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Home · Love & Sex

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
By · Updated October 28, 2020
01
Let the Battle Begin

This year at the 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival we held the 2nd annual Eye Candy Pageant at the ESSENCE.com Live Stage in the New Orleans Convention Center. As expected, the ladies lined up to watch the carefully selected contestants strut their stuff in a battle to win the Mr. Eye Candy 2012 title. TV personality Free hosted with a little help from ESSENCE.com Relationships Editor Charli Penn. Each contestant got a chance to introduce themselves to the crowd then strut their stuff on the runway for all to see. The ladies in the audience were instructed to make some noise if they loved what they saw, and finalists were narrowed down based on the crowd’s support. Okay, okay, enough small talk. We know what you really want to see — the pictures! Feast your eyes on the yummiest moments from this year’s pageant. Enjoy, ladies!

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
02
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
03
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
04
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
05
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
06
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
07
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
08
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
09
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
10
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
11
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
12
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
13
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
14
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
15
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
16
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
17
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
18
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
19
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
20
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
21
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
22
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
23
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
24
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
25
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
26
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
27
Hello, Gorgeous!

Gorgeous contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in the 2012 ESSENCE Eye Candy Pageant and battled it out for the winning title of Mr. Eye Candy 2012.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
28
The Winner Is Crowned

Free crowned our winner. Despite the love the crowd showed him, it seemed he couldn’t take his eyes off the lovely hostess with the mostess.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
29
Meet the Winners

Ladies, say hello to Mr. Eye Candy 2012 (on the left) and the first and second runners up. They’re all winners in our book!

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
30
Stacked to Perfection

Our winner possesses one seriously sexy set of abs — which he proudly greased up for the ladies before hitting the stage. It was a winning move. Smart move!

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
31
How Sweet It Is

Have another look at our winner, ladies. What we have here is head-to-toe perfection.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
32
Hello, Gorgeous!

My, my, my!

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
33
Oh, Baby!

Our first runner up wooed the crowd with his long sexy locks and stacked body. We recruited this cutie working in the Wal-Mart sponsor booth at the festival, and he tells us modeling is a hobby.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
34
Hot, Hot Chocolate

This fine chocolate brother came in third place.

ESSENCE Music Festival 2012: Best Eye Candy Pageant Moments
Michael Rowe
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