MISTER INTERNATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (CONCLUSION)

 

PUERTO RICO - Joshua Yaddah Maldonado.  Like CUBA, MEXICO, and PERU, for most of his appearances he fell short of the CLH mold, but during the preliminary he totally shaved off his scruff so he fits the CLH designation.  He seems to be overshadowed by his Caribbean brothers from CUBA and DOMINICAN REPUBLIC through the early parts of the competition, but he seemed to sparkle during the preliminaries, so he may have an inside track to the Top 20.

SINGAPORE - Joshua Hee.  There are some pageant fans and pundits who are pegging him as a possible Top 10 contender.  Though he indeed has attractive features (definitely better than his predecessor) and yes, he has a buffed bod, I don't quite see having that strong a charisma as those fans and pundits are saying.  I'm still on the fence with him.

SPAIN - Borxa Ramo.  He has the prettiest face of all the guys in his batch, and with his advocacy focusing on LGBTQIA+ issues, one might presume he's a Sy Lee Fabulousness Award finalist, but besides that allyship, he moves and talks like a regular dude.  But then again, mannerisms doesn't necessarily correlate to sexual orientation anyway.  Anyway, he also seems to tick all the boxes so he can make a serious play for the title.

SRI LANKA - Derrein Keith Christian De Zilwa.  He has a floppy-and-wavy hairstyle.  He's attractive, but he's not channeling much charisma--his predecessor, Pasan Weerasakara was way better, and I thought he would make the cut (I got 14 of the Top 16 correct that time--the ones I missed were the shorter guys like Netherlands' Ilya Shahedi and the eventual winner).

SWITZERLAND - Elson Bytyqi.  I find it interesting how people of Albanian origin are representing this country these days.  Gjon's Tears in Eurovision 2021 come most prominently to my mind, but I know there are a whole host of others.  Anyway, he's a cute guy who fits modern 2020's tastes of what is desirable, and this is what is likely going to give him a ticket to the Top 20.

TAIWAN - Chen Chien Yu.  He's actually a solid contender, though I think he doesn't quite have much charisma.

THAILAND - Xolophong Mareeduwennya, er, I mean Kim Thitisan Goodburn.  For me he's a deadringer to Cobra Kai and Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña.  Interesting how a Eurasian mix can resemble a Latino.  PHILIPPINES looks like a Latino, and in fact can somehow pass off as a brother to one of the contestants here who is confirmed to be of Hispanic heritage based on his name alone (more about him later).  Facially, I actually prefer PHILIPPINES' features but this guy I understand also has strong appeal, and he got significant coverage and delivered great soundbites with his engaging British (to be precise, Contemporary Received Pronunciation or RP) accent.  He does deliver strongly on the hype and I think he's someone to watch out for in a Q&A round.  Even if there are other guys that I find more appealing and desirable, he looks like he has an eye on the prize and is one of the key favorites to win it all.  I have a feeling after this pageant stint, he can have a great career as a TV presenter, perhaps in a travel or lifestyle show.  And perhaps he can team up with PHILIPPINES and host such a show together--it's nice to listen to those two guys interacting and speaking in that lovely plummy Contemporary RP accents.

Xolo Maridueña (image courtesy of Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

THE BAHAMAS - Vjaughn Ingraham.  I'm still annoyed with the insistance of integrating the "The" article to this country's name and reflecting the alphabetical arrangement as such.  Still, this debuting country fielded a strong contender, making a distinctive impression with his Afro hairstyle.  He is a Top 20 possibility.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - Johnathan Samuel.  Well, he's buffed, though his frame leans more towards a bulky bodybuilder type which is not typically favored in this pageant.  His features are also on the plain side, so just being here is achievement enough for him.

U S A - Hector Louis Rodriguez.  He can pass for PHILIPPINES' less polished, less charismatic brother.  Though many people presume the next guy below is the runner-up in the Sy Lee Fabulousness sweepstakes, I listen to this guy speak and he's also giving me heavier Sy Lee vibes.so this guy is the runner-up behind HAITI.

