MISS SUPRANATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 3)

 

GREECE - Maria Cholidou.  This brunette is solid, but not quite making a standout impression to be in serious contention for the Top 24.

GUATEMALA - Naida Estubier.  She's a pretty, slender lady with a notably elongated neck.  She potentially evokes the vibe of an elegant gamine as a result, but I'm not sure if her preliminary performance capitalized on that vibe.  I was watching the preliminaries with my mom and dad and my mom noticed something peeking out of her sheer grey evening gown--think Janet Jackson's notorious 2004 Superbowl performance.  I took a further look and yes, there was a "peekaboo".  I would've otherwise regarded her as a worthwhile contender but I don't know if she would be docked points by te experts for her wardrobe choice.

HAITI - Merlie Fleurizard.  She is a great communicator and is polished on the catwalk.  Not sure if her unconventional sort of beauty is appealing enough for the "experts" on hand (typically past Miss and Mister Supranational winners and ifnalists plus members of the organization like Andre Sleigh).  Let's see if she can secure that Top 24 slot.

HONG KONG - Vinci Yuk Yu Chan.  She's cute and had a moment being a Top Eight Talent finalist with her drawing skills.  However, she's the shortest candidate in this batch and she's not so polished onstage so making the cut is definitely out of reach.

ICELAND - Ísabella Þorvaldsdóttir.  She's generally a solid contender, definitely more polished than CROATIA or FINLAND, but like HONG KONG her main highlight was being a Top Eight Talent finalist with her ballet skills.

INDIA - Pragnya Ayyagari.  There are some pageant fans and pundits who are hyping her as a possible Final Five contender, and the presence of Miss Supranational 2016 Srinidhi Shetty among the panel of "Experts" seem to indicate that there is a possible vote in her favor.  Yes, that outcome is conceivable but I'm still more impressed with a few other Asian contenders out there, but I do see her as a Top 12 shoo-in.  She's a Top 10 finalist in the Supra-Fan vote and a Final Five finalist in Suprachat so she could conceivably secure her slot that way, but I feel she convincingly performed consistently well enough on her merits without needing those possible fast-tracks.

INDONESIA - Yasinta Aurellia.  This country has been doing extremely well in this pageant especially in the most recent editions, with three runner-up finishes since 2018 and never finishing below the Top 12 from that year to the previous edition so far.  However, this year, with an extremely competitive group of Southeast Asians, she is likely to fall short of the Top 12 unless she wins the Supr-Fan vote to sustain her country's Top 12 streak.  Otherwise, it's likely she'll just remain in the Top 24 and that's it.

JAMAICA - Thalia Malcolm.  She's a raw presence with her blonde locks and the plainest off-the-rack evening gown of the group.  

JAPAN - Mayuko Hanawa.  I find her styling a bit too over-the-top and pageant-patty, but she's a solid contender who is a finalist in Talent (with her classical pop--yes, not really operatic--vocals, and a possible Top 12 wildcard by being a Supra-Fan Vote finalist.

KENYA - Martha Mwikali.  I like her keeping her dark natural locks.  However, during the preliminaries, she sported blonde hair extensions and wore a provocative sheer evening gown.  I find her choices unflattering, and I don't foresee her making serious inroads to the Top 24.

KOREA - Juhyeon Roh.  She's actually a worthwhile contender deserving of more buzz than what she's receiving as she's good-looking and delivered a polised preliminary performance.  At least she has a highlight being a Top Eight Talent finalist as she has a great pop singing voice--she is my choice as winner for Talent, though ICELAND, JAPAN, and THE BAHAMAS are possible usurpers for that honor.  I have to note that I prefer her video performance covering Andra Day's "Rise Up" over her live Talent final performance covering Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing"--she was flawless in the former and there were a few pitch issues in the latter.

