Mister Supranational consistently manages to maintain high production values in all its editions for one key reason: the Miss and Mister Supranational Organization were savvy to combine the pageants to be staged consecutively alongside the national Miss Polski pageant at the same venue, This pooling of resources allows the organization to attract sponsors to generate a package deal that would otherwise be lacking if this pageant was held as a stand-alone affair (which is why other male pageants are struggling--yes, including Mister World, which never managed to be held as an annual event). However, I have to note that this year, it seems that the conduct of the Mister pageant seems to be a bit stronger than its distaff counterpart.
- Like the Miss equivalent, Miss South Africa 2001 Jo-Ann Strauss and Polish TV/radio personality Martin Fitch were back hosting the proceedings. It's almost as smooth and almost flawless as the Miss version, except for one awkward moment after the Top 10 announcement where Martin had to repeat his spiel after the Top 10 announcement as there needed to be a bit of setup before Martin announces the next segment.
- The opening number was set to a pre-recorded cover of Elvis Presley's 1957 smash "Jailhouse Rock" with a snippet of the famous ballad "Always on My Mind"*1 at the end. The candidates energetically performed the number clad in casual fashion wear mostly sporting jackets, shirts and trousers..
*1 Though many would link the song most closely to Elvis, it was actually first recorded by Brenda Lee and first released by R&B artist Gwen McRae--Gwen's was issued in March 1972 adding the words "You Were..." to the title, and Brenda released hers in June 1972. Elvis's version was released in November 1972--as a B-side to "Separate Ways" [not to be confused with the 1983 Journey hit] in the US, so it was not credited as a Billboard Hot 100 chart hit there but it did hit Top 20 in the Country charts, but in the UK it's the A-side and a Top 10 hit. It later became a major hit for country artist Willie Nelson in 1982 and as a synth-pop hit for the Pet Shop Boys in 1987.
- After the opening number came the contestants' introduction, done in two batches. The candidates switched outfits to black T-shirts bearing the Mister Supranational logo and denim jeans, and they walked carrying their flags like billowing capes behind them. All throughout the program until the final question, the candidates do not speak at all--the introductions were done by the hosts. The tunes played were Lil Nas X's "Star Walkin' (League of Legends World Anthem)" and Fifth Harmony's "Worth It"
- Live performers include Polish artist Daria, who performed a medley of her singles "Truth" and "Paranoia". After the swimwear segment (which has been renamed into something else--see below) the German-based act Twocolors with British vocalist Chris de Sarandy performed "Cynical" (also co-credited with Denmark's Safri Duo for prominent use of samples from their 2000 pan-Europe smash hit "Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)"). After the resorts wear segment Miss Supranational 2011 Monika Lewczuk (who is now a popular Polish recording artist) performed a torch song version of Miley Cyrus's smash hit "Flowers". After the Top 10 announcement, Gromee and Sara Chmiel were back from the previous night to perform his 2022 single "Send Me Your Love" (originally featuring Romanian singer Antonia). Unlike in the female counterpart, there are two other live musical performances that were integrated into the competition segments. I'll discuss them further down below.
- What we typically call the swimwear segment, is now known as "Body Confidence", with the guys giving an energetic presentation in board shorts designed by Relleciga. Like in the candidate introduction, they were presented in two batches. Tunes being played as they displayed their "body confidence": Stromae's 2009 pan-European smash "Alors on danse" and a Dua Lipa mashup of her 2019/2020 hits "Don't Start Now" and "Physical" (the latter a remix infused with the instrumental track from Britney Spears' 2003 smash "Toxic")
- The 34 candidates paraded again in another fashion round, this time clad in white suits while the electro-techno instrumental track of "Ketuvim" by Argy played. From here, the Top 20 was announced.
- The Top 20 then switched to resorts wear, clad in Hawaiian shirts and mostly shorts*2 as they partied with the backup dancers and bend backwards below a limbo pole. On stage to play their singles were Twocolors as they played their tracks "Heavy Metal Love" (uncredited vocals by German singer Nina Chuba), "Gravity" (featuring Icelandic artist Ásdis), and "Passion" (featuring Canadian-Lebanese singer Mougleta)
*2 ECUADOR and THAILAND were exceptions as they opted for white long pants.
- After Monika Lewczuk's performance, the Top 20 returned clad in their introduction outfits (black T-shirt and jeans) and the Top 10 was announced.
- As the Top 10 changed into formal wear, Jo-Ann did a backstage interview with non-finlalists PUERTO RICO and BELGIUM which also served as a plug for their makeup sponsor, and this is followed by a live onstage presentation and interview segment with the outgoing Mister Supranational Luis Daniel Galvez.
- It's such a shame that for the Top 10 formal wear. round, they didn't credit the two singers who were singing live covering the Ed Sheeran/Taylor Swift 2021 duet "The Joker and the Queen". Unlike the hot mess presentation in the female counterpart, the 10 semifinalists were properly highlighted as each got to walk individually in their elegant tuxedos.
- The Final Five was then announced and the final Q&A round commenced. Unlike the Miss counterpart, this round featured five different questions (from a pool of six--and the finalists select a number orally from 1 to 6), and they were given 40 seconds to answer, Then, after a few minutes of deliberation, the winners were announced.
