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Jake Pavelka has gone from pilot to Bachelor to ballroom dancer and now, he’s hitting the Chippendales stage.
Before getting too excited, it should be noted that the ABC reality show alum and Drop Dead Diva guest star will not be baring it all for the Las Vegas male revue, but will rather serve as a guest host for a month-long stint at the Rio.
“I will be guest hosting the show for four weeks, getting the audience excited for the show as well as closing out the show,” Pavelka tells The Hollywood Reporter. “You know, I’ve always loved the idea of a live audience. Hosting in front of an unpredictable crowd forces you to draw from the energy of the crowd. It’s challenging but also exciting to work off that kind of adrenaline, knowing no two shows will be the same.”
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Channing Tatum has brought the world of male stripping back into the Hollywood spotlight with his upcoming film Magic Mike, which is based loosely on his own days working as a stripper. The actor is teaming up with director Steven Soderbergh for the project and has landed a tantalizing cast, including Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey and Matt Bomer.
“Oh, it’s nothing new to Hollywood,” says Pavelka. “Look at Boogie Nights or Sin City, or even Flash Dance. Hollywood has always known that sex sells.”
He continues: “As our society becomes more open-minded, we get to see the other side of things, like male dancers in addition to female. But do you know, what sells even better than sex? Sexy. You don’t have to get raunchy to be sexy.”
While attaching one’s own personal brand to another as risqué as Chippendales, there is sure to be a well thought-out career motive behind it. For Pavelka, the opportunity to gain live hosting experience and develop his talents as a performer in a city that is “absolutely unique” was too good to pass up.
“I look at this opportunity to stretch my limits as performer. I don’t want to limit myself based on fear of backlash,” he explains. “Hosting a live show is something I have always dreamed of doing and now I get to.”
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“As for not stripping, I am the guest host for the run of those weeks, so I’m leaving it to the professionals who have kept this brand thriving since the 1970s,” he adds.
This season on The Bachelor, 28-year-old businessman Ben Flajnik is looking for love. Having already walked in his shoes, Pavelka shares a few words of advice: “The best advice I can give to Ben is to just be himself. That way, no matter what happens, he’ll know he did the right thing.”
Pavelka is scheduled to report for duty at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on Feb. 23, kicking off his spring residency in conjunction with Chippendales’ 10th anniversary. He follows in the footseps of Jersey Shore‘s Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and 98 Degrees’ Jeff Timmons, who have both previously served as guest hosts.
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