A half-naked man on stage, two men who belted out love songs for the women in the club, plus a cheeky host who suggested sticking the voting stickers “below the belt”.
Nuyou magazine’s Men We Love party on 12 November, held at Zouk, certainly set hearts on fire as 17 of Singapore’s finest men competed for top honors.
Grace Lee, editor of the popular Chinese fashion magazine said of the competition, “It’s about more than the superficial, it’s about the heart and the belief of the person.”
Men We Love started out as just a list of men that, well, Nuyou loved. But over the years, with the development of social media, this list became a competition that roped in the nominations and votes of the public. Tonight’s party was the finale in which the winner would be announced, and Nuyou got to “celebrate the men we love with the readers”.
These fine young men had to meet two important criteria: they had to be attractive on the outside and the inside.
Photos of the nominees were posted online and viewers could vote for their favorite (each voter could vote up to five times a day). The winner with the most votes would win the title plus prizes amounting to over $2,000.
What a party it was. The evening started with the men strutting their stuff down the catwalk and posing — to the delighted screams of the girls in the audience.
The fever heightened during the question and answer segment. Cheers for the contestants grew wilder, and hearts started to palpitate as Alvin Leong, 25, bashfully began to take off his shirt to the catcalls and chants of “Tuo diao! Tuo diao!” (“take it off” in Mandarin) after the host asked if he’d take off his clothes.
He didn’t take off his shirt in vain: the game young man walked away with two of the five subsidiary awards, Mr Urbane and Most Well-Groomed.
The most exciting part of the evening was the voting segment where the gorgeous men stepped off the stage and into the audience. Armed with stickers, the audience was instructed by the host of the evening to “stick them below the belt”. Naughty.
But it was all in the name of good fun as giggles erupted from various parts of the audience as the men walked back stage with their pants covered in little orange stickers.
Singer Kelly Poon stepped up to stage for an estrogen break, wowing the audience with her stunning vocals.
The evening drew to a close with the last two awards being handed out; the Most Popular, which was determined by the number of stickers decorating the contestant’s pants, and the most number of online votes.
Cheers rang in the air as Alvin won again. He said of winning the Most Popular award, “I feel very honored and lucky!”
The overall winner, and the winner of the most number of votes went to Brian Liu, 27, who was “completely surprised but very, very happy”. The charismatic gentleman was grateful to others for his win, “It was the support of my friends and family!”
Lee was especially taken by Liu. “He has a very beautiful heart,” she said. In an interview with Nuyou, Brian had talked about having been to a 9/11 church service for the victims, and just outside the church, a car covered in dust had the words “Mom, Dad, where are you?” Lee commended Liu’s ability to notice small, seemingly insignificant details.
Having proved to have a heart of gold and a personality that women love, looks like Liu’s datebook might start to get pretty full… if it isn’t already.
MEET THE MEN
City News grabs a quick one with five of the Men We Love contestants:
Name: Brian Liu
Age: 27
Occupation: Management consultant
The most loveable thing about me is… “that I’m not so loveable and that’s what ladies love. I hope.”
Biggest selling point: “Probably my spontaneity. I’m up for anything anytime anywhere.”
Fun fact: His friends made fun of him for joining the competition, “Go work out! Go start looking hot!” However, after this competition he doesn’t intend to carry on doing such competitions.
Name: Eugene Seow
Age: 25
Occupation: A student at Singapore Institute of Management (SIM)
The most loveable thing about me is… “My eyes, while I smile.”
Biggest selling point: “Commitment. The moment I make my decision (about a girlfriend) I won’t change it.”
Fun fact: Joined the competition after being scouted on the street.
Name: Alvin Leong
Age: 25
Occupation: Banking and finance student at SIM
The most loveable thing about me is… “My smile. I think it brightens up the atmosphere around me.”
Biggest selling point : “I’m quite romantic!”
Fun fact: He’s a baker, and used to sell Oreo cheescake online before got too busy to whip up these treats.
Name: Elson Soh
Age: 21
Occupation: Artiste, singer
The most loveable thing about me is …“My innocence. Most people think I’m very innocent.”
Biggest selling point: “My innocence!”
Fun fact: He writes his own songs, ballads. He’s preparing for his full-fledged album that will be slated for release 1 January 2010. He used to be a model with Puma when Grace spotted him and asked if he would like to join the competition.
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| PHOTOS: Gay Sen Min |
Name: Calvin Rabendharen
Age: 25
Occupation: Guest duty manager at the Singapore Marriott
The most loveable thing about me is… “Personality. I’m an outgoing and fun person.”
Biggest selling point: “I’m one of the most tanned contestants?”
Fun fact: He hopes to take the experience and make new friends.