COMING UP:  MALAYSIA to PARAGUAY

MISTER SUPRANATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (CONCLUSION)

 

PERU - Stefano Bermellón.  I'm glad he had a haircut when he arrived in Poland as I'm so not into his pre-arrival long-haired appearance.  He exuded that swarthy appeal that is catnip to this crowd, and as such he's a possible Top 20 contender.

PHILIPPINES - Johannes Rissler.  I was not expecting him to make a big splash, but it seems he's charming the organization insiders and garnering much stronger buzz than I first assumed.  Despite not submitting a Talent video despite his declared background as a singer-songwriter, they gave him a special spotlight during the Talent final and he got to perform a sweet acoustic world-peace ditty.  He also seems to be receiving significant coverage and I'm very pleased with his performance at the preliminaries, as he held his own in the "confidence" round, and in formal wear, he stood out with his choice of a cream-colored outfit.  His making Top 10 in Top Model was well-justified.  Then, during the Miss Supranational finals, I was surprised how the camera panned to him a lot during the final round when his female counterpart was nailing her answers.  Based on his preliminary performance, I can foresee he'll not only sustain our perfect Top 20 streak, but deliver our best finish yet*1.  I still don't foresee him advancing to the Top 10, though it's increasingly conceivable he could deliver that breakthrough.

*1 Our best finish thus far is 17th place, delivered by AR de la Cerna (2016) and John Adajar (2021).  Interestingly both were in the same batch of Misters of the Philippines, back in 2015.

POLAND - Daniel Tracz.  At first glance his close-cropped stoic vibe seemed forbidding, but many pageant fans and pundits are warming up to him, with some regarding him as a possible front-runner.  He does have the hunky appeal to finish in the Top 10, but I don't quite see him going further than that.  Still, I do salute that he has exceeded most fans' and pundits' expectations.

PUERTO RICO - Rafael Pagán.  He seems to tick all the boxes as he has charisma, a good physique, handsome face and strong communication skills, but he's not garnering buzz.  I'm still hopeful he'll finish in the Top 20, but there are other worthy contenders out there.

SLOVAKIA - Tomáš Benko.  He's classically handsome, a decent communicator, and has a buffed physique.  He's definitely a likely Top 20 contender.

SOUTH AFRICA - Tylo Ribeiro.  He's good looking and buffed, and he has superb communication skills, but I don't really get the hype about him as a possible Top 10 / Final Five finisher.  I feel he'll be the Suprachat champion and secure his Top 20 placement and that's how far he'll go.

SPAIN - Iván Álvarez.  He may have a case of nerves during the Opening Ceremony, but he made up for lost ground since then, as he is just so mesmerizing and charismatic.  As the tallest guy with a beefy physique, he fits my criteria to be this group's Beefcake Behemoth.  He was sensational during the preliminaries, that it seems that he is likely to take the lead and become this year's winner.  Especially with the choice of this year's female winner being statuesque, this guy seems to be the only one who could be a suitable partner for her as he is a tower.*2  Hope things go smoothly for him during the final.

*2 Though supposedly the country with the tallest men on average is the Netherlands, this country seems to be fielding the tallest guys in the international male pageants as of late.

THAILAND - Nathanon Narathanyawirun.  Yes, he's good-looking and buffed, but his limited English skills may hamper his chances especially with such a competitive group of guys.  But still there are a lot of pageant fans and pundits bullish on his Top 20 prospects, with some even thinking he could advance to the Top 10.  He's highly appealing, no doubt about it, but I'm not confident he's a lock for the Top 20.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - Keathon Yallery.  His predecessor, Wynter Mason, was a shock inclusion to the Top 20 last year.  It seems this guy is also trying to parlay personality and communication skills to duplicate that finish.  I hope that would not happen, as his placement would be at the expense of guys I consider worthier.

A piquant note is that he seems to be the winner of the Sy Lee Fabulousness award.  My nominees for this honor in this batch are CANADA, CUBA, and NAMIBIA.

