'People's' Sexiest Bachelors

June 21, 2001 -- What do buddies Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have in common with mechanical engineer Satish Krishnan?

People magazine thinks the dapper duo and the 26-year-old Californian, an employee of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory — yes, he's a rocket scientist — are equally worthy to be wooed by the nation's marriage-minded mademoiselles and mooning misters.

Damon, Affleck, and Krishnan are just three of the hunks featured in the national weekly's second annual compilation of the most eligible bachelors in America.

Not surprisingly, you won't see Krishnan, sheep farmer John O'Brien, swim coaches Don and Ron Heidary, or even Ebert sidekick Richard Roeper on the cover of the special double issue, available at newsstands this Friday — that prime real estate has been reserved for Damon, Affleck, George Clooney, Russell Crowe and Benicio Del Toro.

Slimmed-Down List of Bachelors

The mag has downsized this year: The 2000 list counted down the marked men from 1 to 100, leading off with Clooney, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, and Damon, but there are only 50 strapping signors making the grade in 2001. Must be the new economy.

Among the other famous fellas on the new list are Soul Train host Shemar Moore, Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, golf genius Tiger Woods, and Affleck's bomber bud, Pearl Harbor hottie Josh Hartnett.

The Fellas You've Never Heard Of roster also includes Harvard law student Shawn McDonald, inventor and orthodontia magnate Zia Chisti, and 54-year-old lawyer and civil rights activist Dale Minami.

And just in case you're wondering what's become of last year's honorees, People's Stephen Silverman reports that two have married, with an additional six presently engaged, including actors Ed Burns (to supermodel Christy Turlington) and Freddie Prinze Jr. (to Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar).