Vault: COSMO Georgia's Hottest Bachelor in Studio

Summary

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The Bert Show

Episode: "Vault: COSMO Georgia's Hottest Bachelor in Studio"

Air Date: May 21, 2026
Guest: Furman Sanders (Cosmopolitan’s Georgia’s Hottest Bachelor)

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Episode Overview

This episode features Furman Sanders, who was recently named Cosmopolitan magazine's "Georgia's Hottest Bachelor." The hosts have a lively, humorous discussion with Furman about his accidental nomination, the experience of becoming a high-profile bachelor, and the surreal benefits—and hilarious mishaps—that have come with his new title. The conversation explores what goes on behind the scenes, how friends and family have reacted, and what the future might hold for him.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Nomination—and the Surprise

• Furman shares how his sister, Rita, nominated him for the contest without his knowledge.
  • Quote: “My sister. One of my four sisters. Actually, my second oldest sister, Rita...nominated me. Didn’t tell me about it.” (02:01, Furman Sanders)
• He describes the disbelief he felt when contacted by Cosmopolitan:
  • Quote: “I was on my lunch break, and I had a phone call from Cosmopolitan magazine...I was just kind of like, yeah, I’m like, waiting for the punchline here. You want me to send you $200?” (02:15, Furman Sanders)
• Rita had to confirm the legitimacy of the call after Cosmo reached out to her due to Furman’s skepticism.

2. The Bachelor Experience: New York & The Hamptons

• Furman details being flown to New York and heading to the Hamptons for a major photo shoot.
  • Quote: “They flew me to New York, and we went to the Hamptons and we did a photo shoot...twelve hours of getting treated like a piece of meat.” (02:49, Furman Sanders)
• After returning to his sales job, he traveled again to New York for magazine release events, TV appearances (Today Show), and a red carpet event at The Greenhouse nightclub.
  • Quote: “There’s like 200 hot screaming chicks there.” (03:40, Furman Sanders)

3. Other Bachelors & Nomination Stories

• Most contestants were nominated by family/friends, not self-nomination (except one whose dad entered him).
• Speaking about gratitude and sibling dynamics:
  • Quote: “You need to make sure to give your sister a huge hug and take back anything you said about.” (04:25, Co-Host)

4. Local Fame & Media Attention

• Furman notes local media coverage by AJC and South Carolina outlets (Moultrie News, Charleston).
  • Quote: “The AJC did an interview with me and put an article out in a paper as well as online...Charleston, South Carolina, did an article as well.” (04:45, Furman Sanders)
• Friends use his new title to introduce him at bars, sometimes embarrassingly.

5. Fan Encounters & Bachelor Email

• On being recognized: An airport encounter with a fan asking for an autograph.
  • Quote: “I had somebody come up to me and ask me to sign a magazine, which I thought was pretty cool.” (05:17, Furman Sanders)
• Cosmopolitan set up a dedicated email account for fan communication.
  • Quote: “I have a. An email account. It's [e-mail], something they set us up with. And...I got quite a few emails in there. Some of them are very, very cool. Some of them are very funny, very comical, for sure.” (05:35, Furman Sanders)
• The emails range from genuine admirers (including “a friend’s mom”) to surprising outliers (“an inmate from a correctional facility”).

6. Pictures, Dating Offers & Relationship Status

• He’s received unsolicited photos, though insists he’s not acted on any offers.
  • Quote: “No, not yet. I haven’t really capitalized on that at all.” (06:08, Furman Sanders)
• The hosts press him on his relationship status, confirming Furman is genuinely single.
  • Quote: “Definitely single. No relationship.” (06:18, Furman Sanders)

7. Playing the Game & Social Perks

• The group jokes about the awkwardness (and advantage) of friends “outing” him as the Hottest Bachelor at social gatherings.
  • Quote: “They sort of have to tell girls around you...and then you have to sort of play the game like, ah, I wish you wouldn’t have said that.” (06:31, Interviewer)

8. Flashback: Another Radio DJ’s Cosmo Experience

• The show plays a segment about their colleague, Johnny O, who previously represented Mississippi in the same contest.
  • Quote: “A local radio DJ is turning more than just records these days...John O', Leary, you know him as Johnny O on Y101, will be featured...as Mr. Mississippi.” (07:12, TV Clip)
• Johnny O recounts being nominated by fans and the positive attention it brought.

9. Atlantan Bachelor Life: Where to Find Furman

• Furman mentions his favorite local spots: Mazzy’s in Norcross, and generally getting out in Midtown and Buckhead.
  • Quote: “Well, I definitely enjoy lunch at Mazzy's 3 over in Norcross...I go different places pretty much.” (08:24, Furman Sanders)

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Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Furman on getting the Cosmo call:
  “I was just kind of like, yeah, I’m like, waiting for the punchline here. You want me to send you $200?” (02:15)

• On the Hamptons photo shoot:
  “Twelve hours of getting treated like a piece of meat.” (02:49)

• Friends at the bar:
  “Friends do, for sure...‘Hey, did you know he is Cosmo’s hottest bachelor in Georgia?’” (05:06)

