I can’t be the only person who came out of Cruel Intentions wanting to know more about the history of Delta Phi Pi. While Season 1 of Cruel Intentions shows backstabbings, situationships, and illicit relationships, the story really lies within the prestigious Delta Phi Pi walls. Delta Phi Pi is run by Caroline Merteuil (Sarah Catherine Hook), who will do anything to have what she most wants: Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), the Vice President of the United States’s daughter, to pledge her sorority. With the help of her step-brother, Lucien (Zac Burgess), Caroline formulates a plan to bring Annie into Delta Phi Pi — and a tricky web of lies.
While the drama between Caroline, Lucien, and Annie reigns supreme, Delta Phi Pi’s rush week at Manchester College has a variety of interesting events, including President’s Night. President’s Night is a massive deal for Delta Phi Pi, as viewers see Caroline try to meticulously plan Annie’s arrival. So, is President’s Night an actual thing in Greek life? I’m here to answer all your questions. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Cruel Intentions follow.
What is President’s Night in Cruel Intentions?
As Caroline begins to formulate her plan to recruit Annie into Delta Phi Pi, she insists that Lucien invite Annie to President’s Night at the sorority house. Viewers learn that President’s Night is an event to open the sorority doors to potential candidates, and for Delta Phi Pi to see who has what it takes to become a PNM for their sorority. President’s Night is an event to honor the past president’s all throughout Greek life, and as a way to usher in new pledges to their forever homes.
While planning for President’s Night, we learn that Caroline’s mother, Claudia Merteuil (Claire Forlani), served as the president of Delta Phi Pi during her college years. It explains why Caroline was so determined to become president and why she’s adamant about saving the sorority from facing serious repercussions following the hazing incident.
Does President’s Night Really Exist?
President’s Night isn’t actually an event that exists in Greek Life. While honoring past presidents isn’t an uncommon thing for sororities and fraternities to do, the idea of an event that looks for new pledges isn’t entirely too far off. Most houses host individual events to open their doors to PNM, and at the start of rush week, most begin to figure out who they’re most interested in seeing rush.
It’s safe to say that the writers of Cruel Intentions, Phoebe Fisher and Sara Goodman, invented President’s Night as a way for Caroline to insist Lucien bring Annie to see Delta Phi Pi in action. While Annie originally rebels against the idea of Greek life with her friend Beatrice (Brooke Lena Johnson), we slowly begin to see her take an interest in Caroline’s clean-cut, glamorous sisterhood throughout Season 1.
Even if President’s Night is not a real event, it opens the doorway for Caroline to formulate a plan to get Annie into Delta Phi Pi one way or another, even if it means she has to work with Lucien. Caroline wants to be the best president possible and will do whatever it takes to achieve perfection.