MANILA, Philippines - Hot, sweet and yummy! And the dishes they cook aren’t bad either. Starting tonight at 7, DIVA Universal serves up a fresh new batch of hotties who know their way around a kitchen — and to a woman’s heart. Now on its second sizzling season, the original series gets hotter as the gorgeous men from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines crank up the competition in the kitchen to whip up a meal that would sweep you off your feet. Or at least, wow a mystery (and very lucky) judge. Hunks and great food peppered with wit, humor and rivalry? Sounds like a recipe for a hot evening.
Hotties joining Hot Guys Who Cook 2 are TV hosts Allan Wu, Armando Reed, Adam Carruthers, Oli Pettigrew, Filipino model Paolo Gonzalez and Malaysian actor Zain Saidin. Hot favorites from the inaugural season, actors George Young and Paul Foster and travel host Henry Golding are coming back to battle it out in the kitchen and prove their prowess in dishing up double the charm and deliciousness.
Known for his dare devil and adventurous ways in Fear Factor, The Amazing Race Asia and The Amazing Race China Rush, Allan wants you to know that he’s fearsome in the kitchen, too. He’s been pitching in the kitchen now that he’s a father of two and living in Shanghai, China. He’s come a long way since his days at Berkeley and presenting for MTV Taiwan. Always fun-loving and bold, Allan promises to bring it and outplay his competitors to win over the mystery judge with his wholesome chicken surprise.
The sweetheart from Manila is a familiar face in his native country. Paolo has been in commercials and advertisements for 20 years since he landed a milk commercial at age seven. A self-professed foodie, he brings home the bread by working in real estate, his passion lies in acting, traveling the world and seeking out adventures. He’s starting to pursue a career in acting. Here’s a little-known fact: Paolo was the body double for Jeremy Renner in the blockbuster Bourne Legacy.
Hot Guys Who Cook is Paolo’s first foray in the world of reality TV and he admits it was a stressful time cooking his mom’s recipe of prawns on the show amid veteran TV personalities Allan and Zain, as he says the guys were consummate professionals with a lot to say and he’s just someone who loves cooking. Will this unassuming and secretly-competitive hunk quietly make his way to the top? Find out in the premiere of Hot Guys Who Cook.
The 28-year-old Brit-Malaysian actor Zain, on the other hand, would love to be as cool as his idols Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson. Passionate about his acting career, he has been on the drama series Oh My English! on Astro. But are his skills in the kitchen as smooth as his acting talent?
Born in Hong Kong, schooled in England and resident of Singapore for the better part of a decade, the last few years has seen Oli, 31, turn into one of the region’s leading TV stars. The father of two has been seen hosting tech and travel shows such as Sony Style and Lonely Planet: Six Degrees China. Oli is just as in demand for his unique, cheeky brand of humor and improvisation on- and off-screen. This year, Oli hit a high note with Best Host nominations by the Elle Awards and the Asian Television Awards. The former model has also gone on a new diet and fitness regime and now sprouts his newfound love for healthy living.
Austin native Armando, 32, certainly knows his way around the kitchen. He’s been cooking up a storm since he baked cookies at age seven, and attributes his love for food and cooking to his parents. Armando is out to satisfy his tastebuds and will travel the world for a taste of local cuisine — be it on a backpacking trip to Borneo or a flavorsome trip to Hong Kong. With his very own cooking show, Armando’s Asian Twist, and now Hot Guys Who Cook, Armando’s quest is to use his culinary skills to bring joy and happiness to the people around him. We’re pretty sure that ladies aren’t complaining!
If you’ve not seen sports TV host Adam, 27, on TV, you’ve probably heard his voice on the radio or in commercials. The affable Adam from Malaysia is the presenter in FourFour Two BPL and Football Overload on Astro. He has been on Fly radio and Hitz.fm as well. Now in the Hot Guys Who Cook kitchen, Adam will be seen in a battle with TV presenters Oli and Armando as they attempt to outdo one another in charming the mystery judge, all the while having to look pretty as they cook. It will be a challenge even for one as energetic and charismatic as Adam.
If anyone can say that food was his claim to fame, it would be Singaporean actor, model and host Paul. Born to a British father and Chinese mother, Paul burst into the scene with the Singapore reality TV show, Food Bachelor, where he faced off against other hunks in, what else, cooking competitions.
With commercials, TV dramas and Indonesian feature film Catatan Harian Si Boy under his belt, Paul is now looking into conceptualizing and producing TV content as creative director for his company, Status Productions. It remains to be seen if the graduate of Australia’s Deakin University can whip up another delicious kitchen battle, but he definitely has the upper hand.
Meanwhile, George’s a little bit like a Beef Wellington or a Seafood Paella. Yes, he may be that delicious but like the two hard-to-make dishes, George is a mixture of many ingredients that turn out so well. A lawyer by trade, the half-Greek, half-Chinese model-presenter-actor has graced TV screens in Britain and across Asia and is now looking to cook up a storm in your kitchen.
The Singapore-based artist has also been keeping himself busy. George hosted Singapore’s Million Dollar Money Drop, starred in the local TV series, The Pupil, and completed a box-office run in the Bollywood film Jhootha Hi Sahi. He also made his professional theater debut in Swimming with Sharks, which led him to win Elle Awards Actor of the Year in 2012.
A mix of English culture and Iban heritage, former hair stylist Henry went from fixing people’s bad hair days, to becoming the face and voice of Malaysian TV after deciding to return to Asia, where he began hosting TV programs.
Henry has merged his love for hosting and his passion for travel, and has done everything from resort living to jungle adventures. Somewhere in those travels, he must have started a fire and cooked something.