MEXICO - Zait Reza. In another year, he could be a possible player for the Final Five. But this batch is emerging as of such sterling quality that I'm not that certain if there would be room for him in the Top 10, as there are a wole host of compelling choices out there.
MYANMAR - Htet Oo Maung Maung. He has a playful charm about him, but then so do LAOS and THAILAND, and those two guys are way more charismatic than him. He still has a chance of making te cut as he's shortlisted in bot the Supra-Fan Vote and Influencer award, and I wouldn't be that upset if he made it via that path.
NEPAL - Dhiroj Kaji Basnet. As the days wore on there was increasing buzz about him having an inside track into the Top 20. He has proven to be more polished and exuding more charisma than expected, so it is worth keeping an eye on him.
NETHERLANDS - Casey De Vries. Many pageant fans and pundits are hyping him as a possible crown contender and sure Final Five finisher. I thought buzz faded a bit for him during the Supra-Model competition, but he came roaring back in the preliminary evaluation and with his touted interview skills, he's back in the running.
PARAGUAY - Osvaldo Orué. He has this attractive swarthiness that normally is catnip for this pageant but he wasn't able to channel his potential to the max at this point, so he's ending up as an also-ran in a stellar batch like this one.
PERU - Joel Farach. This Top 10 finisher at last year's Mister International [New Era], I originally peg as a Final Five player, but it seems as the days wore one he's being pipped by other compelling choices out there. I still feel confident he can finish in the Top 10, as his charisma is just too undeniable. Anyway, he made memorable impact in the Supra-Model competition as he is te epitome of the hip-hop term "pimpin'". I can even add he's "supa-dupa-fly".
PHILIPPINES - Brandon Espiritu. Many Filipino pageant fans and pundits have very high expectations for him finally delivering our best-ever finish in this pageant, as he has the handsomeness, the buffness, and the strong communication skills (especially since he is actually from the US territory of Guam and had spent significant amount of time within the 50 states of the US) to be a major contender to deliver us from the Top 20 doldrums. He did make a big splash at the opening ceremony as he delivered a stirring speech about him overcoming adversity like being homeless. But I was initially concerned as in many social media posts I didn't see him interacting much with the other guys and join in the spirit of brotherhood and camaraderie. But later on I discovered he is indeed in the thick of that lovely spirit, so I'm no longer apprehensive about him finally delivering our breakthrough.
Upon closer look, Brandon is also exuding the vibe of Manhunt International 2012 champion June Macasaet. And I remembered how in my Homestretch review of that pageant I was fretful of his prospects, that he could either deliver our best showing ever or be a shock fizzler. Let's just say I'm glad to find out where he ended up, and I feel Brandon can come close to achieving that, too, even if there is one runaway front-runner in this already sterling batch.
POLAND - Patryk Karbowski. I swoon over the sight of him--with his statuesque height (I think he's 6'3"), buff bod and handsome features, I argue he's actually the best looking guy in this year's batch But many pageant fans and pundits were not bullish about his Top 10 prospects, as they find him a relatively weak communicator compared to the numerous stellar talkers in this batch, and his performance in the preliminary evaluation polarized many observers. Many would think his stage presentation was sloppy and ramshackle, but it's increasingly dawning on me that that very sloppiness is actually part of his charm--moving forward I will call him the Goofy Hunk. Will the panel of experts like his kind of charm, or will polish and finesse hold heavier weight?
PUERTO RICO - Cristian González. He seems to be evoking the vibe of Mister Supranational 2022 from Cuba, Luis Daniel Galvez, as he's undeniably has great looks and is a polished competitor even if he's exuding a humble vibe and is not drawing much attention to himself. But I have a feeling with such a batch with stellar standouts there may not be enough room for him to pull off a sleeper surprise.
COMING UP: SIERRA LEONE to VIETNAM plus the "FEARFUL" FORECAST
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