We all can agree that old school Disney Channel Original Movies are where it’s at. And you never properly thanked Disney Channel for all the man candy they provided you with at such a young age. As you sang along with “Let’s watch a Disney Channel movie,” you couldn’t wait to see who you’d be smitten with that night.
And in no particular order, the men of our 8-year-old dreams.
13 & 12. Riley Smith as Dean Talon and Trever O’Brien as Andrew Carson in "Motocrossed."
So, it’s little elementary school you, and you think as soon as Andrew takes his helmet off, you suddenly know what love at first sight is. But then, later in the movie, Andi befriends a beautiful, beautiful boy by the name of Dean, and your heart simply cannot take the two of them together. Swoon.
11, 10, & 9. The Lawrence brothers in "Jumping Ship."
Now, you first got a taste of Joey and Andrew (I guess Disney names the hotties Andrew) as cousins Michael and Tommy in the prequel, "Horse Sense." But then Disney Channel blessed us all by casting the third Lawrence brother, Matthew, who you probably recognize from "Boy Meets World," to play Jake in "Jumping Ship." May I also point out Matthew’s character is Jake Hunter in "Jumping Ship" and Jack Hunter in "Boy Meets World…" interesting.
8. Kyle Schmid as Alex Thompson in "Alley Cats Strike."
If your heart didn’t skip a beat over him, the only logical reason must be because you’ve never seen this movie, and that’s a whole different problem in itself. You never knew someone could make bowling shoes look good, but somehow, he did it. If he’s not ringing any bells for you yet, you definitely remember him as Derek, Galleria’s love interest in "The Cheetah Girls." Be still, our hearts.
7. Shawn Ashmore as Cadet Major Brad Rigby in "Cadet Kelly."
Who didn’t love this movie, let’s be real. And having someone so easy on the eyes in the cast was just a bonus. Spitting on someone’s shoes is something you never thought you would be jealous of, but if you’ve seen this movie oh, I don’t know, a couple hundred times, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
6. Ricky Ullman as Roscoe in "Pixel Perfect."
Before you watched him on "Phil Of the Future," you watched him fall in love with a girl made by a computer. You think that was hard for Roscoe's friend Sam to watch? Her feelings didn’t even compare to how heartbroken you were. She wasn’t even real! R-O-S-C-O-E, Mr. Shawty put it on me, PLEASE!
5. Ben Easter as Sage Borealis in "Zenon Z3."
If Proto Zoa wasn’t already making your heart go “boom boom” in the first two movies, then Sage definitely was in the third one. And such a good guy too, trying to save the moon and all. He’d be the perfect guy to bring home to mom and dad, so handsome and down to earth, or maybe down to moon? Husband material for sure.
4. Taran Killam as Jordin Cahill in "Stuck in the Suburbs."
Now, you probably know Killam from "Saturday Night Live," but he shall live on forever as pop star Jordin Cahill. What are the chances you accidentally swap phones with Killam in real life? Slim. Very, very slim. But a girl can dream.
3. Chris Olivero as Galen Alderman in "Double Teamed."
Heidi Burge definitely sparked something in a lot of girls when she purposely kept moving around the court so the dreamboat Galen had to repeatedly move her to her spot. Pretty clever, Heidi. Every human thanks you for the great idea.
2. Taylor Handley as Pete Riley in "Phantom of the Megaplex."
"Phantom of the Megaplex" was truly a scary movie, but hey, at least there was some eye candy for your first-grade self. Back in 2000, you were convinced that if you ever had to face a phantom in your movie theater, Pete Riley would be your knight in shining armor, no doubt (when he wasn’t fulfilling his assistant manager duties, of course).
And finally, the one we’ve all been waiting for. He’s a family man, he’s a leprechaun, he saves dolphins. The man, the myth, the legend...
1. Ryan Marry-Me Merriman.
After "Smart House," "The Luck of the Irish," and "A Ring of Endless Light," you were certain you were in love with him. But what was it about him? His blue eyes? The dark hair? Boyish charm, maybe? You still don’t know, but whatever “it” was, he had it. I think it’s safe to say Ryan Merriman was the ultimate DCOM heartthrob. A moment of silence for your young, innocent heart.
