PHILIPPINES - Kenneth Stromsnes. I've noticed that like Mister International (New Era) last year, both THAILAND and this country fielded Eurasians--this guy is half-Norwegian, so he's also the lone representative for the Nordic region as SWEDEN is not competing this year. I'm not that into his features and his long hair aggravates matters to me, but he has the trendy slender Timothee Chalemet frame and is one of the tallest guys in this batch, so I don't know if this pageant would favor his type. But then again, from time to time this contest put some long-haired guys through, so could he do well in this milieu?
PUERTO RICO - Edgar Rivera. In another pageant, his brand of scruffy handsomeness would've made more serious impact but in this milieu, his winning the Mister Friendship prize seems to be achievement enough for his journey.
SIERRA LEONE - Sahr Fatoma. He obviously base his poses after female models and beauty queens, so we have to award him the Sy Lee Fabulousness Award for this batch. He was awarded the Best African Model award prior to the final so I wonder--was he really considered better than ANGOLA, or is this a consolation prize as I know there is also SOUTH AFRICA who would've gotten this continental honor. Wonder how this will all go?
SINGAPORE - Damon Chua. I find it weird he was awarded the "Best Fashion Model" award, as if I were to screen him at a fashion casting, I would probably dismiss him. Unless perhaps you don't need good looks to sell clothes and just view him as a blank canvas to which you drape your designer clothes on. For me, he's one of the weakest links in this year's batch. He doesn't even have a buffed physique which used to be a hallmark of representatives from this country--instead MALAYSIA took over than mantle.
SOUTH AFRICA - Luke Van. He has that classic beefy handsomeness that this competition typically prizes, so I have a feeling he's a shoo-in for a Top 10 spot with a possible play for the Final Five.
SPAIN - Daniel Llorente. This country is fielding the tallest guys of any male pageant batch as of late, and this guy is no exception. Like ITALY is possesses this mix of Timothee Chalemet boyish handsomess with a classically toned physique, so I feel not only he'll make the Top 10 but possibly become a Final Five finisher.
SRI LANKA - Janitha Jeewantha. This guy garnered a special award of Best in Formal Wear--could this mean he could possibly be in contention for a Top 20 slot? I would find it very refreshing if he indeed made it as I find him handsome and like his buffed phgsique.
SWITZERLAND - Marcel Ignacio Riera. After his stints at Mister International 2022 and Mister Global 2023, he had a radical makeover as he grew out his hair and shaved off his scruff. It was a bit jarring at first, but the new look drew out a youthful vibe that may be more fitting for him (even if I actually prefer his scruff) especially with his reputation as the "Beefy Vegan"*1. He had this makeover months before he's announced as the Manhunt representative but it's fortuitous this happened because this competition favors clean-shaven looks. He remains a consistently strong performer here, so I really hope that this time around he'll advance beyond the Top 20 as he's owed that much as he deserved to finish higher than he did in his previous stints.
*1 When I think of vegans, I tend to think they'll possess the lanky frames of, say, AUSTRALIA this year, and not the filled-out buffed physique of this guy.
THAILAND - Kevin Dasom. Since his 3rd runner-up finish at the highly competitive Mister Supranationsl 2018, this Eurasian (half-Irish) developed way more major charisma that even if he's the host candidate, he's the front-runner in this competition. He simply exudes charisma from his pores at every appearance so it looks like this is his competition to lose even with the formidable presence of striking European contenders (plus a white South African).
U S A - Kevin Puri. He got the title of Best Commercial Model--if you ask me, I would've probably given that honor to the big front-runner THAILAND as that guy can sell me anything and I'll guy it. He's reasonably appealing (he may look Filipino but he's actually of Indian heritage) though I wonder if that special award means he has made serious inroads into the Top 20.
VENEZUELA - Victor Battista. This guy exudes classic Latino handsomeness from his pores, and based on him getting a Digital Challenge award for his casting video, it makes me think he may make serious inroads into the Top 20. I believe PERU is the best Latino in this batch, but I should keep a close eye on him as he could make serious inroads.
VIETNAM - Huynh Vo Hoang Son. He got the special award of Best Asian Model but we all know the real winner of that honor is the big front-runner so this seems like a consolation prize. I feel he made a big boo-boo in the haute couture garment choice as it seems he was wearing a national costume than a fashion outfit. The likes of LEBANON and VENEZUELA got away with it because they are believably wearable and exude a modern vibe, whereas this guy's outfit was obviously meant for a different kind of pageant. I don't foresee him finishing high unlike his predecessor, but he looks like he can make a play for the Top 20.
With all 37 contenders accounted for, here's how my leaderboard shapes up:
TOP CONTENDERS: FRANCE, ITALY, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, THAILAND
SHOO-INS: BRAZIL, COSTA RICA, KOREA, NETHERLANDS, PERU, SWTIZERLAND, VENEZUELA
LIKELIEST: ANGOLA, CANADA, COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EL SALVADOR, INDONESIA, LEBANON, MACAU, MALTA, MEXICO, NICARAGUA, SRI LANKA, U S A, VIETNAM
CHALEMET FACTOR: AUSTRALIA, PHILIPPINES
BODY FACTOR: MALAYSIA
DIVERSITY / FABULOUSNESS FACTOR: SIERRA LEONE
EXCELLENT: NEPAL, NEW ZEALAND, PAKISTAN, PUERTO RICO,
VERY STRONG: FERNANDO DE NORONHA, HONG KONG, SINGAPORE
Here's my "Fearful" Forecast on who would make the Top 20:
FINAL FIVE: FRANCE, ITALY, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, THAILAND
TOP 10: BRAZIL, COSTA RICA, KOREA, PERU, SWITZERLAND
TOP 20: ANGOLA, CANADA, COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EL SALVADOR, INDONESIA, MACAU, NETHERLANDS, VENEZUELA, VIETNAM
BUBBLING UNDER: LEBANON, MALTA, MEXICO, NICARAGUA, SRI LANKA, U S A
STRIKING DISTANCE: AUSTRALIA, MALAYSIA, NEPAL, NEW ZEALAND, PAKISTAN, PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, SIERRA LEONE
I feel that this competition is for the host representative THAILAND (Kevin Dasom) to lose, but we have a bevy of handsome Caucasians nipping closely at his heels, with FRANCE (Lucas Schlachter) seemingly leading the pack and the likes of ITALY (Vincenzo Melisi), SOUTH AFRICA (Luke Van), SPAIN (Daniel Llorente) and even SWITZERLAND (Marcel Ignacio Riera) in hot pursuit. Among the Latino contingent, it seems COSTA RICA (Roberto Mena) and PERU (Francisco Dall'Orso) are our best bets, with VENEZSUELA (Victor Battista) following closely behind them. Though I won't really declare this batch as a "Magnficent Batch", almost all of the guys competing have compelling cases on why they are worthy of advancing to the Top 20. I can't wait to see how that all unfolds.
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
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