• On the variety of emails:
  “Anywhere from, you know, a friend’s mom to an inmate from a correctional facility trying to get out of here. Trying to talk with you, and you’re like, I’m cool on this one.” (05:35)

• Direct on relationship status:
  “Definitely single. No relationship.” (06:18)

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Notable Timestamps

• 01:31 – Furman Sanders introduced
• 02:01 – Story behind nomination; his sister Rita’s role
• 02:49 – Photo shoot and bachelor experience
• 03:46 – Red carpet event and fan interactions
• 04:45 – Local media coverage
• 05:17 – Recognition in New York airport
• 05:28–06:08 – Fan emails, offers, pictures, his status on acting on them
• 06:18 – Clear statement: single, not in a relationship
• 07:00 – Segment on Johnny O’s Cosmo experience
• 08:20 – Where to find Furman out in Atlanta

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Conclusion

This lighthearted, energetic episode gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how an ordinary guy from Georgia became Cosmopolitan’s "Hottest Bachelor"—and all the bizarre, funny, and flattering consequences that came with it. From unexpected family nominations to surreal photo shoots, awkward bar introductions, and a fan-filled inbox, Furman’s story is a blend of humility, southern charm, and newfound local celebrity.

For more on Furman or to see the Cosmo article, listeners are directed to The Bert Show’s website.

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Transcript

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[Show Host]

the Birch Show.

[Interviewer]

Furman Sanders is here. What's going on, Furman?

[Furman Sanders]

Good morning, Atlanta.

[Interviewer]

How you doing, dude? Now, this is quite a compliment right here, man. I mean, Cosmo magazine names what, 51 guys every year as the hottest bachelors in the country. And this year, you got the call, dude. There you are in Cosmo.

[Furman Sanders]

Yep. Who submitted?

[Co-Host]

Cool.

[Interviewer]

It's really cool. That's bragging rights right there. I know all your friends are giving you crap, but you got bragging rights right there, dude.

[Furman Sanders]

Yeah, I definitely caught a little bit of crap for it, but at the same time, it's pretty funny. It is an awesome achievement for sure.

[Co-Host]

Who nominated you?

[Furman Sanders]

My sister. One of my four sisters. Actually, my second oldest sister, Rita. By the way, thank you, if you're listening, Rita nominated me. Didn't tell me about it. And actually, I was on my lunch break, and I had a phone call from Cosmopolitan magazine telling me and congratulating me that I won Georgia's hottest bachelor. And I was just kind of like, yeah, I'm like, waiting for the punchline here. You want me to send you $200? I mean, what.

[Interviewer]

You know, you really thought somebody was joking?

[Furman Sanders]

Yeah. So I was just like, yeah, let me call you. And so the girl, I guess, was kind of stunned about that. So she called my sister, and then my sister called me and was like, furman, that's awesome. I was like, hold on. You know, tell me what's going on. I mean, you gotta let me know about these things ahead of time.

[Interviewer]

So then right after, what, they. They come down to Georgia and take photographs? Or do you go to New York or what's happened since you were named this hottest bachelor in Georgia thing?

[Furman Sanders]

First I went to New York. Flew me to New York, and we went to the Hamptons and we did a photo shoot in the Hamptons, which was nice. It was awesome. Yeah. And. But it was all day long. 12 hours of getting treated like a piece of meat. But it was cool. Definitely Grade Amy.

[Co-Host]

Right.

[Furman Sanders]

And we did a photo shoot there. And I came back and actually finished up work, did close out. I worked month to month sales, so I had to be back at work to close the month out strong. And then they flew us back out to New York in October for the release of the magazine, where we did appearances on the Today show. We went to Wilhelmina modeling agencies, actually had a red carpet event for us at this club, this nightclub in Atlanta. I mean, I'm sorry, in New York, called the Greenhouse. And so we got to walk to red carpet. It was invite only, which is pretty cool because whenever we walk to stage individually, there's like 200 hot screaming chicks there. You're loving this.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. This is bragging rights right here, for sure. But.

[Co-Host]

And especially since his sister's the one that did the application, you know, you

[Interviewer]

think that raises the stakes? Like, that's.

[Co-Host]

Yes, because I think that if he. It would. If he had done it himself, he'd

[Interviewer]

be getting more crap for that.

[Co-Host]

I'm guessing. Most of the guys probably were nominated by somebody else. Right. When you got to talk to the guys from the other states and meet all of them or whatever, did any of them admit to nominating themselves?

[Furman Sanders]

I think one guy, his dad nominated him, which was. I thought was. I mean, he was Cool. I guess. Yeah. On a real note, there was this one guy that he didn't think that his sister even liked him, which is pretty cool. You need to make sure to give your sister a huge hug and take back anything you said about.

[Co-Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

That wasn't you, right?

[Furman Sanders]

No, I have an awesome relationship with

[Interviewer]

my sister, I guess. So you get this call and they say that you're. You're the dude. Then you go up to New York and you do all that stuff. Then you come back down to Georgia and. Have you done any TV or anything locally here?

[Furman Sanders]

No. The AJC did an interview with me and put an article out in a paper as well as online. Charleston, South Carolina, did a article as well. The Moultrie News.

