The reluctant bachelor

Cosmopolitan magazine names a shy local guy to its annual list of the nation’s most eligible men

He'd be the perfect guy to introduce to your little sister -- polite, unassuming, responsible and good-looking. He even speaks kindly of ex-girlfriends.

Are bad boys more her style? Well, mention that this particular specimen will be in Cosmopolitan magazine this month -- named one of the nation's 50 hottest bachelors.

In fact, he might be too good for the kid sister, if you're the greedy type.

Jamie Tamashiro, 26, was selected to represent Hawaii in the magazine's annual feature on the most eligible men in the country, following a cross-country search for clean-cut, super-cute -- and, most important, single -- guys.

The attention runs counter to Tamashiro's personality. To say that he's is on the bashful side is an understatement. He has yet to tell his own mother and sisters about being picked to pose for the pages of Cosmo, that venerable women's magazine of fashion and relationship tips.

"I didn't think anything would come of it," said Tamashiro, a 6-foot-1-inch, 190-pound fitness trainer. "I'm just a regular local guy. A regular local guy. And I am really shy. ... (But I would like it known) Hawaii has the most beautiful people in the world."

Tamashiro does fill the requirements of good-looking and eligible. But he's also unassuming and unpretentious: "I love playing basketball with my friends on Saturdays."

Upstanding guy that he is -- not that he would ever call himself that -- he chose his job obligations over a Cosmo photo shoot that would have taken him to Los Angeles or New York.

Instead, Tamashiro arranged to have his photos shot in Hawaii on a weekend when he didn't have to work. The photographer he chose, coincidentally, was Cosmopolitan's 2000 Hawaii Bachelor, Mike Mabuni, also known as fashion photographer Seiji. The photographer's work has appeared in magazines such as Blush, Teen, Cosmopolitan and Callaway Golf.

"When I talked to Mike, who is a real model, as soon as I learned he was former a 'bachelor,' I stopped looking for photographers. I knew he was the guy," said Tamashiro.

Seiji, another responsible sort, laughs about the connection. "I still (get mail) from women in other countries, but it's not as if (the bachelors) hold reunions."

Tamashiro, a 1997 graduate of Kamehameha Schools and a 2002 University of Hawaii-Manoa graduate, still seems a bit bewildered at ending up as a temporary model.

"I was shocked," he said. In fact, his answer went something like this: "I thought, 'What? What? But I'm just a quiet person!'"

His friends Elaine Potes and Mel Hurley decided he would be the perfect bachelor for Cosmopolitan, and Tamashiro agreed to go along but mostly kept out of the project. He never expected to hear from the magazine's reps. When the phone call came, he was floored, even if Potes wasn't surprised.

"He could be the only person who will notice I've gotten my hair cut or that I am wearing a different perfume," wrote Potes in her "for consideration" letter to Cosmopolitan. "He's also one of the most modest people I know! No matter how much I compliment him or tell him how hot he is, he'll argue with me saying he's not."

With being a top bachelor come questions about the ideal bachelorette, but Tamashiro would rather talk about his family and his goals: to study for an MBA in the evenings, then find his dream job.

He does say he prefers women who are themselves natural, honest, open and fun, but he also talks about the long-standing relationships with the people who helped shape his character.

"The best thing, the most important thing in my life, is my mom, who was a single parent. It means a lot to me what she sacrificed. Then there's also my best friend, Mel, and Elaine, who's like my sister, and my two sisters."

Tamashiro's dog, Mikey, recently died, and he, his mother and stepfather are each getting a tattoo of his paw print.

"How cool is that? I never thought they would get a tattoo," he said.

Though Tamashiro didn't tell anyone about Cosmo, his former co-workers in construction found out on their own.

"Yeah, they made fun of me, but it was all in good fun. Tough guys in construction are not too shy about making fun of you -- but it would have been funnier if it wasn't me," said Tamashiro, a former project manager in general contracting.

Tamashiro is now in New York with the other selected bachelors for appearances on the "Today Show" and "Live with Regis and Kelly." The men will also throw a party for themselves at the W Hotel in Times Square.

Still, Tamashiro doesn't expect his life to change much. "I'm just going to go have fun in New York and not expect anything of it. I am completely not model material. I'm representing normal, local, Japanese-Hawaiian guys."