UNITED STATES - Daniel Zemeida.  He made a splash in the Opening Ceremony as he proved to be an eloquent speaker.  Based on that appearance many pageant fans and pundits, including myself, condidered him as a possible front-runner.  But then buzz faded, and his performance in the preliminaries was disappointing.  It is possible he'll suffer a similar fate as his female counterpart, who seemed to have encountered a similar trajectory and ended up missing the final cut.

VENEZUELA - Jorge Eduardo Núñez.  I will always remember him as "Jheri-Curl Guy" or "Soul-Glo" at Mister World 2019, but I'm glad he ditched that look for a more polished and conventional appearance.  He actually won his national pageant last year but I didn't know then that just like the Miss International titleholder at Binibining Pilipinas since 2022, he is actually designated for the following year's pageant.  Anyway, he has proven his mettle here as he exudes beefy sex appeal and charisma and he looks likely to finish in the Top 10.

ZIMBABWE - Tatenda Njanike.  He was meant to compete last year but it seems it was only for this time that he was able to secure his travel documents and finally made it--albeit he's also a relatively late arrival.  He proved to be a polished contender but I don't know if there would be enough room for him in the Top 20.

It's time to trot out the "Leaderboard" and here's how I think the 34 candidates stack up:

TOP CONTENDERS:  BRAZIL, CZECH REPUBLIC, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, SPAIN, 

SHOO-INS:  CAMEROON, ECUADOR, ITALY, NETHERLANDS, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, VENEZUELA

LIKELIEST:  CANADA, FRANCE, GREECE, INDIA, INDONESIA, KOREA, PANAMA, PERU, PUERTO RICO, SLOVAKIA, SOUTH AFRICA, THAILAND, UNITED STATES, ZIMBABWE

"MODERN" FACTOR:  BELGIUM

PERSONALITY FACTOR:  CUBA, NEPAL, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

EXCELLENT:  ARGENTINA, NAMIBIA

VERY STRONG:  CAMBODIA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA

So here is my "Fearful" Forecast:

FINAL FIVE:  BRAZIL, CZECH REPUBLIC, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, SPAIN

TOP 10:  CAMEROON, ECUADOR, NETHERLANDS, POLAND, VENEZUELA

TOP 20:  FRANCE, INDIA, INDONESIA, ITALY, KOREA, PERU, PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, SLOVAKIA, SOUTH AFRICA

BUBBLING UNDER:  CANADA, GREECE, PANAMA, THAILAND, UNITED STATES, ZIMBABWE

STRIKING DISTANCE:  ARGENTINA, BELGIUM, CUBA, NAMIBIA, NEPAL, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Though it might seem that my Final Five choices seem clear-cut, I can only be confident of seeing BRAZIL (Henrique Martins) and SPAIN (Ivan Alvarez) as locks and the win could go to either of them, and CZECH REPUBLIC (Jakub Vitek), MALAYSIA (Danial Hanson), and MEXICO (Luis Cuadra) could easily be yanked out by the likes of CAMEROON (Daniel Mbouda), ECUADOR (Bruno Barbier), NETHERLANDS (Luca Derin), and POLAND (Daniel Tracz).  I can't wait to see how everything turns out.  Best of luck to all the guys.

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

MISTER SUPRANATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 2)

 

GREECE - Michalis Kolikas.  Like his predecessor who ended up 2nd runner-up last year, Leonidas Amfilochios, he is a tall beefy guy with a very stoic vibe and laconic communication skills.  His predecessor is undeniably handsomer, but this guy also has strong appeal--for me he resembles Ted Lasso actor (and two-time Emmy award winner) Brett Goldstein, but of course if he bulked up and become a beefy hunky hulk.  Imagine if he had Brett Goldstein (or his character Roy Kent)'s potty mouth.  I'm not sure if there would be room for him in the Top 20 this time, but it's still very possible.

