Patrick Dempsey was named People Magazine’s annual Sexiest Man Alive 2023 and the topic seems to be controversial. Many decided that the final ruling was incorrect and there are plenty of better, more sexy men that should have won, but those who sided with People were avid about their opinion. Who is the sexiest man alive according to the students of Fallston High School? 

Dempsey is an American actor who can be seen in series like Devils and Will and Grace, as well as acting in many movies, such as Enchanted, Can’t Buy Me Love, Scream 3, and many more. Most probably know him best from the hit TV show, Grey’s Anatomy, where he played Dr. Derek Shepherd. Dempsey was featured on the first 11 seasons of the show, and later returned for a few episodes in season 17. While on the show, fans coined Dempsey and his costar, Eric Dane, “McDreamy” and “McSteamy” respectively, proving that the title of “Sexiest Man Alive” had been a long time coming for Dempsey. 

Cole Markowski agrees with the outcome, saying, “He deserves it. Everyone deserves a chance to be the sexiest man alive. It’s just his time.” There are other students who agree with Cole, one of them being Addy Rebasti. “He has been sexy since he was 18, and now he’s still sexy at 57. That’s a whole 39 years of pure sexiness,” she says.   

Most students disagreed, however, and gave better alternatives for who the winner should be. Some said past winners, like Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Reynolds, are much sexier, while others added completely new competitors into the mix. Catarina Kruml and Eric Vanderbeek both believe former Hunger Games star, Josh Hutcherson, to be the best fit for the award “because of the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie.”  

Another current movie star was nominated by students following his role as everyone’s favorite Barbie counterpart, Ken. Ryan Gosling has been a popular celebrity crush throughout the years because of roles in numerous romances, such as The Notebook, Lala Land, Crazy, Stupid, Love, and many more. Sadly, he’s just Ken, not the sexiest man alive. 

Honorable mentions include Chad Michael Murray, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jacob Elordi, Harry Styles (before the buzzcut), Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, and Drew Starkey. It’s important to note that due to the SAG/AFTRA strikes that had been going on, actors were not allowed to promote any work they had been in, as it would interfere with SAG/AFTRA guidelines. Many popular celebrity crushes appear in recent hits like Barbie, Priscilla, and Five Nights at Freddy’s, and many actors may be cautious as to not affect the progress made by the protests.  

Though it may not have been the outcome some may have been hoping for, there’s always next year to see your favorite celebrity win the title of sexiest man alive.