I guess a stage full of hot young men in their underwear just isn’t newsworthy enough of an event in Bangkok to make it onto my radar in advance. “If you re in town, don’t miss the Royal Barge Procession,” I said. “Come November 9th the place you need to be is the banks of Chao Phraya to watch the Royal Barges,” I claimed. Huh. No one told me there was perhaps an even better event that day, one that featured bare poles of a different kind.

The Manhunt International male beauty pageant was held Friday night at the Scala Theatre in Siam Square. Featuring the hot bodies of 53 of the world’s most beautiful men, this was the 16th running of the contest and the first time the finals were held in Bangkok. Mr. Philippines, June Macasaet, was crowned as the winner, the second time in a row that an Asian man has won the title. Mr. Sweden was the first runner up, followed by the contestants from Macau and Puerto Rico, with the always drool worthy Jason Chee of Singapore landing the fourth place spot.

Manhunt International is organized to promote new faces for the male modelling and fashion industry. Contestants, from ages 18 to 30, are judged on runway skills, photogenic abilities, physical attributes, and personality. So basically it is all about beefcake. As it should be.

Congrats to June, as well as to anyone lucky enough to have consoled the losers.

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