MALAYSIA - Abdul Rahman Lee. His features divide pageant fans and pundits. Some, like myself, find him rather plain and not that charismatic, even if he has a notably buffed physique. There are others who are very much into his features and consider him a strong contender, with a few even considering him a front-runner.
MEXICO - Christian Cardero. There are some pageant fans and pundits who dig his very scruffy features, and appreciate his buffed bod. But I think he registers a bit too rough that I don't see him as a shoo-in for the semifinals. He of course is grouped with a powerful Hispanic contingent, and some might even speculate what if we have an all-Hispanic Final Five? I don't think that will happen, as among the five Hispanics, he's the weakest link and in fact I think his prospects for making the semifinals is not that assured.
MYANMAR - Aung Khant Kyaw. He has this Asian cuteness that could make him a possibility for the semifinals.
NEPAL - Abishek Chudal. He possesses a swarthy appeal and charisma that definitely makes him much better than his Pradinunt counterpart. In fact, I think he has an inside track of making the semifinals.
NIGERIA - Michael Adebowale. This guy definitely knows how to stand out, especially with his dreadlocks and his dramatic moves onstage. He looks like he has an inside track of making the semifinals, with a possible play for the Top 10.
PHILIPPINES - Austin Cabatana. This tall (6'3") and lanky guy has this "native" appeal that the expectedly predominantly Filipino panel of judges would favor, and though interestingly enough I prefer his Eurasian Pradinunt counterpart, I have a feeling this guy will make the winner's circle and be the sole expected non-Hispanic member of the winner's court*4.
*4 Though take note that our country has long Hispanic ties as were were ruled by Spain from 1565-1898.
POLAND - Maciej Skowronek. He's boyishly cute and that quality is great catnip in these shores that it might be enough for him to make the semifinals. But then again, if he's weak at interview, he may suffer the fate of some handsome guys from his country also missing the cut.
SINGAPORE - Aidid Haidil. I'm impressed with his physique and even if he's not conventionally handsome, I think he smolders with oodles of sex appeal. He may be of relatively shorter stature, but I'm optimistic towards his prospects making the semifinals.
SOUTH AFRICA - Kofi Adea-Adu. Though some might be buzzing about NIGERIA, I think this edition's black-man-most-likely is this guy. I find him highly appealing as he evokes a vibe similar to Creed actor Michael B. Jordan.
SPAIN - Jose Antonio Campos Calle. When this guy arrived in our shores, he caused a big stir amongst the pageant press and it seems he charmed insiders, that buzz is he's the favorite to win it all, and it seems he's also going to spearhead a Hispanic domination in this pageant. He reminds me of a handsomer version of Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein with his deep-set eyes and heavy scruff. I definitely would be happy seeing him win it all.
UNITED KINGDOM - Ryan Larson. This blond seems to be a Scotsman based on his predilection for wearing kilts. I wonder what happened to him during the early days in La Union that he was absent in the sashing ceremony and missed the national costume photoshoot (they had to substitute a backup picture taken in Manila as his official costume photo)? Whatever the case, he recovered enough to continue his journey and it seems he's making a major standout impression that he seems to have an inside track to the Top 10 with a possible play for the Final Five if any of the Four Formidable Hispanics fell by the wayside (or if PHILIPPINES fell short of making the Final Five)
U S A - Anthony Borengasser. It's hard to match his German-sounding name with his dusky features, but I learned he's of mixed ethnicities, with Filipino and Hawaiian prominently in the mix, and the fact that he's born and raised in Hawaii, though he now works in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a Hawaiian dance performer. He looks like a solid bet to make the semifinals.
UZBEKISTAN - Laziz Rastomov. Admittedly, he has been staying on our shores for quite a long while now, actually being a contestant in some noontime shows and reality competitions in our shores. He has this boyish handsomeness His handsomeness and experience in the public eye would likely serve him well here, and hence he looks like he has an inside track to the Top 10. But he has one hang-up--he doesn't want to wear speedos at all, opting to sport shorts instead. Will this be taken against him and hence prevent him from making a possible play for the Final Five?
VIETNAM - Phi Van Nguyen. He's cute and notable for his tattoos. But he's more of a lean and slender frame instead of a buffed frame, so securing a place in the semifinals is far from secure.
With all candidates accounted for, it's time to trot out my leaderboard:
TOP CONTENDERS: ARGENTINA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, SPAIN
SHOO-INS: PHILIPPINES, UNITED KINGDOM, UZBEKISTAN
LIKELIEST: AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, CANADA, INDONESIA, JAMAICA, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, MYANMAR, NEPAL, NIGERIA, POLAND, SINGAPORE, SOUTH AFRICA, U S A, VIETNAM
EXCELLENT: CAMBODIA
VERY STRONG: GHANA
STRONG: INDIA, JAPAN
Now, my "Fearful" Forecast:
FINAL FIVE: ARGENTINA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, PHILIPPINES, SPAIN
TOP 10: BRAZIL, NIGERIA, SOUTH AFRICA, UNITED KINGDOM, UZBEKISTAN
TOP 16: AUSTRALIA, INDONESIA, NEPAL, POLAND, SINGAPORE, U S A
BUBBLING UNDER: CANADA, JAMAICA, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, MYANMAR, VIETNAM
STRIKING DISTANCE: CAMBODIA
The way I see it, we are likely to see Four Formidable Hispanics making the winners' circle, namely ARGENTINA (Angel Olaya), COSTA RICA (Ricardo Mena), CUBA (Brandon Alaen) and SPAIN (Jose Antonio Campos Calle), with this being SPAIN's game to lose. The question is which of the others will be filling up the last slot--seems to be pointing PHILIPPINES' (Austin Cabatana) way but don't count out UNITED KINGDOM (Ryan Larson).and a few other wildcards. Getting access to coverage for this event since the preliminary has been a bit of a challenge as the other camp is taking measures to undermine this organization by shutting down its Facebook account. I hope I will be able to watch the finals without any hindrance from the other party.
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
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