| Manhunt | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Presented by | Carmen Electra |
| Judges |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Production locations | Los Angeles, California |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | TWI |
| Original release | |
| Network | Bravo |
| Release | October 12 – November 30, 2004 |
Manhunt: The Search For America's Most Gorgeous Male Model is an American reality television series broadcast by Bravo. The series premiered on October 11, 2004, while its eighth and final episode aired on November 30, 2004. Filmed in Los Angeles, California, the series depicted a competition among thirty men were required to travel around the United States and compete against one another in a variety of challenges. American model Carmen Electra hosted the series.
Guest judges including former male supermodel Bruce Hulse, model Marisa Miller, [1] former model now Photographer Director Kimberly Metz, [2] STUFF Magazine editor Courtney Kendall. Jon Jonsson was the winner of this competition, receiving a four-year contract with IMG Models worth $100,000. [3]
| Season | Premiere date | Winner | Runner-up | Other contestants in order of elimination | Number of contestants | International Destination(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 October 2004 | Jon Jonsson | Rob Williams | Brian Bernie & Casey Ward & Micah LaCerte & Sean Russell, Blake Peyrot & Brett Dupue & Casey Weeks & John Stallings, Ron Brown & Seth Whalen, Jason Pruitt & Kevin Osborn & Matt Lanter & Paulo Rodriguez, Tate Arnett, Hunter Daniel, Maurice Townsell, Kevin Peake (quit) | 20 | San Juan |
(ages stated are at start of contest)
Semi-finalists
| Contestant | Age | Height | Hometown | Occupation | Outcome | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominic | 26 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Nashville, Tennessee | Cook | Episode 1 | 30-21 |
| Fox | 24 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Orange County, California | Youth Pastor/Student | ||
| Jacob | 19 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Newborn, Georgia | Construction | ||
| Jeff | 24 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Redwood Falls, Minnesota | Day Trader | ||
| J.R. | 21 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Norman, Oklahoma | Student | ||
| Rocky | 24 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Decatur, Georgia | Marine Corps Sergeant/Server | ||
| Stefan | 20 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | Buffalo, New York | Abercrombie Brand Rep | ||
| Steven | 22 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Joplin, Missouri | Band Manager/Waiter | ||
| Yaacov | 25 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Israel | Aspiring Model/Actor | ||
| Zach | 19 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Omaha, Nebraska | Hardware Store/Construction |
Finalists
| Contestant | Age | Height | Hometown | Occupation | Outcome | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Bernie | 25 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Moorpark, California | Waiter | Episode 1 | 20-17 |
| Casey Ward | 20 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Prescott, Arkansas | Personal Trainer | ||
| Micah LaCerte | 25 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Olathe, Kansas | Personal Trainer | ||
| Sean Russell | 21 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Madison, Connecticut | Marketing Student | ||
| Blake Peyrot | 21 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Los Angeles, California | Student | Episode 2 | 16-13 |
| Brett Dupue | 31 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Las Vegas, Nevada | Real Estate Agent | ||
| Casey Weeks | 26 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Huffman, Texas | Steakhouse Host | ||
| John Stallings | 24 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Sandy, Utah | Retail Sales Clerk | ||
| Ron Brown | 19 | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Florence, South Carolina | Retail Sales | Episode 3 | 12-11 |
| Seth Whalen | 23 | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | Baltimore, Maryland | Aspiring Clothing Designer | ||
| Jason Pruitt | 24 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Vidalia, Georgia | Marketing Research | Episode 4 | 10-7 |
| Kevin Osborn | 25 | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Long Island, New York | Construction Worker | ||
| Matt Lanter | 21 | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | Atlanta, Georgia | Atlanta Braves Batboy | ||
| Paulo Rodriguez | 23 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Cape Town, South Africa | Student | ||
| Tate Arnett | 21 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Dodge City, Kansas | Fitness Consultant | Episode 5 | 6 |
| Hunter Daniel | 20 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | De Queen, Arkansas | Student/Lifeguard/Retail Sales | Episode 6 | 5 |
| Maurice Townsell | 23 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Reno, Nevada | Air Filtration Systems Salesman | Episode 7 | 4 |
| Kevin Peake | 22 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Club Promoter/Embedded Model | Episode 8 | 3 (quit) |
| Rob Williams | 25 | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | Arlington, Texas | Law Student | 2 | |
| Jon Jonsson † | 22 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | Carmel, California | Astrophysics Student | 1 | |
John Stallings is an openly gay American model. [4] He has appeared on The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency , having been selected as a model by Janice Dickinson for her eponymous agency.
Paulo Rodriguez was eliminated because the judges saw him more as an acting character than a high fashion model.
Actor and model. As 2003 Mr. USA, Kevin Peake represented the US in the International Male Modeling Competition, which he placed 2nd runner-up over all. At 18 yrs old, he was one of the finalists on ABC's Are You Hot? .
Now an actor and model. Later, he appeared in the American television series 90210 as Liam Court, originally a recurring character but now a lead role. Starred in the TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars , along with its film of the same name. Also starring in NBC's Timeless .
Jon Jonsson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jon Grimkell Helgasson 1982 |
| Died | 2025 (aged 42–43) |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
Jon Jonsson (born Jon Grimkell Helgasson) was born in Reykjavík, Iceland to an Icelandic father and a Thai mother. [5]
After winning Manhunt in 2004, he modeled and signed with IMG Models and several major agencies in Singapore, Australia, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. [6]
He also modeled in campaigns for companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Ed Hardy, OCBC Bank,... landed covers for several major magazines such as V, Men's Health, Urban, Female, Catalogue Singapore, [6] ... and headlined various runways shows and hosted the Singapore Fashion Festival for MediaCorp. [6] Most notably, Jonsson was a temporary video jockey for MTV Southeast Asia
Known for shying away from the media and his disillusionment of the fashion industry, he quit modeling completely in 2007 to focus on his education. However, he returned in 2011, signing with Click Boston, Look Model Agency in San Francisco, and resigning with Nous Models in Los Angeles. In 2012, he was mainly represented by Ave Management in Singapore, but decided to focus on his legal career, having passed the California bar exam. [7]
In 2009, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. [8] He wrote a thesis relating to the magnetic field signatures of Jupiter's moons. [9]
In May 2012, Jonsson graduated from the University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center), [10] [11]
He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and in 2013, became a registered patent attorney in the State of California. [12]
On Sunday, February 23, 2025, Jon Jonsson died while hiking with friends in Carmel Valley, California. Jon felt unwell and sat to take a rest on the hike, passed out, and then died. Specific cause is unknown at this time.