Joseph Vitug's Views: 8TH MISTER GLOBAL: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 2)

HONG KONG - Kenson Seto. He has a great height and strong boyish appeal. I wouldn't be that surprised if he makes the Top 15.

INDIA - Chena Ram Choudhary. He's almost clean-cut and has a lot of boyish appeal and charisma that many (including myself) are considering him as one of the front-runners. But like CUBA, he has these tentative moments that prevented him from totally sealing the deal and pull away from the other strong contenders out there. Let's see if he delivers when it counts.

INDONESIA - Sandhi Jonson. I find this guy good looking and highly appealing, and I feel he deserves to advance further as he seems to be a consistently strong performer. But buzz is not that heavy for him and with only 15 slots available, he might be pipped out by other contenders for one of those slots.

JAPAN - Sosuke Ichinohe. He's actually better looking than his pre-arrival photos, and is reasonably polished but I think his relatively plain features may hinder him from having an inside track for the Top 15.

KOREA - Kim Hee Won. He looked so impressive in his pre-arrival photos that his early appearance in Chiang Mai slightly disappointed me. But then it turns out he's reserving his energies for the preliminary competition as he channeled his K-Drama idol potential there and based on a special award he received he looked like he has an inside track to the Top 15.

LAOS - Jacky Phimmachak. Yes, his body is toned, but compared to everybody else in this competition his physique has the least definition and his stage presence is raw. In a less competitive year he would be a middling contender but in this batch he's the bottom-feeder.

MACAU - Calvin Chan. He may have a bit more polish than LAOS, but he doesn't quite have much charisma to be in serious contention for the Top 15.

MEXICO - Angel Garciglia. I'm surprised some key pundits ranked him low, as for me the closest thing to a runaway front-runner is this guy. He possessed the Classically Handsome Latino (CHL) that is seemingly back in vogue, and he proved polished onstage that he seems a lock for the Final Five and possibly winning it all.

MYANMAR - Shein Min Thu. He is notable for his beefy physique and scruffy look and he seems to have a heavy fanbase. But it seems he's also garnering favor with the judges and insiders considering he won a couple of special awards. He may be considered the top Asian in this batch, even though I may personally prefer INDIA.

NEPAL - Nutan Shrestha. Good thing he had a haircut post his pre-arrival photos, as he proved to be more polished than expected and can be a refreshing contender for the Top 15.

NETHERLANDS - Fransel Adriaan Emanuel Meyers. He's reasonably polished, but there are three more charismatic contenders of color out there and he's clearly overshadowed by them.

NIGERIA - Senator Isinwa. He exudes a lot of playful energy that he generates charisma even if he's not conventionally handsome, and he has an enviably rippled physique. Yes, his dance moves during the swimsuit round of the preliminary competition may be polarizing as some may consider it too vulgar, but I think it's just him being himself and having fun so I think he still has an inside track to the Top 15 and sustain his country's streak in this contest.

NORTH CYPRUS - Mehmet Vahip Agazade. He is one of the buffed, scruffy, and handsome guys in this batch, but some might feel his stage presence tends to be low-key. Still, he has a few aces up his sleeve as his background as a lawyer may give him an edge in closed-door interviews. There are people buzzing heavily that he has garnered favor with sponsors and insiders so he may have a track towards the Final Five.