Highest-bid bachelor wins date with three women Auction deemed a raging success By Charlene Stuart Stabroek News August 18, 2000 The air conditioning seemed non-existent in the Grand Savannah, Le Meridien on Tuesday night as more than 500 bodies pressed against each other intent on getting a better view of the sizzling action up front. "Forty thousand, do I hear forty-four thousand...," the auctioneer bellowed only to be interrupted by someone shouting "forty-five thousand here". Could it be the sale of Picasso's masterpieces? No, it was an auction of men...bachelors at that! Excitement, fun and frenzy was the name of the game when the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) hosted their inaugural 'Bachelor's Auction'. Believe it or not, what some of the best advertisers failed to do, twenty-one of Guyana's "single, available, good-looking men" pulled off. These bachelors grossed a profit of approximately $500,000 for the tourism organization. This sum is expected to pay off the overdraft THAG has. Speaking to this newspaper after the four-hour show Nadia Jabour, a member of THAG and a prime mover behind the auction, said the response to the event surpassed all her expectations. She said THAG was projecting a mere $200,000 after clearing all their expenses. Jabour described the event "as mind boggling and overwhelming". Going, going, gone! Herbie Harper on display at the `Bachelors Auction' on Tuesday night. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About 50 chairs were placed in the room but the majority of the bidders stood around waiting anxiously but patiently for that special man on show. Tickets for the event were $1,000. To add to the suspense, the organisers mounted slides of these `hunks' when they were children. With the exception of about two cases all the bids started at $1,000 and lasted for two minutes. But the night's high point came when Ryan Rahaman, 21, manager of Whitewater Tours, and bachelor number 10 took to the stage. Bids climbed quickly as three young ladies - among them his girlfriend - seemed determined to be his date. However, after about thirty minutes of bid upstaging and hand wringing with 13 more men to go, sections of the crowds began to urge the auctioneer to call a truce. In the end it was decided all three women would be his date at a whopping $63,000 in total. Other catches of the night were Ernie Ross of Ross Advertising who promised his potential date double the amount of his bid in an obvious attempt to secure a high bid. He raked in $35,000. After stripping his tie, jacket and belt, the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Industry, Geoffrey DaSilva attracted a $19,000-bid. His fellow member of parliament, Odinga Lumbumba, was escorted off the stage when his bid reached $8,000. The trick of the evening was taking off the jacket of your suit. But even that lost its originality after a time forcing a 36-year-old man to treat the ladies to a semi-striptease show. It was all over for him at $5,000. The only complaint of the evening seemed to be the need for a `Bachelorette': the female version of Tuesday night's auction. enting on this demand, Jabour said the association might very well give in if requests continue to flow. Continuing an unorthodox fund raising drive, Jabour revealed her association's plans to host a `Progressive Dinner.' This time, the patron will buy a ticket for a four-course meal at a cost yet to be determined and eat each course at a different restaurant. Jabour said Tuesday night's couples don't have fixed arrangements for their dinner or lunch dates. Gerhard Ramsaroop, Damian Fernandes, Maurice Robello, Ravi Persaud, Jean Gillaumot, Theron Mohabeer, Abi Rahaman, Lloyd Fung-A-Fat, Julian Chin, Graham Fraites, Robert Fernandes, Asif Hassan, Nyron Samaroo, Herbie Harper, Hamley Case, Warren Jaundoo and Colin Jackson were the other bachelors auctioned off. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today