It’s Raining Hot Husbands
The stormy weather didn’t damper the sizzling spirits of finalists
Written by Blair Townley
May 26, 2009 was definitely a night for the men of Lake County. I’m talking about the Hottest Husbands contest hosted by LAKE Magazine for the five husband finalists at the Mission Inn Resort at Howey-in-the-Hills.
It was definitely a night of hijinks, with dollar bills placed in the belts of the finalists by their wives, while humor was had by contestants as they practiced their male model swagger on the runway.
7 of the original Top 10 finalists were present for the fashion walk, decked out in apparel provided by Trueman’s Fine Men’s Clothing.
Owner Jay Hurley even helped introduce the contestants and mentioned that the audience could even “strip off” the clothes of the contestants if they wanted the clothes. He was joking though.
The mood was buzzing with excitement and nerves for the finalists by those attending to cheer them on. Finalist Daniel Norris’ wife Lauren mentioned her husband had the local, national and international votes on his side from friends and family in Florida, Texas and even Italy.
“Most of the staff from the church Daniel works at got on Facebook to vote while also telling friends about the contest,” Lauren says.
Some finalists prepared for the big night by getting in touch with their inner male model.
Finalist Dr. Jose Diaz practiced his runway walk by watching YouTube videos of male models in Milan.
He brought his wife Erin and their family members into the mix by asking them to pick the best walk for him to use. “This will be his big showcase for all the weight he lost, so he was nervous,” says Erin mentioning the 50 pounds recently lost by the doctor.
Finalist Tristan Page’s friends encouraged him to practice his “Zoolander” face, a nod to the Ben Stiller film, while his family programmed the Right Said Fred song “I’m Too Sexy” as his cell phone’s ringtone.
“Most of his teasing has been from motorcycle riders and his motorcycle customers,” wife Kathy says. She also got into the teasing act by having him watch YouTube videos of male models falling off the runway.
All ranges of family and friends came out to support the hot husbands. Iysha Benedict traveled from Atlanta to watch good friend finalist Bruce Duncan strut his stuff on the runway. “He’s got a great attitude about it,” Iysha says.
Though when it comes to what Bruce might do on the runway that night, wife Stephanie wasn’t making any guesses. “You never know with Bruce because he is so spontaneous,” she says.
Finalist Patrick Smith was looking forward to meeting the other finalists rather than walking the runway. “He was excited about meeting the other guys in the contest and would rather have had [son] William walk the runway instead of him,” wife Kristi says.
The contestants modeled three different ensembles for the fashion show, ranging from casual to business attire, and became more comfortable when it came to displaying their suits. Some hot husbands bared their physique while others performed playful signature moves, such as finalist Bruce slicking back his hair with his fingers.
Even with the enjoyment the audience and finalists were having, everyone celebrated the fact that the organization of The Haven of Lake and Sumter Counties was the real winner for the night. Entry fees and ticket sales were to go directly to the organization and The Haven’s Executive Director Kelly Smallridge made an appearance on stage to thank all for their help.
As the evening drew to a close, the anticipation heightened over who would be crowned LAKE Magazine’s 2009 Hottest Husband. Past winner Ryan Langley walked the runway to start the show while his wife Angie displayed the winner to be Dr. Jose Diaz.
Photographer of all the finalists, Myron Leggett, also unveiled the new June cover of LAKE Magazine to be Dr. Diaz as well.
“I am very excited and just came out here to do my best,” Dr. Diaz says. He planned to cap off his big night with an evening of movie-watching and popcorn-eating with his wife and two sons.
“The best part of the competition was getting to meet the other contestants backstage,” concludes Dr. Diaz. Congratulations to Dr. Jose Diaz for being named the 2009 Hottest Husband and a thank-you to all the finalists for taking part in the event. Bring on the 2010 nominees!
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