wah...so scandalous one ....molest charge and sexual harassment...damn serious le.u better be factual, else u sure to get lawyer letter.
This organisation is running a beauty eventt, how come the tracy lee looks like that< so BIG-cannot make in this beauty business le>no wonder so much problem....also heard gossip other staff involved with contestants too...talk to contestans if u know any....[/QUOTE]
here's the link
http://www.divaasia.com/article/4282 highlight in red
Thu, Oct 01, 2009
Urban, The Straits Times .Reign or shine
by Imran Jalal
Some view it as the male equivalent of Miss Singapore Universe and, like its counterpart, Manhunt Singapore does not appear to be ageing well.
Where it used to be beamed to a global audience and winners such as Zack Zainal and Benedict Goh went on to be TV stars, the 22-year-old pageant is now held in clubs or malls and none of the winners in the past seven years has become a household name.
This year's finals, held at The Heeren in March, also led some to wonder if the contest has traded class for crass.
During the question-and-answer segment, one contestant was asked: 'Would you mind if your girlfriend is more experienced than you in sex?'
Undergraduate Teo Yu Hao, 21, who went on to win the title, was made to name three women he would bed if Armageddon loomed tomorrow.
Asked about the choice of topic, Dinesh Sujanani, 37, account director of Punch! Events & Promotions which staged the pageant finals this year and last, says: 'I just wanted to lighten up the mood and have fun. It is boring to keep talking about politics and current affairs.'
Patricia Ng, founder of beauty and grooming company Glamour Beaute Consultancy, was more baffled by the choice of location.
'Pageants used to be prestigious black-tie affairs. Now they have been downgraded,' says the 37-year-old, who is coaching Rachel Kum, Singapore's representative at the Miss Universe finals to be held at The Bahamas next month.
Despite being taken off the air last year, the Miss Singapore Universe finals was held at Shangri-La Hotel's Island Ballroom in May.
A lacklustre venue may give a pageant a poor image and this might not draw quality contestants, says Ng, adding: 'Most local pageants are just a crowd-drawing tactic by shopping malls and pubs.'
Indeed, this year's Manhunt reportedly drew about 100 hopefuls, compared to 260 in 1989.
But Sujanani says such contests go down well with retail sponsors and the crowd.
'Sponsors are generally quite tired of the usual fashion shows and in-store promotions, so they will put their money in something more exciting and commercially viable, which we did with the Manhunt contest this year.'
A check with The Heeren shows that traffic jumped by 35 per cent during the event.
HUNK FEST
Started in 1987 by Singaporean Alex Liu, the Manhunt brand branched into a global franchise with Manhunt International in 1993. It aims to 'search for the best male model', according to its website.
It has drawn contestants from at least 40 countries for the past 10 years, up from the 25 that took part in the first international leg in 1993.
The finals are held in a different city each year - this year's event will take place in China, South Korea or Turkey in October or November.
The Manhunt International website states that the finals was televised worldwide in 1995, 1997 and 2006.
While winners of the international finals used to go home with US$100,000 (S$145,000) worth of cash and prizes, the booty for last year's winner was US$10,000 cash and a modelling contract worth US$30,000.
The value of prizes for the local leg has also shrunk.
Zack Zainal (see Page 14), the 1989 Manhunt Singapore winner who went on to build a successful career in hosting, acting and modelling, recalls bagging $40,000 worth of prizes including a $5,000 cheque, a motorcycle and a $10,000 wardrobe.
This sounds like the jackpot compared to the $16,000 worth of prizes including the $2,000 cash that this year's winner Teo went home with.
Manhunt is not the only male pageant in town that has seen waning sponsorship.
Liu, 49, declined to be interviewed for this story but another pageant organiser says the recession has led sponsors to slash their budgets by 20 to 30 per cent.
Alan Sim, 37, president of the Mister Singapore Organisation, estimates that such events cost at least $50,000 to organise.
'I just wish the big guns are more generous with their budget and give us a chance to prove that our guys are worthy of their brand image,' he says.
