Atty. Manuel Deldio
It turns out there is an underlying reason for the operational delegation--on October 16, it was sadly announced that the founder of the pageant, Alan Sim, has passed away. It wasn't disclosed what the cause of death is, but I have this gnawing feeling whatever illness he had, it had been lingering for this long. But the organization was quick to announce that the pageant will go on as scheduled, and it seems this country has become a hotbed for male pageantry so I have a feeling this country is now the new homebase for this pageant.
It's interesting that two of the most successful countries (with two titles or more) have initially confirmed participation, then decided not to show up.
LEBANON - Hady Fakhreddine. He was 2nd runner-up at Man of the Year 2018. He possesses the hunky, swarthy handsomeness we now expect from representatives of this country. It's not clear why all of a sudden they declined participation. Anyway, if he was in the same condition as he was back in 2018, he would've been a major contender.
VIETNAM - Tham Minh Quyen. It's strange that the country of the reigning titleholder, Trinh Bao, had decided to also decline participation. There was an official statement from the Vietnames franchisee that is rather cryptic--citing some miscommunication since the death of the founder. It's not te first time that the country of a reigning titleholder would be absent in the next edition--it happened in the 11th Mister International pageant (supposedly the 2016 edition held in February 2017) when somehow Switzerland also declined to participate. But unlike in that edition where the then-titleholder Pedro Mendez was present to hand over his title to his successor, this time Trinh Bao is conspicuously absent from this year's pageant activities and seem unlikely to hand over his title, even if earlier he was present in the relaunch and even attended the national finals in Thailand. Now, about the prospects of this contender if he showed up here--he will easily muddle an already extremely competitive batch.
The final contestant roster for this year's edition is 35, which is about the average draw this pageant attracts. But this year's batch of contestants turn out to be anything but average--in fact, I can now declare that this batch join the heady ranks of Manhunt International 2012, Mister International 2015, Mister World 2019, and Manhunt International 2020 as one of the Magnificent Batches.
ALBANIA - Boris Gurtner. He is very handsome with oodles of boyish appeal. In a less competitive year, he would've been a possible contender for the Top 16, but with a Magnificent Batch like this one, he is at most a worthwhile contender. I have a feeling he actually resides in Switzerland based on him taking a departure flight together with SWITZERLAND.
BELGIUM - Niels van Dijk. He makes a distinct impression with his lean, sinewy frame, mustachioed look, and tattoos. He would've made more serious inroads in other batches but with this Magnificent Batch he'll have an uphill battle.
BRAZIL - Luan Antonelli Bastot. You could never discount this powerhouse country as it fielded a high quality contender. This bearded fellow ticks all of the boxes, and does have an inside track to the Top 16. But advancing further might be a challenge as buzz is heavy towards a few other contenders.
CAMBODIA - Bunchhat Eat. Even a Magnificent Batch would have its weakest links, and for me, one of those is this guy. In another year, he would've been considered a middle-of-the-road contender, but with this batch, middle-of-the-road equals cellar-dweller.
CUBA - Rubert Manuel Arias Solozábal. I don't hear that much buzz about him but I think he possesses oodles of handsomeness and sex appeal. He's my sentimental favorite to go far in this pageant, maybe even pulling off a come-from-behind win like his counterpart at this year's Mister Supranational, Luis Daniel Galvez.
Additional note: With his scruff, he no longer resembles former Manila mayor and presidential candidate Isko Moreno, like the way he did when he competed at Mister Global 2019 (and placed in the Top 16). He forged his own image and charisma this time, and I like it a lot.
CZECH REPUBLIC - Matěj Švec. He's one of the tallest contestants in this year's batch, and he possesses a very handsome face and a lean, sinewy physique. But his most notable feature are his prominent tattoos over his chest, limbs, and back. He and BELGIUM seem to be the "badasses" of this batch.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Manuel Franco. He looks like one of the shorter contestants in this year's batch, but he possesses oodles of handsomeness and sex appeal that it would not be upsetting if he made the cut.
FRANCE - Pierre Carriou. He looks like a slightly more mature version of ALBANIA
HAITI - Réginal Bien-Aime. He's actually a solid contender, but solid in a Magnificent Batch like this one means middling. He's attractive, lean and fit, but compared to his peers his physique doesn't display rippled definition.
HONG KONG - Jason Li. He is exuding the vibe of reigning titleholder Trinh Bao, and so several pageant fans and pundits are buzzing he could be the one who is likely to become the winner. Indeed that could be the final outcome but I have a feeling it is a tight fight as there are several outstanding contenders who could pull off a possible win besides him.
INDIA - Lukanand Kshetrimayum. We tend to expect representatives of this country to look swarthy, but this guy is more of a boyish buffed cutie--in fact, he could easily be mistaken as coming from Southeast Asia instead of South Asia. He has a pre-arrival photo that seems to make him a candidate for the Dino Nicolina award, but so far it's not clear if indeed that title is indeed his.
COMING UP: JAPAN to PERU
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