Lao Tzu once said that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” While the same idea holds true for HUNKS the Show, the world’s premier touring male revue, the journey has been more like a million miles, and they didn’t actually walk it—they drove themselves in a van. The HUNKS did recently reach their million miles traveled milestone, and that distance has brought a ton of shows, amazing memories, and some great stories!
Time on the Road
Over the years that the HUNKS have been on the road, they’ve averaged between 100,000 and 125,000 miles per year. If you thought you had it bad last time traffic turned your two-hour drive to the cottage into a four-hour nightmare, imagine driving across the country 40 times a year, or three times each month! With the amount they travel, it’s no surprise that the guys have even been to Alaska four times, and done shows in Hawaii on two separate occasions. And with all the traveling and shows they’re doing, the guys only get about two months out of the year to spend at home.
To get around the country, the HUNKS take shifts driving themselves from venue to venue in a 15-passenger van that holds all the guys and their gear. And while the shifts are only three hours each, there isn’t much the guys won’t do to get out of driving. Most of them agree that traveling is an acquired taste and that while it can be hard spending so much time on the road, it is something you get used to. In fact, one of the guys even spent a year living out of his travel bag after getting off the road!
Getting Through Tough Times With Family
Being in such close quarters with each other so often, it’s no surprise that the guys tend to fight like brothers. And the great thing about brothers is that when they do fight, the next day it’s always like nothing happened. If the guys act like brothers most of the time, then it makes sense that the boys treat the HUNKS owner, Carl, like their father. In fact, they’ve even given him the endearing nickname “Papa Smurf.”
One thing the guys have learned after being on the road for so long is that when something can go wrong, it probably will. Whether it’s an issue with booking or the venue or the van, nothing is safe from Murphy’s Law. Like the time they got pulled over—and nearly arrested—by the police in Indiana because their van matched the description of the getaway vehicle used during a recent bank robbery! Or the time they were stranded on the side of the road during a cold Colorado winter because they hit a coyote and damaged the van so badly they had to wait, without heat, for a tow truck to rescue them.
On the Road Again
But when you ask the HUNKS about what they love about being on the road, they’ll all tell you the same thing: the audiences. Everywhere they go, the guys feel like rock stars because of how excited fans get when they meet them. And if there’s one thing the HUNKS love, it’s an energetic audience and a good show. In fact, a good show is so important that it can boost morale for days and get the guys through the tougher times they face on the road, and these are the times that really help them appreciate what they have.
The HUNKS have been thrilled and honored by the people they’ve met during their million miles of touring, and are looking forward to hundreds of more shows, more stories, and more memories from the road. They’re even looking into getting themselves a touring trailer to make life on the road more comfortable. And no matter where HUNKS the Show takes the guys, they know they’ll always look forward to the next city, the next venue, and most importantly, the next amazing audience. View tour dates now to catch the HUNKS on the road.