Brett Goldstein in Ted Lasso

INDIA - Raj Sunil Singh.  He is clean-cut, handsome, and has an outgoing personality.  He knows how to project well, but it seems he's one of the shorter candidates in this batch.  He is increasingly reminding me of superstar Bruno Mars when he sported his pompadour look (he seems to prefer sporting an Afro these days).  He is one of the Talent finalists with his energetic Bollywood-meets-Michael-Jackson dance, and for me he's the likeliest winner for that competition (though there is some argument that it might also go to his colleague from the same subcontinent).  I don't know if his shorter stature may be the one that prevents him from advancing to the Top 20, but then again, people almost universally love Bruno Mars, and he's a short guy at 5'5".

Bruno Mars Pompadour look

INDONESIA - Adib Dwitamma.  His main credential is that he's a medical doctor.  Though there are pageant fans and pundits also hyping his physical appeal and supposed intelligence because of his background, I am not quite drinking the Kool-Aid, as I feel he doesn't quite have charisma and his communication skills is not as polished as some other out there.  Still, it looks like he's Top 20 bound and it's possible he can win the Supra-Influencer or Supra-Fan Vote to secure his slot.

ITALY - Fabio Camattari.  This beefy blond exudes charisma and sex appeal.  I do get why some pageant fans and pundits compared him to actor Ryan Gosling.  Would his stunning good looks help him soar up to the Top 10?  I'm not sure if his communication skills can propel him to the Final Five, but he's a solid communicator.

Ryan Gosling clean-cut

KOREA - Lee Yong-Woo.  I may not consider him conventionally handsome, but this guy has a beefy appeal and exudes charisma.  He seems to be an engaging, outgoing guy.  He made the finals in Top Medel and that could be his path to secure a Top 20 slot, but he can make a play for the Top 10.

MALAYSIA - Danial Hansen.  He is like a relative of Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, with his Eurasian ethnic makeup and his cosmopolitan vibe.  He might be below 6', but he is still regarded as a possible front-runner as he made a sensation with his strong communication skills and his handsomeness (with buffness).  He has two strong possible paths to secure his Top 20 showing--he's a finalist in Suprachat and Supra-Influencer.  It's also conceivable he could take the Supra-Fan Vote path to secure the Top 10 slot.  This is his country's debut in this pageant, and he looks like he's making a big splash as he could figure in the Final Five.

MEXICO - Luis Cuadra.  For me, he's probably the handsomest guy in this year's batch, and he seems to tick all the boxes in terms of physique, charisma, personality, and communication skills.  So I'm surprised that he's not buzzed about as a crown contender, that he'll end up in the Top 10 at most.  He may be able to secure his Top 20 spot via the Supra-Influencer challenger, but I feel he deserves a lot more buzz than what he's getting.  It's still possible he can make a play for the Final Five, and I'll be happy when that happens.

NAMIBIA - Malan van den Berg.  He's good looking and a strong communicator but like BELGIUM and CANADA his physique is not as rippled as other guys out there and with lack of buzz he's not likely to be in contention for the Top 20.

NEPAL - Shishir Wagle.  I don't find him charismatic enough, but he has a highlight by being a finalist in Talent.  He could conceivably be the Talent champion as among the four finalists he's unique as he competently sang and played acoustic guitar to a Nepalese folk song--it seems neck-and-neck between him and INDIA for the honor.  There are some fans who think he's a Top 20 contender but I don't quite see it.

NETHERLANDS - Luca Derin.  This guy of Turkish-Italian heritage garnered a lot of fan support and love to hype the fact that he's fluent in seven languages.  He exudes an extremely likeable appeal and I understand why fans see him as a sure Top 10 finisher with a possible play for the Final Five.  Unlike his female counterpart whose Top 12 finish was a shocker, his finishing at that level would be welcomed and considered expected.

PANAMA - Mario Bianco.  There are many pageant fans and pundits who dig this guy, and I can see why as he's buffed and good looking and is a decent communicator.  Yet buzz seems to be lacking.  I still consider him a Top 20 possibility but this is a tough batch with lots of worthy contenders for those slots.

COMING UP:  PERU to ZIMBABWE, plus the "FEARFUL" FORECAST