BIG BROTHER

As the saying goes, “the best form of revenge is making the choice not to dwell on negativity, but instead live life to its fullest with the best of your abilities”. This philosophy could be said to be best embodied and personified by Contestant No. 15 Benjamin Tan. Mercilessly ridiculed and taunted back when he was an obese kid, we can just imagine how those cruel bullies’ jaws would surely drop to the ground if they were to see him with his 1.80m 70kg lean, ripped and hulking muscular physique now!

Don’t let his serious demeanour fool you though. Underneath those bulging muscles lies a kindred spirit with a big heart, who as quoted from the Beam Artistes Manhunt Singapore official website, not only “has a soft spot for cats and dogs”, being one of the older contestants this year at 29 years old, has often been regarded as a supportive, caring ‘big brother’ by his younger fellow finalists too!

And as you would soon discover through our following personal interview with the affable hunk, he can also be quite the jovial joker, or even a cool, slick ninja warrior! Talk about being multi-faceted!

Congratulations on making it to the Top 20 in Manhunt Singapore 2012! What would you like to say to your fans for their support and Facebook “Likes” that helped you make it to the finals?

I am extremely thankful to all my dearest fans and friends who have been supporting me and encouraging me throughout these years. I would especially like to express my appreciation and gratitude towards those who went the extra mile for me and actually made it a point to attend and be there for me without fail at every single pageants and competitions I’ve participated in! To me, that spirit of dedication is truly admirable and unbelievable!

My most memorable fan experience was during the Singapore Calendar Guys 2011 competition, when I came on stage and heard my fans and friends were cheering so loudly and passionately for me! I simply cannot put into words how incredible that feeling was! I really would never have come this far without the support of my fans and friends! Just want to say to them thanks and I love you all!!!

In this present day and age, with the gradual acceptance and integration of the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) community into our society, how do you personally feel about having GLBT fans amongst your fans and supporters?

Anyone who knows me well on a personal level would tell you that I’m an easy going person and always enjoy making new friends. Straight or not, it doesn’t matter to me when it comes to befriending people. The same applies for my fans, regardless of their sexual orientation; I’m happy and honoured to receive their support.

I’m sure your fans and supporters would definitely like to get to know you a little better on a more personal level. Can you share with us some of your favourite things?

i) What do you enjoy doing most in your spare time (and no, gym doesn’t count, ha ha ha…)?
Oh! When it comes to my hobbies, I’ve got a really wide and diverse range of interests! But just to name a few, I enjoy collecting vintage car models, playing remote control cars & aircrafts, fishing, shopping, indulging and relaxing in hotel room stays across Singapore, as well as hanging out and going on overseas vacations with friends. I even find personal fitness training sessions fun and enjoyable too!

Benjamin's vintage car collection

Benjamin's remote control car collection

ii) Any fave TV shows?
MediaCorp’s Channel 5 drama “Point Of Entry” is my one and only favourite TV show.

iii) Any fave movies?

I’m a Spidey fan! In fact, my friends used to nickname me “Spider-Man” during my rock climbing days, and I’m a collector of the comic book series too! So I’m sure you’d be able to guess that my top film choices would of course include Tobey Maguire’s “Spider-Man” film trilogy as well as the recent “The Amazing Spider-Man” starring Andrew Garfield. Another recent film that I enjoyed was the comedy “The Dictator”.

iv) What are you currently playing on your iPod/playlist?

“愛很簡單” ("I Love You") by David Tao 陶喆.

v) Any fave recipes or food?

Abalone fried rice.

vi) What are some of your fave hangouts?

My preferred choice of hangout spots are rather nondescript, such as the bars or cafes in the hotel lobbies at Marina Bay Sands, Marina Mandarin and Sheraton Hotel. I usually get together with a couple of friends over drinks or do my work there.

vii) Any fave gadgets? What is it about this gadget/s that appeals to you?

I am an avid supporter of all Apple electronic products.

Benjamin's personal iPhone

viii) Could you share with us a lesser-known interesting fact about yourself?
By day, I run an exclusive gym called “The Fitness Edge”, as well as co-manage social media hotspot channels “FindYourModelInSG” and “FindYourWayInSG”. Then, by night, I take on my “secret identity” as a ninja warrior! Ha, ha, ha!!!

Seriously though, I really do have an extensive personal collection of ninja weapons such as samurai swords, spears and hunting knives. I started collecting them previously when I was practising martial arts, because I thought it would be quite a special and unique hobby, plus they can be quite a worthwhile investment too, since they do appreciate in value in time to come.

You look rather familiar. Might we have seen you anywhere before?

It’s quite likely that you may have! Since making my pageant debut in Manhunt Singapore 2010, I had gone on to participate in the Singapore Calendar Guys competition consecutively in years 2010, 2011 and 2012. I was also featured in photo shoots for CK Prints and i-weekly magazine. And if you’re into local sports, you may have spotted me as a finalist in the Singapore National Bodybuilding competitions.

What made you decide to take part in Manhunt Singapore 2012?

It has been two years since I last took part in Manhunt Singapore 2010. With the knowledge and experiences I have accumulated from my participation in other pageant competitions over this period of time, I feel I’m now more ready than ever to put myself to the challenge again, to perform even better than I did before! In addition, I’ve always looked up to Jason Chee as a fellow fitness enthusiast and pageant veteran, so with him in the running again for the competition this year, we’ve a positive, healthy rivalry spirit going on that boost my motivation to work even harder and strive for a greater personal breakthrough!

