By Scott Loftis
Eureka Springs Times-Echo
David and Ethan Avanzino are well known in Eureka Springs, but now they have an opportunity to be recognized nationally.
The Avanzinos are in the running to become “America’s Favorite Couple,” as selected by Variety magazine.
The Avanzinos said they thought a friend was joking about having nominated them for the Favorite Couple honor.
“We went through and got to checking everything and we’re like: ‘OK, this is a real thing,’ ” David said. “I thought it was a joke.”
The America’s Favorite Couple website at americasfavcouple.org includes a photo of the Avanzino’s and some questions and answers about their story.
The Avanzinos first met in a bar, where Ethan spotted David, the website says.
“A friend shoved Ethan into saying hi. Flustered, he blurted, ‘Nice hair, where do you get it cut?’ then bolted,” the website says. “It wasn’t smooth, but it was real. A year and a half later, fate gave them a second chance at a remote campground and the connection was instant.”
Asked to name their favorite memory as a couple, the Avanzinos described their experience in creating the nonprofit “Safe to Be” in Eureka Springs.
“We founded Safe To Be in 2018, dreaming of a tiny home village for LGBTQ+ folks excluded just for being themselves,” the website quotes the Avanzinos as saying. “COVID delayed us, but love and grit carried us through. In 2024, we built our first home. It’s not just a memory — it’s a movement we started together.
The final winners of the America’s Favorite Couple title will receive a grand prize of $20,000 and an advertorial in Variety. The Avanzinos know exactly what they would do with the prize money if they win.
“We never had a honeymoon – our wedding was during COVID,” the website quotes the Avanzino as saying. “For 5 years, we’ve given everything to our business and nonprofit, often skipping pay and vacations to care for others. A $20,000 gift would finally let us rest, reconnect, and take the honeymoon we never had. Recharging our love means returning even stronger for our community.”
Nominees are divided into groups and voting is conducted online. Each person can vote for free once a day but also can buy additional votes by making donations, which will benefit the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Oceana, an international advocacy organization dedicated to ocean conservation.
As of Wednesday morning, Aug. 6, the Avanzinos were in first place in their group.
“You can vote for yourself, but you can’t pay money for donations,” David said.
Winners from each group advance to another round of competition.
“For the last month, we don’t know how many groups that they’ve had, but there’s been the top 20, top 15, top 10 of these groups,” Ethan said. “My gut says there’s 20 groups, but I don’t know.”
Voting in the current round ends at 9 p.m. Central time on Thursday, Aug. 7.
“The number one people from this group go on to compete against each other,” Ethan said. “So then I think it will be top 20. So, quarterfinals, basically. After Thursday, the competition is going to be, I don’t know, kind of scary actually. Serious.”
To vote for the Avanzinos, click here.
