, from her jubilant "single ladies" leotard-clad look to her overtly sensual, come-hither posture to her more militant, take-no-prisoners persona.

Before continuing this tale, it's worth noting for context that in all aspects of human endeavor there is invariably an overachiever in the group, always that one guy who manages to think outside the box in order to distinguish himself from the crowd rather than resorting to the tried-and-true, predictable, revisionist or derivative.

Wang is that guy. The student recreated the now-famous photo Beyoncé released to announced she was pregnant with twins. (This is why on television you saw her with a belly, if you've been cut off from the world of late for whatever reason.)

Wang's chosen expression of Beyoncé affection wasn't an easy feat. In her original photo, the famed singer was photographed underwater, the flowing fabric of her attire adding to the dramatic aesthetic of the image.

But Wang didn't limit himself to wardrobe presentation. To truly convey the pregnancy announcement originally posted on Instagram, Wang submerged himself inside the UT fountain. Wang later said he bought the required fabric less than an hour before heading over to the campus, cutting it up in impromptu tailoring while en route to the hastily assembled contest.

It was that fountain part that made his entry more challenging given that he had to, naturally, hold his breath while underwater, he later told media outlets.

Gracious in victory, Wang made no mention on the yuck factor of the pond itself, which doesn't always look exactly crystal clear or, dare we say, sanitary. While students aren't supposed to wade in it, young people are sometimes seen frolicking around in the aquatic feature, expressing both a rebellion that is part and parcel of youth and a joie de vivre that, again, is best expressed by youth relatively insulated from the harshness of the "real world" that awaits them upon graduation.

But we digress.

For his creativity (and bravery), Wang was awarded the grand prize of Grammy tickets to watch the awards presentation at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. DeGeneres also commended McKenzie Jones and Alexa Vecchio, both of Austin, Katie Lewis of Dallas and Victoria Vecchio of Houston for their efforts, awarding them each $500 gift cards to Best Buy.

According to the UT-Austin athletics page, Wang is a member of the UT-Austin spirit squad. But on Sunday night, he was the one who receiving cheers from the rest of us in Austin contenting ourselves to watching the awards ceremony on television.

>>> Image above via WikiMedia Commons