He has organised the Mister Singapore and Mister International pageants since 2000 and 2006 respectively and counts male grooming company Thomas D'esthetique, fitness portal sgfitness.com and beauty services group Fabulous Group among his current sponsors.
The annual event, which susses out a 'good-looking and modern ambassador for Singapore', used to be held at clubs such as the defunct Venom in Pacific Plaza.
Since 2007, however, the finals have been staged at Braddell Heights Community Club after rental fees at The Pavilion, a glass theatrette at Far East Square, went up.
The venue for this year's finals, which will be held at the end of this month, has yet to be confirmed.
Industry insiders estimate that there are fewer than five male pageants here, including Mr World Singapore, The Best Model Of The Year and Singapore Calendar Guys.
This number excludes contests held at the varsity level and commercial contests seeking product spokesman.
Former Miss Singapore World Teo Ser Lee, 43, who owns etiquette consultancy Protocol Academy, thinks organisers are in a Catch-22 situation.
'If you can't find good sponsors and offer good prizes, you won't be able to attract quality contestants. And if you are unable to attract good contestants, big sponsors will not be prepared to contribute cash or good prizes.
'Then media publicity will also be jeopardised because it's no longer attractive to cover the event.'
Bad press has not helped either.
Allegations of sexual impropriety have been levelled at the Manhunt contest, for instance.
In 1994, German Manhunt contestant Christian Klein accused Liu of molest. The case was dropped by the police.
A year later, another Manhunt winner, Singaporean Andrew Poh, made a police report that Liu had sexually harassed him. No action was taken after a police investigation.
Still, some are optimistic that male pageants can be restored to its 1990s heyday where a crown was a ticket to stardom.
Joshua Luke, 33, chief image consultant of Signature Image International, says a mindset change is key.
The consultancy and training centre trains would-be beauty queens and conducts grooming and beauty classes.
'We need to educate people here that joining and winning a pageant is an honour. They should see that winners can become role models through their fund-raising efforts and community service,' he says.
'Male pageants will survive as there will always be those who want to enjoy the experience or give back to the community.'
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Julian Hee, 31, was crowned winner of Manhunt Singapore 2002/2003 and Mr Singapore World 2003. The bachelor is now a freelance actor who shuttles between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for his latest TV project with a network there.
Looking at the shots of himself on the computer screen after the photo shoot, Hee, Urban's cover boy this week, heaves a sigh.
'I'm getting fat,' he says.
His lean and toned physique would draw envy from most men but the 1.81m-tall former model says it is a far cry from his prime seven years ago.
Then, he had a 'mad' regimen to stay in shape.
'Almost everything was boiled - boiled unpolished rice, boiled vegetables, boiled meat. I did not use any oil during cooking, only water to prevent sticking,' he recalls.
'There were minimum carbs and fats, no desserts, alcohol or durians. I was so moody then that I could bite off someone's head.'
No surprise that he took the
Mr Healthy Lifestyle award at the 2002/2003 Manhunt finals, along with the crown.
He joined the pageant because he wanted to travel.
'I was a poor business administration student in MDIS (Management Development Institute of Singapore) then, living from hand to mouth with two dogs to feed and rent to pay so I thought winning some cash won't hurt,' he says.
'I joined mainly with the hope of winning free accommodation and air tickets.'
The international leg of Manhunt that year was held in Shanghai.
When he learnt that the Mr World finals in 2003 would be held in London, he signed up for that as well.
The international finals was shown on TV and while he was not placed, he caught the eye of local production company Dream Forest.
He auditioned for and landed the role of a rookie cop in the Channel 5 police drama Heartlanders III.
Since then, he has acted in more than 15 TV productions on Channels 5 and 8 and can currently be seen in Red Thread, a Channel 5 soap starring Adrian Pang.
The pageant scene may have its dark side.
'I got so many namecards from both men and women and 'call me' phone numbers that I didn't know whether to feel flattered or insulted,' he says of his experience at the Manhunt International finals in Shanghai.
But he does not regret the ride.
'I entered the pageants to have fun and further my career and the experience also exposed me to different cultures,' he says.
'I learnt that Barbados is not part of Africa and told other contestants that Singapore is not part of China.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times.