Stars Who Became Chippendales Dancers
Chippendales is the first and last name in male exotic dancing. You only need to see the famous cuffs and collar with a bare chest to know exactly what to expect. And if for some reason you don't know what to expect, we'll give you a clue — think gorgeous men taking it off for screaming women. While the name is enough to make your average woman start drooling, you might not know that quite a few male celebrities have taken it off on the Chippendales stage.
Joey Lawrence
Actor Joey Lawrence shocked everyone by accepting an invitation to act as a Chippendales host in June 2012. The decision proved a win-win for Lawrence, who generated quite a bit of buzz for himself and his TV series Melissa & Joey. Lawrence claimed in an interview with the Daily Beast that he'd been approached by Chippendales dozens of times to host before finally giving in. "I figured, what the hell? Life is short. Nothing is wrong anymore. You've just got to have fun, man. It's about having fun, at times. I haven't had a lot of fun, so I'm excited to go have some fun."
Jeff Timmons
If you were into '90's era boy band pop singers, there's a good chance you recognize Jeff Timmons as a member of the group 98 Degrees. According to Us Weekly, Timmons performed with Chippendales dancers during a Vegas show and really enjoyed dancing. "I had a great experience with them. It's not like what everybody presumes about it, it's a really well-done, professional, sexy production."
His time with the Chippendales made such a lasting impression that Timmons decided to create a traveling troupe based on his experience called Men of the Strip. The former boy band singer describes the show as entertaining for "guys and girls alike" while attempting to be a more modern take on the Chippendales franchise. "[Men of the Strip] is still edgy, sexy and girls can let loose, but it's more about the production," said Timmons. "We're trying to make it a Broadway-esque production — sound, lights, and amazing choreography!"
Ian Ziering
Best known for his role on the hit teen soap Beverly Hills, 90210, Ian Ziering gave his nostalgic fans another reason to pine during his stint with Chippendales back in 2013. Although Ziering was positive about his decision, he seemed worried that some might judge him a bit harshly for deciding to strip. He told the Las Vegas Sun, "I have no regrets whatsoever about this. You know, this is a job, and as an actor I look at this as another role. I approached it with the same level of intensity and professionalism that I like to bring to every other role that I've had in the past."
He also pointed out that the show gave him an opportunity to focus on staying in top physical condition and being all around eye candy for his wife, Erin. To be honest, we'd rather see Ziering's muscles than sit through his hilariously bad Sharknado films.
Ronnie Margo
Former Jersey Shore star Ronni Margo has never been shy about taking off his shirt for the ladies, so of course the reality TV star would leap at the opportunity to act as host for Chippendales. However, Margo seems to have left a really bad impression. The Las Vegas Sun called him a "juicehead gorilla" and dubbed him a big disappointment. According to the Sun, he made a "completely clothed cameo in a Dating Game-esqe sketch and [after] 30 seconds of shirtless when he threw an autographed T-shirt into the audience...Not quite a 'featured star,' as promised."
The photo featured in the article must have been purely promotional bait as the same article declared he didn't even appear "in the iconic Chippendales bow tie and cufflinks uniform." What a wasted opportunity.
Nyle DiMarco
Male model Nyle DiMarco has been a tour de force since winning Cycle 22 of the fashion-based reality TV series America's Next Top Model. He must have fallen in love with performing during his time on Dancing With The Stars — which he also won — because he decided to feature as headliner for the Chippendales. It's a groundbreaking gig for DiMarco, who is the first ever deaf celebrity host. "To headline something like this, to host it in Las Vegas, is such an honor," said DiMarco.
In addition to baring it all, he hoped to use the opportunity to educate by teaching the ogling female audience members a few sign language words. Here's hoping the ladies went away learning how to sign, "striptease."
Antonio Sabato Jr.
There must be something about Dancing With The Stars that gives male celebrities the urge to strip, as most of the men on this list appeared on the series — and the sexy Antonio Sabato Jr. is just the latest star to do so. The actor and model was a guest host in May 2016.
Jake Pavelka
You may remember Jake Pavelka as the former Bachelor star who dumped fiancée Vienna Girardi via phone. Few things kill a guy's romantic image — even a man as handsome as Pavelka — like breaking someone's heart from thousands of miles away, especially if you were supposedly about to get hitched.
According to TMZ, Jake Pavelka enjoyed a stint as the celebrity guest host for Chippendales back in 2012. Unfortunately any former fans who were hoping to see the goods were no doubt left disappointed when Pavelka decided it was best to "use his charm, sex appeal and hosting skills to keep the women entertained while leaving the dancing to the men of Chippendales."
Tyson Beckford
Tyson Beckford holds the distinction of not only guest appearing for Chippendales but, as TMZ reports, coming back to work full-time as a dancer for at least three more months. This beautiful male supermodel reportedly broke sales records during his two weeks as guest host, so its understandable why Chippendales would only be happy to have him around for as long as possible. TMZ says Beckford will start his residency in March 2017, and take part in specially choreographed performances.