Zhang Zhen Huan on the hunt for potential girlfriend

Being the only one of the three to have practised for the competition, Zhen Huan surely under-performed as he came in as second-runner up after losing to Romeo by a slight margin of one vote.

Nonetheless, the actor was praised by judges for his showmanship during the competition as he dished out jokes effortlessly throughout the duration of the show, which tickled the audiences. He even lit the entire pan aflame (by accident) at one point, which thankfully did not hurt anyone.

Due to the minor accident, Zhen Huan overcooked the broccoli, which cost him a significant number of votes.

However, the actor sure managed to get chummy with YES 933's Chen Ning as the two displayed a great amount of chemistry throughout the show with the radio DJ as his able assistant. As the assistants were bound by strict rules (no cooking, no chopping, no plating), they were mostly good for moral support and in Zhen Huan’s case - to tie his neckerchief.

Zhen Huan even asked jokingly, “Can I have a back massage?” to which the abashed Chen Ning laughed off.

Was that Zhen Huan embarking on his mission to “hunt” for his potential girlfriend?

The 32-year-old admitted in an interview with Toggle, “My father has been rushing me to get married, and I also think that I’m at the right age to settle down."

“I’m currently house-hunting for an apartment near the new Mediacorp Campus, maybe I should hunt for a girlfriend in the meantime too,” he joked.

Zhen Huan let in that his father, who has been very anxious for him to get hitched, sat him down for a talk when the actor made a trip back to his hometown in Szechuan, China, and managed to persuade him to go on a blind date with a girl whom he felt was a suitable candidate for him.

Unfortunately, the actor was hospitalised after a case of food poisoning due to overeating and had to miss the date.

“I’m open to the idea of matchmaking, it was just a meal anyway, I thought we could keep in contact after that but I did not meet her after all,” he explained.

He continued, “It all boils down to fate in the end.”

Zhen Huan also shared that although he only starred in mid-year blockbuster drama The Dream Job this year, fans will soon be able to see him on the small screen more frequently as he has recently landed an endorsement deal with Eu Yan Sang and he will be appearing in advertisements to promote the traditional Chinese medicine brand’s Chinese New Year hampers.

Continued on next page: Desmond Tan spills the beans about "Felifrey"!

Model boyfriend material Desmond certainly won the crowd and judges over by emerging top in the cook-off with his culinary skills and meticulous plating, which included a heart-shaped broccoli cutout.

Before the show began, the actor said modestly, “I don’t think I will perform well today, I just touched down from Korea yesterday (Dec 11) morning and I haven’t recovered”.

When asked about his work trip to Korea with fellow Peace and Prosperity actor, Jeffrey Xu, the actor said, “I really had fun with Jeffrey, we would love to have shopped more because we love shopping for shoes, but couldn’t due to time constraints.”

Desmond explained that they got closer after their interactions on the set of Peace and Prosperity and have stayed close ever since.

Desmond even let in that although they had insufficient time to shop, Jeffrey managed to buy many items for girlfriend Felicia Chin, while he only bought a cap for himself during the trip.

“We would normally compare the prices with Singapore’s before purchasing to check if it’s cheaper than in Singapore, but for Jeffrey, he doesn’t because he’s just too immersed in the sea of love,” the actor mused.

Continued on next page: How does Romeo Tan wriggle himself out of a matchmaking session?

Romeo was truly the underdog of the competition as he emerged first runner-up despite proclaiming that his culinary skills were limited to the knowledge needed to cook a bowl of instant noodles.

When told about Zhen Huan’s matchmaking incident and his relentless father, Romeo was surprised and asked, “Are you serious?”

“I don’t like the idea of matchmaking, we should have the freedom to meet people and fall in love,” he said.

However, the 31-year-old admitted that he too was unable to escape the constant reminders from his mother and relatives that he is at a suitable age to settle down.

Romeo admitted that his relatives would try to introduce girls to him during gatherings by showing him their pictures but he would always wriggle himself out of the situation successfully by explaining that “a man’s career is more important than finding a girlfriend, so I should focus on my career at this age”.

“I’ll be dead once you publish this,” he joked.

After a few more prompts, the actor finally gave in, “Okay, if my mother really wants me to do it, I will do it once, but I will never do it again if it fails!”