Before enrolling in this competition, what was your impression of Manhunt Singapore 2012 like? Now that you’re a finalist, has that impression changed?

Having been a previous participant in the competition, I can observe first-hand how far it has evolved over the past two years. The organizers really have put in a lot of effort into the organization and marketing of the event in recent years. Not only has the scope of public exposure and media coverage been widened for us finalists, but the competition has also gradually grown in prestige, publicity, social community outreach, further solidifying its foothold as the must-watch annual male pageant. To put it simply, I just love how the event gets better and better each year!

You’ve received numerous compliments on Facebook, praising your well-toned physique in the Manhunt Singapore 2012 photo shoots. Were you always this hunky since young? If not, what inspired you to build up your physique? How did you do it?

I may not look it now, but I used to be very fat when I was a kid! Back then in school, everyone judged and disliked me based on my size and labelled me with several hurtful nicknames such as “Flying Pig” or the character “Pigsy” from “Journey to the West”.

Having come a long way since then, losing those extra pounds and building up my physique to its present day’s look, I do acknowledge how tough it can be to lose and manage weight, as even until today, there are times when I still find it a struggle to keep the extra pounds off. For instance, during my off-training season last May, I was at my heaviest weighing in at 105kgs. But the main thing is, never give up hope and keep on trying, because I believe the successes in life lies in your own hands and what you make of it.

There is often the impression that good looking individuals tend to shun or discriminate against others who may not be as aesthetically pleasing in looks and physique. To what extent would you agree with this statement? What is your personal stance on this issue?

Speaking from personal experience, this type of behaviour really makes me very angry. Regardless of whether it is the despising a person who may not fit the conventional mould of beauty or the stereotyping of good looking people to be superficial or lacking in character or substance based solely on their appearance, I seriously and completely disagree such mind-sets.

It is my personal belief that everyone has the potential to be beautiful, whether it be inner or outer. To quote a line from a Taiwanese variety show, “there is no such thing as an ugly person in this world, there are only lazy people in this world”, so as long as you set your mind to it, dedicate yourself to putting in the necessary hard work, you can achieve anything you desire, even beauty!

Having been someone who had gone through the struggles of battling obesity to get to where I am today physically, I’d love to be able to pay it forward by helping others not just to tone up their physiques, but also to encourage them in bolstering their confidence as well, because I believe that a big part of embracing the notion of beauty is self-confidence! It would make me very happy to be a part of somebody’s transformational journey from ugly duckling to elegant swan.

On the Miss Universe and Miss World annual competitions, emphasis is often placed on promoting world peace and helping the needy who are facing issues such as hunger, poverty and sickness. If given the choice to make a difference, what social cause would you want to champion? Why?

As you can tell from my earlier comments, I am someone who is very much against discrimination of any form, whether be it appearance, race or other attributes. In an ideal world, discrimination would not exist and everyone would be treated equally regardless of their attributes, but being that we don’t live in an ideal world, every one of us, including all the presidents and governments across the world, should try our best to discourage, avoid or squash out discriminating behaviours and mind-sets wherever possible.

On a closing note, were you surprised when you first learnt of this Manhunt Singapore Alumni group and were invited to join it in Facebook? How do you think the group is working out so far? Do you have any suggestion on how we can make both the alumni group as well as this blog better in time to come?
It’s really good that we past and present Manhunt Singapore contestants could have this Manhunt Singapore alumni group as a common ground to share memories of our past competition experiences. It is important that we celebrate each and every finalists, in addition to our winners, for it is no mere feat and takes plenty of courage and confidence to take to the stage in front of thousands of fans, brave the multitude of snapping cameras, face the “formidable” media and judges, and be quick-witted enough to answer their questions eloquently as well as intelligently. And occasionally, we’ve got to juggle doing all that while only clad in nothing but a pair of swim trunks! Now that really takes guts, in my opinion. Ha, ha, ha…

With regards to fostering more camaraderie between our alumni members, we should organize outings, such as BBQ at the beach perhaps, where all of us can get together with family, friends and fans, reunite with past fellow finalists, get acquainted and make new friends with contestants from other competition years, catch up on the latest happenings in each other’s lives and have an enjoyable time in the company of great friends.

Thanks for the awesome suggestion, Benjamin! We’ll definitely make it a reality soon in our line-up of upcoming events for the ManSA group in the near future!

Needless to say, words can hardly express how impressed we were with Benjamin’s extraordinary personal account of how he channelled the negativity he suffered as an overweight boy into a formidable force of determination and perseverance that led him on to eventually emerge triumphant as the successful and hunky entrepreneur that he is today. And we look forward to his personal endeavour towards greater heights in this year’s competition.

Up next, our interview with the Top 20 finalist whom Benjamin revealed as the one he looks up to and shares a healthy rivalry with. Can you guess who it is?

Photos Credit:

Beam Artistes Pte Ltd (www.beam.com.sg)
Marcus Mok Photography (http://www.marcusart.net/),
Singapore Calendar Guys (http://mycalendarguys.com/)
Dennis Chong Fotocology (http://www.fotocology.com/)
Milk Photographie (http://www.milkphotographie.com/index.php),
Xin MSN Entertainment (http://entertainment.xin.msn.com/),
Photography by Colin Phan, Ishardi Jamil, Dinesh Sujanani, Sunni Oii,
and Benjamin’s Personal Photos