SINGAPORE - His heart skipped a beat for a moment when his name wasn't called as part of the top 10 Manhunt Singapore 2012 finalists.

But as it happened, crowd and judge favourite Jason Chee, 25, ended off the night as this year's Manhunt winner.

It was second-time lucky for Chee, who had joined Manhunt in 2009, going home then with only the Best Physique award.

On Friday night at club Avalon, where the finals were held, Chee not only took home two awards for his body - Mr Physique and Mr True Fitness Physique - he also snagged two subsidiary awards, Mr Fabulous Tan and Mr Coloc, an award handed out by sponsor Coloc Tailor to the most suave contestant.

But the crowd favourite thought he wasn't in the running at all, after hosts Paul Foster and Yvette King failed to announce his name as one of the 20 finalists who had made it to final round of 10.

This year, though, due to three tied scores for the final slot, the final 10 was expanded to a final 12, and Chee's name was called last.

After parading in swimming trunks and a suit, and going through the question-and-answer round, he went home with $25,000 in cash and prizes and a two-year contract with Beam Artistes, the organiser of the Manhunt competition for two years.

"I never thought I was the favourite," admitted Chee after the event. "But I was confident because I had prepared myself."

A fitness model and co-owner of the gym Abvolution at Jurong East, Chee is a bit of a pageant veteran having also won best body titles at contests like Singapore Calendar Guys 2010 and last year's Cleo's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors.

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