7/2/25 Update: Saratoga Living learned after this story was published that another local couple has also been nominated for America’s Favorite Couple—read on to meet Shane and Stephen Stielkyne.

We’ve been covering Zac Denham and Clark Gale for years. There’s just so much to write about—their fabulous wedding; the opening of their first business, Bocage Champagne Bar; the impending opening of their second business, Standard Fare; their Britney Spears book club party…the list goes on. So it’s no surprise that they’re on the precipice of national recognition by way of a new campaign that was recently launched through a partnership consisting of Variety magazine and—randomly—actor Jeff Goldblum. The goal of the campaign? To find America’s Favorite Couple.

“Honestly, I have no idea who nominated us or how it even happened,” Denham says. “I got an email out of the blue saying we’d been selected. At first I thought it was silly, but I filled out the questionnaire, sent in a few photos and figured that would be the end of it. Then, last week I got a text saying we’d made it to the national voting round and that we should start spreading the word.”

Denham has little more information than that; this round of voting ends July 10, but he doesn’t know what comes next. What he does know? That he and Gale are currently in first place in their group, and that if they win, they’ll get $20,000 as well as a photoshoot and an advertorial in Variety.

A quick internet search of the contest reveals that it is being run by Colossal, a company that organizes competitions that raise money for charity, and “hosted” (whatever that means) by Hollywood power couple Jeff and Emilie Goldblum. While anyone can vote for their favorite couple once a day for free, you can also opt to pay for multiple votes, with the money going to support two charities: Oceana and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

“Right after our wedding, we skipped the honeymoon and signed a lease on our first business, Bocage Champagne Bar in Saratoga Springs, NY,” Zac wrote on the Variety questionnaire. “Three years later, we’re opening our second spot, Standard Fare, just across the street. $20,000 would go right back into the dream we’re living—building community, one glass and plate at a time.”

To vote for Zac and Clark (and help put their Saratoga businesses on the national map!) click here.

The Competition:

Also vying for the title of America’s Favorite Couple are Saratogians Shane and Stephen Stielkyne. Shane is a producer, promoter, and DJ, and Stephen is the owner of Sterling Manor Financial.

“I was celebrating my birthday with friends when one of them surprised us by saying they nominated us for America’s Favorite Couple,” Shane says. “I responded, ‘How sweet, but it would be silly to think we are America’s Favorite Couple.’ The entire room of people smiled and said, ‘You’re our favorite, so why not America’s too?’ So we filled out the questions and, to our surprise, were selected to be in the competition. Our love story is pretty incredible, and we love sharing it with others in hopes that they, too, can find their true love.”

What would Shane and Stephen do with the $20,000 prize? Donate some of it, use another chunk to do something special with their mothers, and use what’s left on the honeymoon they were never able to take.

Vote for Shane and Stephen here.