When our Ultimate TV Beefcake Tourney began a few weeks ago with sixteen popular shows competing, if you'd told us at the outset that U.K. import Merlin would wind up the winner, we'd have said... damn gurl you is prescient. What are you, a druid? Because here we are almost 600k votes later and taking a shirtless victory lap are Merlin, Arthur and the awesomely buff Knights of the Round Table... upon which apparently only low carb meals are served.
It's a bittersweet victory because Merlin is in its final season and all that legendary Arthurian beefcake is retreating into the Mists of Avalon as we speak. (The last five episodes have yet to air in the U.S. on the SyFy channel.)
We'll miss all the chivalry and chain mail, the bickering love affair between Merlin and Arthur, Gwaine's cut bod and floppy hair, Sir Percival's perpetual gun show... and so much more. Here's a few images and gifs to keep the legend alive.
Heavy is the head that wears the beefcake crown
(source)
"Check you out!"
(source)
(source)
(source)
Merlin returns to SyFy on Friday May 3 at 10/9c
