The mother of all competitions saw some fierce campaigning by the 10 finalists, but in the end, there could be only one Woman’s Day Hottest Radio Hunk for 2018 – and that gentleman is Gary McCormick! Take a bow, Gazza!
The 66-year-old silver fox from The Breakfast Club on More FM has taken out the coveted prize – awaiting delivery of a trophy only ever held before by Roger Farrelly from The Rock’s Morning Rumble.
Chuffed Gary says that after watching the meteoric rise of Roger’s star power once he won the inaugural prize, he’s fully expecting his life to change now that he’ll walk the streets of New Zealand as the reigning Hottest Radio Hunk.
The Christchurch native predicts he’ll be hounded by paparazzi, approached by strangers in the street and that “like a Tom Jones concert, there may be a blizzard of lingerie”. While he’s not used to this level of adoration, he believes he will cope. He claims he recently enrolled in the Richie and Gemma McCaw School of Kiwi Humility to help get the tools he’ll need to behave as a champion.
Clearly in the early stages of humility training, Gary had this to say on news of his win: “I’ve always been a child of destiny and I sensed from an early age that one day I would be New Zealand’s Hunk of the Year. I’m a bit surprised it didn’t happen earlier, but it was in my DNA. The time of the older man has come. And now that, sadly, Burt Reynolds has gone, I have moved into that position.”
Gary and his on-air partner in crime Simon Barnett.
The 2018 search for the Hottest Radio Hunk saw some of the biggest campaigns launched yet. Our top 10 from all over the nation fought for the crown, with newspaper ads, music videos, billboards and even a sexy calendar.
But Gary showed the competition that nothing beats a seasoned broadcasting professional who spends years of hard work building a loyal listenership.
Editor-in-Chief Sido Kitchin says, “Gary crushed the competition. Despite hard-fought attempts by some seriously desperate – not to mention a few smoking hot – finalists, Gary cruised to victory with a late surge in votes in the homeward stretch of the competition. He won by more than a whisker but less than a nose. His years of experience behind the mic have seen him garner a reputation as a thinking women’s crumpet, but I can’t help but wonder if that video of his strip down to his Woman’s Day tighty whities led to that last lurch to the finish line. We’re proud to see a silver fox take out the Hottest Radio Hunk mantle for the second year running. Congratulations, Gary!”
Gary has been described by voters as:
“A unique Kiwi guy. Gruff on the outside, marshmallow on the inside. The total package.”
“He’s intelligent, well read, great sense of humour, better than these numb nuts with big muscles, chiselled jaw, no brain. I love Gary.”
“He has gorgeous eyes, funny as, fantastic linguistic man, and pretty hot for an older guy. Simon is almost as good looking, but not quite.”
“Charisma, humour, intelligence, looks, strength etc etc (and oh boy, did you see him in his surfing days?!)”