VENEZUELA - William Badell.  This Mister Supranational 2021 2nd runner-up is firing on all cylinders.  He is a complete package of handsomeness (it's almost CLH except for the fact he has brown complexion because of his indigenous heritage), buffness, charisma, intelligence, and eloquence.  He indeed is one of the favorites to win, and he definitely has his eye on the prize.  Will he finally clinch it?

VIETNAM - Pham Minh Quyền.  He was supposed to compete in Manila last year but it seems there was a "miscommunication" between his directors and the then Mister International organizers that he no-showed and competed here instead.  I thought he would've been more competitive than he is, but I realize his facial features are a bit on the plainer side.  He still has that undeniably buffed bod, so with Thailand's normal strong ties with this country as of late, he seems to still have an inside track for the Top 20.

With all 36 contestants accounted for, let me trot out my leaderboard:

TOP CONTENDERS:  LEBANON, PERU, SPAIN, THAILAND, VENEZUELA

SHOO-INS:  BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, CUBA, CZECH REPUBLIC, INDIA, KOREA, MEXICO, 

LIKELIEST:  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, FRANCE, GUINEA-BISSAU, INDONESIA, JAPAN, MALAYSIA, NORTH CYPRUS, PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, SINGAPORE, SWITZERLAND, THE BAHAMAS, VIETNAM

PERSONALITY FACTOR:  BELGIUM

EXCELLENT:  CANADA, SRI LANKA, U S A

VERY STRONG:  NEPAL, NIGERIA, TAIWAN, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

STRONG:  HAITI, LAOS

Based on the disclosed format of 20-10-5-3, here's my "Fearful" Forecast for this pageant:

FINAL THREE:  LEBANON, THAILAND, VENEZUELA

TOP FIVE:  PERU, SPAIN

TOP 10:  BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, KOREA, MEXICO

TOP 20:  CUBA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GUINEA-BISSAU, INDIA, JAPAN, NORTH CYPRUS, PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, SWITZERLAND, VIETNAM

BUBBLING UNDER:  FRANCE, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE, THE BAHAMAS

STRIKING DISTANCE:  BELGIUM, CANADA, SRI LANKA, U S A

It seems it's going to be a three-way race among LEBANON (Seif Al'Walid Harb), THAILAND (Xolophong Mareeduwennya Kim Thitisan Goodburn) and VENEZUELA (William Badell), though if any of them fell by the wayside, there would be room for the likes of PERU (Joel Farach), SPAIN (Borxa Ramo) and even BRAZIL (Edward Taiye Ogunniya).  So, is this batch a Magnificent Batch?  Though the creamiest of the crop stood out stronger in this batch over last year, some of the guys in my LIKELIEST list would be rated EXCELLENT if they competed last year, and that also applies to two of the guys in my VERY STRONG list getting demoted to STRONG if I use the lens of last year's standards.  So, it's just a tad short of earning that label in my opinion.  Still, it looks like we will be witnessing an exciting competition.

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

Mister International 2023 is likely going to be:  LEBANON (Seif Al'walid Harb), THAILAND (Kim Thitisan Goodburn), or VENEZUELA (William Badell)

Or can these make it to the Final Three?  BRAZIL (Edward Taiye Ogunniya), PERU (Joel Farrach), or SPAIN (Borxa Ramo)

MISTER INTERNATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 2)

 

JAPAN - Koki Sakata.  He seems to be channeling his 2016 counterpart, Masaya Yamagishi, though he didn't seem to have the derring-do to commit to a loincloth for his national costume presention.  He's been receiving positive buzz, even if he missed out on the fashion/runway event for some odd reason (did he fall sick that day?).

