So what is sexy to Tom Rodriguez and Hermes Bautista, the two hunks “imported” from San Francisco for the Pinoy Big Brother Double Up Edition (won by Melissa “Melai” Cantiveros) who are making women — and other creatures besides — swoon?
“A quiet fire is what is sexy to me,” says Tom. “It’s beyond the physical. Sexiness emanates from between the ears.”
“To me,” says Hermes, “it’s simply looking good inside and out.”
And what makes them feel sexy? Is it something that they hear, something that they see or something that they just imagine?
Tom: “Something that I cook up in my imagination. It’s not for publication. Hahahaha!”
Hermes: “Something that you feel, ‘yung kaya mong dalhin ng maayos ang sarili mo, ‘yung neat ka tingnan.”
Tom was born in Olongapo to an American serviceman father and a Filipina mother. One of six siblings, Tom moved with his two brothers and three sisters with their mom to Pinabacdao, Eastern Samar (where their mom hails from) but they grew up in nearby Catbalogan City, also in Eastern Samar, where Tom studied (at Sacred Heart) from kindergarten to high school. Then, the family migrated to San Francisco where he took up Digital Animation.
“I met Hermes during the audition for PBB in San Francisco,” says Tom who speaks fluent Waray (like Boy Abunda, Tessie Tomas, Nonoy Zuñiga, Pooh, Aster Amoyo and Bibeth Orteza).
Hermes was born in San Francisco and came back when he was two years old; he has been coming and going every year for vacation, until he decided to stay and study here. He’s a nurse (who graduated from a university in Angeles City, Pampanga). He has only one sibling who is with their father in Sanfo while Hermes is here with his mother.
“I could work in a hospital but what I really wanted is to be an actor,” says Hermes. “That’s why I took the chance to audition for PBB in San Francisco.”
A Libran (Oct. 1, 1987), Tom stands 5’11”; weighs 146 lbs. (down from 165); and now wears medium-sized briefs and shirt, and size-11 shoes.
An Aquarian (Feb. 7, 1986), Hermes stands 5’9”; weighs 163 lbs.; and wears medium-size briefs and shirt, and size-9 shoes.
Did they leave their hearts in San Francsco?
Tom: “I’m too busy to have a relationship; it would be unfair to the girl.” Type of girls: “Down-to-earth, with strong character, and able to take care of herself.”
Hermes: “No girlfriend.” Type of girls: “Those with pleasing personality at marunong makisama sa tao. If she’s pretty and sexy, bonus na lang ‘yon.”
And how did they lose “it”?
Tom: “When I was 14, I had a slight brush. But my actual experience happened when I was 16. Consummated! It happened in San Francisco.”
Hermes: “Ako naman, I was 18. It also happened in San Francisco. The girl was one year older than me. We were supposed to eat out. When I dropped by her place, I found her taking her time in the bathroom. I checked and she pulled me in. Tapos, doon na nag-start...”
How would they describe themselves briefly?
Tom: “Caring and passionate.”
Hermes: “Simple lang ako.”
Both are under Backroom, Inc. (Tom, who appeared as a groom in Star Cinema’s Here Comes the Bride, is a member of the quartet Voizboys, with Nico Antonio, JayR Siaboc and Guji Lorenzana.)
Let’s proceed with a little “sexy talk.”
= Sexiest sound (musical instrument)
Tom: The guitar. There’s something about its sound that’s so arousing.
Hermes: The violin. It becomes even sexier when you play a love song with it to a woman.
= Sexiest song
Tom: Your Body is a Wonderland by John Mayer, because of the cleverly suggestive themes hidden inside rhyming words and metaphors.
Hermes: Careless Whisper (now known as the Hayden-Katrina dance song). When I hear it, medyo nakaka...alam mo na!
= Sexiest book
Tom: I haven’t read any.
Hermes: I’m not a bookworm. I can’t say naman that the anatomy books I studied in nursing school were sexy. I’m very familiar with the human anatomy.
= Sexiest magazine
Tom: FHM, because the pictorials leave something more to the imagination.
Hermes: FHM. Cool basahin. The bodies featured in that magazine are different from the bodies you see in anatomy books.
= Sexiest part of (their) body
Tom: My eyes...very expressive daw sabi nila. But I would say, my dimples. They say it’s a deformity but many people find dimples attractive.
Hermes: My eyes. Sabi nila malagkit daw ako tumingin...parang nakakatunaw sabi nila. Hehehehe!
= Sexiest part of a girl’s body
Tom: The curves which are better seen kapag naka-sideview ang isang girl in silhouette. Very striking! Like who? Jessica Alba!
Hermes: Also her eyes, like those of Anne Curtis.
= Sexiest movie he has seen
Tom: Into the Blue (starring Jessica Alba).
Hermes: Wicker Part yata ang title n’un. I don’t even know who the stars are. I saw it on DVD. For want of anything to do, I watched it and I liked it. It’s the story of two lovers who, after a lot of struggles, meet again after years of separation. Their reunion scenes are very passionate, very hot!
= Sexiest billboard
Tom: Angel Locsin in Folded&Hung.
Hermes: Angel Locsin in Folded&Hung. I slow down when I see it para hindi ako mabangga; I even stop for a while para matitigan ko ‘yon ng mabuti.
= Sexiest (woman’s) face
Tom: Angelina Jolie. Her face exudes a sexy aura.
Hermes: Si Angel Locsin pa rin. Her eyes are very sexy, like those of Anne Curtis. Sexy din ang lips niya.
= Sexiest clothes
Tom: Satin pajamas with nothing underneath.
Hermes: My tank tops. I have five of them in my wardrobe.
= Sexiest perfume
Tom: Any na subtle ang fragrance.
Hermes: I love the smell of Victoria’s Secret on a woman.
= Sexiest food
Tom: Pasta. The way you eat it looks sexy, doesn’t it?
Hermes: Oysters. They say that it increases your libido.
= Sexiest flower
Tom: Red rose.
Hermes: Rose. It has to be red.
= Sexiest time of day
Tom: Sunset. Romantic na, makes you think of sex pa!
Hermes: Nighttime. It’s very conducive to doing something intimate.
= Sexiest place (or part of the house)
Tom: The bedroom, where else!
Hermes: The gym. There, parang nagiging “game” ang mga tao.
Do I feel conscious when people are looking at me while I’m working out? Not really. What part of my body needs improvement? My abs. And my favorite part? My biceps.
= Sexiest TV show
Tom: Burn Notice. The female lead has a strong character. I’m attracted to strong-willed women.
Hermes: Sex and the City. Sexy si Sarah Jessica Parker, di ba?
= Sexiest scene he has done
Tom: My semi-nude bed scene with Valerie Concepcion in My Precious Hearts (on ABS-CBN).
Hermes: My kissing scene with Kaitlin Lass, the exchange housemate from Finland. It happened on Pinoy Big Brother.
= Sexiest scene he has seen in a movie
Tom: The one in Original Sin with Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie.
Hermes: Sharon Stone without panties opening and closing her legs in Basic Instinct. Nag-init ako when I saw it.
= Sexiest fantasy
Tom: Making it with Princess Leia (a character in Star Wars).
Hermes: Making love on the rooftop in the moonlight.
= Sexiest thing he has done to himself
Tom: Play the guitar while composing songs. That may not be sexy to others but it is sexy to me.
Hermes: Taking pictures of myself in front of the mirror...to check which parts have improved and which parts need more improvement.
= Sexiest thing he has done to a girl
Tom: Having a candlelit dinner with a girl and at the same time composing a song for her. Yes, I cook. My favorite recipe? Carbonara.
Hermes: Kiss her from head to toe.
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)