Like last year, I got 15 of the Top 20 correct. But this time, as we reach the next level, my batting average improved.
Two of the guys I pegged as Top 20 finishers, PUERTO RICO (Rafael Pagàn) and SLOVAKIA (Tomàš Benko), I thought would've at least bubbled under if they missed the cut. But unfortunately both turned out to be weaker than expected as they were shut out of that list, too. I guess it's a consolation that PUERTO RICO had some airtime in the finals in a backstage chit-chat. Making the Top 25 in their stead were...
...ARGENTINA (Giuliano Fessia) and BELGIUM (Ben Steyaert). I did peg them in my "Striking Distance" list, but I'm still surprised how wll regarded they were with the Panel of Experts. They finished 23rd and 24th respectively.
I also bet on INDIA (Raj Sunil Singh) and PERU (Stefano Bemellón) would make the cut, but at least they had the consolation of bubbling under, finishing 25th and 22nd respectively. INDIA has the consolation of also being the Talent winner for his funky Bollywood dancing skills.
Many have expected VENEZUELA (Jorge Eduardo Nuñez) to go far, possibly finishing in the Top 10. Unfortunately, he barely missed the cut, placing 21st. For me, that's an outrage especially in relation to one guy who made it. As such, he ended up being the winner of the Lucas Malvacini Award.
The closest thing to a headscratcher we have in the Top 20 is TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (Keathon Yallery). Like last year, he got away with it most likely with personality and good communication skills, though this time he barely made it as he ranked 20th. To be blunt, I would rather he swap places with VENEZUELA so we would make a more satisfying Top 20.
I was slightly torn whether or not to place CANADA (Luis Portelles) and PANAMA (Mario Bianco) in the Top 20 so I pegged them as "Bubbling Under" choices, but it turns out the Panel of Experts liked them well enough to grant them Top 20 slots, and they ended up finishing 19th and 14th respectively. CANADA earned his slot by being the Supra-Chat champion, though based on the ranking he also managed to squeak by based on merit.
Though I didn't expect him to advance further to the Top 10, I expected PHILIPPINES (Johannes Rissler) to deliver our best ranking yet. But he fell a bit short as he finished 18th, the same ranking as another of our representatives who was expected to finish much higher, 2018's Marco Poli. At least our Top 20 track record remains perfect, I just wonder when will we finally have our breakthrough.
Many pageant fans and pundits thought because he's the host candidate, POLAND (Daniel Tracz) could go as far as Top 10. Turns out he's not as favored as initially perceived, as he ended up ranking 16th and definitely did not make the Top 10. At least he has the consolation of winning a special award as Mister Photogenic.
I got eight of the Top 10 correct. I thought UNITED STATES (Daniel Zemeida) and THAILAND (Nathanon Narathanyawirun) would bubble under and miss the final cut, but it turns out they won so much favor with the Panel of Experts and finished way better than I expected. It could be argued that UNITED STATES could have finished in the Top 10 if it weren't for the slot reserved for the Supra Fan Vote winner, as he ranked 11th. THAILAND advanced to the Top 10 in 9th place and won the regional prize for Asia.
Many pageant fans and pundits including myself believed MALAYSIA (Danial Hansen) would go very far, even all the way to the Final Five. But it turns out even if he won Supra Influencer and Supra Fan Vote, support was not enough for him to deliver that expected finish. Instead, he took the rear in the Top 10 and was pipped by THAILAND for the regional title for Asia.
MEXICO (Luis Cuadra), CZECH REPUBLIC (Jakub Vitek) and ECUADOR (Bruno Barbieri) were worthy contenders for the Final Five, but well, in this milieu they fell a bit short, finising 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively. MEXICO and CZECH REPUBLIC at least has the consolation of garnering the regional titles for their continents, Americas and Europe respectively.
I pegged CAMEROON (Daniel Mbouda) and NETHERLANDS (Luca Derin) as Top 10 finishers, but it turns out the Panel of Experts regard them so highly so they were granted spots in the Final Five, finishing 4th runner-up and 2nd runner-up respectively.
Though I pegged him outside of the Top 10, I did consider KOREA (Yong-woo Lee) as a highly regarded contender. But little did I know he'll end up the Top Asian of this batch, making all the way to the Final Five and finishing 3rd runner-up. He also secured his ticket to the Top 20 by winning Top Model.
I only got two of the Final Five correct, which is still an improvement from only getting one correct last year. And the two that I got right ended up being the actual Top Two: BRAZIL (Henrique Martins) and SPAIN (Iván Álvarez). It could be argued that there is a parallel to these Top Two and their female counterparts--it can be argued that BRAZIL delivered the best-composed answer, but SPAIN also delivered a strong, heartfelt answer (albeit requiring a translator and it seems the translator fell short in conveying his full message) and overall favoritism and charisma prevailed in the end so SPAIN won over BRAZIL.
The conduct and outcome of Mister Supranational can be considered more satisfying than its female counterpart, and I'm rooting that this pageant would finally breakout next year and attract a record number of candidates and be closer to the prestige of Mister World. Congratulations to all the winners!
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
No comments:
Post a Comment