KOREA - Ho Sun Kang.  He looks seven to 10 years younger than his stated age of 32.  He is very buffed and polished and exudes that K-Idol charisma.  He almost looks like a Top 10 shoo-in.

LAOS - Donesavanh Xaimong.  He's attractive, but he doesn't exude the charisma of a major international pageant contestant but rather like a contestant in a lowbrow pageant for bike messengers and delivery boys like what "Kuya" Kim Atienza is conducting in his news/talk show Dapat Alam Mo [You Should Know This] or for other blue-collar folk in various noontime variety shows in our shores.  Hence, that is why for me he's the weakest link in this year's batch.

LEBANON - Seif Al'walid Harb.  It's nice to see this male pageant powerhouse back, especially with the dire situation this country has been enduring in recent years.  Many are buzzing that he's the favorite to win it all, especially with his stunning good looks and beefy buffed bod.  But I have reservations about how relatively subdued he is when he walks onstage in contrast to his peers delivering high energy, and when he talks about his advocacy, he talks about it in generic terms that it almost sounded pageant-patty.  But it seems he has an ace up his sleeve as he seems to have a flirtatious rapport with this pageant's COO, Pawee Ventura.  Guess who this guy named as his favorite Miss Universe winner or contestant when polled by Pawee?  I'm sure it's cheeky and irreverent, but still...

MALAYSIA - Arvind Gorasia.  He's another candidate of Indian descent competing who is not representing a country in South Asia.  He's actually at a high level lookswise, but it seems he's relatively subdued and hence not receiving as heavy buzz as other contenders out there.  I'll consider him an underrated gem.

MEXICO - Brian Eduardo Caballos.  At first glance you would think he fits the CLH mold, but he has some facial scruff peeking out so he doesn't quite qualify for that label.  Though pre-arrival there are fans who thought he can make a serious play for the Final Five, it seems he's more likely to finish at the Top 10 at best.

MYANMAR - Austin Myat.  At least he's an improvement over his predecessor, though he's not as charismatic as other contenders out tere.

NEPAL - Prajwol Tamrakar.  He's buffed and attractive, but he doesn't generate as much charisma as his peers.

NIGERIA - Martin Osagie Omoregbee.  Yes, he's reasonably polished, but we have seen more charismatic representatives from his country before.

NORTH CYPRUS - Suleyman Mulahassan.  He's buffed and handsome, and many believe he's a lock in the Top 20, and be a possible sleeper surprise for the Top 10.  It's interesting to note that he has a fellow competitor who is Greek Cypriot (CZECH REPUBLIC to be precise), and coincidentally they both won a special raffle prize of THB 10,000 (about USD 280)--considering this country was formed because of ethnic tensions between the Greeks and Turks that culminated in Turkey invading the northern part of the island in 1974, it could potentially be a sore topic to put these two guys together, but it seemed there is no incident and these guys are fine being onstage together.

PERU - Joel Farach.  This guy is one who ticks all the boxes with handsomeness, buffness, charisma, and strong communication skills.  Just like CUBA and MEXICO, his subtle stubble disqualified him from fitting the CLH mold.  There are are even some who are hyping that he's the one to take it all, but I have a feeling there are three or four other guys he has to contend with to clinch his country's first win in this pageant.

PHILIPPINES - Jefferson Bunney.  He actually got the right to compete here because of Empire PH's Mister Pilipinas Worldwide pageant.and with Manuel Deldio legally holding the rights to the name "Mister International Philippines", he had to be awarded the title "Mister International Ambassador Philippines" to circumvent Deldio's rights.   With his British heritage, he has that classic handsomeness that is well regarded, and he has strong communication skills.  However, there is another guy who also has a similar heritage, and that guy is getting all the spotlight.  So even if Filipino pageant fans may believe he has an inside track to the Top 10, I think he is likely to finish short of that and just advance to the Top 20.

COMING UP:  PUERTO RICO to VIETNAM plus the "FEARFUL" FORECAST