[Interviewer]

Because that's where you're initially from.

[Furman Sanders]

Exactly. And other than that, have your friends,

[Co-Host]

like, started introducing you at bars to girls as, hey, did you know he is Cosmo's hottest bachelor in Georgia?

[Furman Sanders]

Exactly. Yeah, they do, for sure. And it's pretty funny. Yeah, definitely. Awesome. Have you gotten recognized yet without the friends around? Like, has anybody just come up to you and said, wait a minute, are you.

[Co-Host]

Weren't you in Cosmo, dude?

[Furman Sanders]

Yeah, actually, in New York, initially, when I was in the airport, I had somebody come up to me and ask me to sign a magazine, which I thought was pretty cool. That's awesome.

[Co-Host]

That's awesome. Do they put any of your contact info in the magazine?

[Furman Sanders]

They gave me an email account. And. Wow.

[Interviewer]

How's that gone?

[Furman Sanders]

Oh, man.

[Interviewer]

Oh, you gotta share some of those with us.

[Furman Sanders]

I have a. An email account. It's gabachelor09gmail.com, something they set us up with. And, you know, I got quite a few emails in there. Some of them are very, very cool. Some of them are very funny, very comical, for sure. And definitely give you a good laugh. I mean, there's anywhere from, you know, a friend's mom to an inmate from a correctional facility trying to get out of here. Trying to talk with you, and you're like, I'm cool on this one.

[Interviewer]

Have people sent you, like, pictures?

[Furman Sanders]

Yeah, I have some pictures.

[Interviewer]

I bet you do.

[Co-Host]

Have you taken anybody up on their offers, if they've offered a date?

[Furman Sanders]

No, not yet. I haven't really capitalized on that at all.

[Interviewer]

What are you waiting for?

[Co-Host]

You're the hottest bachelor. They list you as single in the magazine. Are you really single?

[Furman Sanders]

Definitely single.

[Co-Host]

Okay, so that means not in a relationship.

[Furman Sanders]

No relationship.

[Co-Host]

Okay. Not just marital status. Right, right.

[Furman Sanders]

Not that I sleep downstairs. My wife sleeps upstairs.

[Interviewer]

Your stock is gonna rise so much, especially if you're out with all your friends. I mean, they sort of have to tell girls around you that you're that guy. And then you have to sort of play the game like, ah, I wish you wouldn't have said that.

[Co-Host]

Aw, don't embarrass me.

[Show Host]

Stop bringing that up.

[Interviewer]

Even though I happen to have six magazines in my car if you guys want to check it out.

[Furman Sanders]

As a matter of fact, I had one signed with your name on it.

[Radio DJ Johnny O]

Right?

[Interviewer]

One of the DJs here, Johnny O, was living in Mississippi one year, and he was named on the same list.

[Co-Host]

Oh, that's cool. That's cool. I didn't realize that. That's awesome.

[Interviewer]

Here's some audio. I think this is a TV station talking about Johnny O in Mississippi. Same thing from Cosmo.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

Welcome back, everyone. A local radio DJ is turning more than just records these days.

[Interviewer]

He has all the ladies talking, at

[Commercial Announcer]

least those that read Cosmopolitan Magazine News.

[Co-Host]

Channel 12's Wendy Stowe introduces us to

[Interviewer]

the new Mr. Mississippi Jackson's Y101 with Johnny O.

[Show Host]

There goes desperately wanting better than Andrew.

[Radio DJ Johnny O]

You've heard him on the radio, but just wait till you see him in Cosmo. John O', Leary, you know him as Johnny O on Y101, will be featured in a special summer issue of cosmopolitan as Mr. Mississippi.

[Show Host]

First of all, it was. It was a shock because I didn't even really know it had happened. And I got the phone call right when I got off the air and was shock. That was it.

[Radio DJ Johnny O]

Several listeners entered John into the contest without him even knowing it.

[Show Host]

It's a rush. I like it. I mean, it hasn't even really happened yet, but it's. It's fun thinking about it. I think it's just because I've never really done anything like this.

[Radio DJ Johnny O]

Well, Johnny O, get ready for lots of attention. One guy featured last year got 3,500 letters.

[Interviewer]

You don't have that many, right?

[Furman Sanders]

No, not close to that.

[Co-Host]

Not yet.

[Interviewer]

And look what that's done for his career. Here he is now a DJ at Q100. So anything is possible for you.

[Furman Sanders]

Rock on, Johnny O.

[Interviewer]

So where can women normally meet up with you? Like, where do you hang out around Atlanta?

[Furman Sanders]

Well, I definitely enjoy lunch at Mazzy's 3 over in Norcross. And other than that, I mean, I'm always game for whatever. I go different places pretty much.

[Co-Host]

If you go out, are you going out in Midtown or Buckhead or both? Both, yeah.

[Show Host]

Cool.

[Interviewer]

Anywhere. Okay, we'll link up to the Cosmo article from our website. Hi Furman. Thanks for coming in, man.

[Co-Host]

Congratulations. Yeah, nice to meet you.

[Interviewer]

It's getting to know you, man. Good luck with all of it.

[Show Host]

The Birch show

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