Australian Media Bachelor of the year Stephen O’Shea has been beaten by K-Pop sensation and host of SBS PopAsia Live Kevin Kim to the coveted title of Cosmopolitan + Tinder 2018 Bachelor of the Year. Stephen missed out on winning the title at a star-studded event at Sydney’s Coogee Pavilion.

Last year, Stephen, who is an Ecosystem Planning Manager at Carat Sydney, won the title of 2018 Media Bachelor of the Year in a contest hosted by Bauer Media. More than 2500 people voted online for their favourite contestant in that contest, but their love wasn’t enough to propel Stephen to win the ultimate title.

The Cosmopolitan + Tinder Bachelor of the Year celebrates modern Australian men from all walks of life. Readers were asked to cast their vote for “The One” – Australia’s Bachelor of the Year – and Kevin stole their hearts, rising to the top from a field of 30 dynamic finalists, including 15 of the country’s hottest actors, influencers and performers, and 15 everyday Aussie blokes that were all Tinder users nominated or self nominated through the Tinder App.

Now in its second year, the night has become one of Cosmopolitan’s most successful annual events. The competition isn’t about finding the next male model, but unearthing a model male who appeals to the heart of Cosmo’s modern millennial reader.

Stephen was up against Home & Away’s Orpheus Pledger, who had strong support from his fan base, and Cam Cranley, who may have won his own Bachelor title regardless, with speculation mounting that he’ll be the next star of the TV series The Bachelor Australia.

Stephen was disappointed but not surprised to learn the result. “Kevin is a great guy,” he commented, “and while I’m disappointed not to have won, the competition was fierce. There’s always next year.”

Kevin rose to fame as the lead singer of the super popular K-Pop band ZE:A and now hosts three weekly shows on SBS PopAsia – Australia’s number one destination for all things Asian pop. The program has an enormous following covering the latest music, news and interviews from Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand.

Kevin is blown away by the result and as the first person in the K-Pop world to try out for Bachelor of the Year he feels like a pioneer. “I’m the first Korean-Australian to win – I feel proud to be representing my community. I really appreciate all the people that voted for me for all their support.”

Cosmopolitan editor, Keshnee Kemp says, “This year we celebrated an incredibly diverse group of men ranging from firefighters and real estate agents to a coal miner, rigger, chef and doctor. We also had finalists with cultural backgrounds from China, Japan, New Zealand, Jordan and Nigeria. It’s a great representation of our diverse readers and of the millennial generation.”

“Kevin Kim is a great homegrown talent with a heart of gold, so we’re not surprised our readers fell for him. We’re thrilled to have Kevin as our 2018 Bachelor of the Year.”

Tinder Marketing Director, Josh Metz says, ”We are proud to support Cosmopolitan + Tinder Bachelor of the Year, and this year’s winner Kevin Kim. It was a tough competition, but Kevin clearly had the edge over the other finalists and we couldn’t be happier.”