THE MISTER INTERNATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (CONCLUSION)

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

The Hispanic Contingent, Four Formidable, One Scrappy:  ARGENTINA (Angel Olaya), SPAIN (Jose Antonio Campos Calle), COSTA RICA (Roberto Mena), CUBA (Brandon Alaen), and MEXICO (Christian Cardero)

THE MISTER INTERNATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 1)

 

I mentioned in previous blog posts that I will cover Manuel Deldio's The Mister Interntaional pageant if he was able to attract at least 28 countries.  Though three of the confirmed 29 contestants did not show up, I've decided to be a bit flexible and cover this pageant anyway, especially since this group is putting up a good fight with its itinerary and grand tour of Northern Luzon (in particular La Union and Baguio, the latter of which is where the finals will be held).  I've noticed that while the Pradinunt Group's edition tries to match Miss Universe as it currently is under Khun Anne  Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip's regime, this pageant prefers to mirror Miss Universe under the auspices of IMG, especially as it stresses the slogan "Distinctively Handsome"*1.

*1  It's the counterpart to IMG-era Miss Universe's slogan, "Confidently Beautiful", which was flipped into "Beautifully Confident" in its closing year before Khun Anne took over.

Let us first discuss the three no-shows:

NETHERLANDS - Ilyas Chaouki.  He was first confirmed for Pradinunt's edition, but a change in franchise holder made him be confirmed to this edition instead.  However, it seems his organization gotten the franchise for Manhunt International, and he's designated under that title instead, and opted not to compete here, even if Manhunt is expected to be held early next year so there should have been ample time for him to compete in both.  To be blunt, I don't think he'll be able to sustain the superb showings of his two immediate predecessors*2, as he's so far on the rough and scruffy type not really favored by that contest--he would've had better success if he competed here instead.

*2 The 2020 representative Paul Luzineau won the contest, and his successor, Cas Hagman in 2022, became 4th runner-up.

SERBIA - Marko Ilkić.  Based on his social media profile, he seems to be the sort who wants to travel around and experience what the world has to offer.  And he has been to our shores before as he vacationed in Siargao Island in Mindanao.  This model/actor has the modern good looks to be a front-runner for this pageant, so it's quite a shock that in the weeks prior to the start of pageant proceedings he turned radio silent--no updates at all in his social media, and no word if he's going to show up for this competition.  Wonder what made him radio silent--a better career opportunity than competing in a male pageant, or is there some personal issue that caused him to be radio silent?  I hope he's doing well if ti's the latter...

TOGO - Jonathan Uchechukwu Emeiwo.  Admittedly no-one really paid much attention to this guy, so his absence is not as sorely felt as that of NETHERLANDS and SERBIA.  He seems attractive enough, but I'm not sure if he has enough charisma to be able to advance to the semifinals, and being here would have been achievement enough.

It's now time to assess the 26 candidates that did show up to compete in this pageant.  Are they of the same caliber as Pradinunt's boys?

ARGENTINA - Angel Olaya.  We have a Mister Supranational alumnus in this edition, too, just like the guy who ended up first runner-up in Pradinunt's edition, William Badell of Venezuela.  Unlike William's more successful track record*3, he was only a mere Top 20 finisher at Mister Supranational, but this pageant may be a perfect opportunity for him to take a huge leap and enter the winner's circle as he's performing at a very high level and is one of the big favorites in this batch.  He embodies the Classic Latino Handsomeness (CLH) label.

*3 William finished 2nd runner-up at Mister Supranational 2021 before improving on his showing at Pradinunt's Mister International finishing 1st runner-up.  Angel only placed 12th in 2022, missing the Top 10 even if he was regarded as a possible front-runner.

AUSTRALIA - Casey Van Ryan.  He's boyish and attractive, and as such has received some positive buzz.  But he doesn't seem to be generating charisma onstage during the preliminary competition, so his standing in the semifinals is vulnerable.

BRAZIL - Eduardo Onofre.  He's a tall 6'3" and is also a boyish cutie.  He looks like a shoo-in in the semifinals with a possible play for the Top 10, though I don't think he has enough charisma to go beyond that.  It's interesting to contrast him with his Pradinunt counterpart, who is black and beefy with oodles of charisma and finished 2nd runner-up--needless to say I think he pales behind his Pradinunt counterpart.

CAMBODIA - Thea Sok Tola.  He's attractive and buffed, so a play for the semifinals is conceivable.

CANADA - Dhruv Kumar.  It's interesting that this country is fielding Indians to represent them in both editions of this pageant.  The Pradinunt counterpart is scruffy while this one is boyishly cute with an acting resumé, appearing in a few Bollywood films as a child.  He's one of the later arrivals in this pageant, and will probably have to rely on a high interview showing to make inroads into the semifinals.

COSTA RICA - Roberto Mena.  Like ARGENTINA, he fits the CLH prototype.  And like ARGENTINA, it makes him a front-runner.  However, he looks so similar to ARGENTINA that some fans and pundits are concerned that they might cancel each other out.  But he seems to be the one with the more buffed bod and that might be the factor that could help him get the edge over ARGENTINA.

CUBA - Brandon Alaen.  If he wasn't growing out some stubble, he would also be considered among the CLH crew.  He made a distinction with his beefy bod and bright charisma.  He definitely could make a play for the winners' circle.   ADDITIONAL NOTE:  It turns out he previously competed in various international male pageants under a different surname, Cruz, and previously represented the U S A.  He competed at Men Universe Model 2018 (unplaced), Mister Global 2019 (unplaced), and Man of the World 2022 (Top 15).  He learned a lot of lessons from those previous stints as he's the best he's ever been here.

GHANA - Richard Yaw-Emefa.  He's the last one to arrive, and what he seems to be notable for is his bright energy and upbeat personality.

INDIA - Jairus Singh.  In real-world terms, he would be considered attractive and appealing.  But in stratified pageant standards, he registers as ordinary, so he can be considered one of the weakest links in this batch.

INDONESIA - Isach Kbarek.  He may not be that conventionally handsome but he does exude some charisma and appeal and may be a contender for the semifinals.  He for me is better than his Pradinunt counterpart.

JAMAICA - Tamichael Watson.  He seems to be a polished contender who could make a play for the semifinals--wonder how many among the black contingent would make it?  Two?  Three?  Right now I think two Africans have an upper hand of making the cut but if there is room for a third black guy, he could be it.

JAPAN - Takumi Ozawa.  He does have a buff bod, but I find his face plain and lacking charisma.  He is a weak link for me in this group.

COMING UP:  MALAYSIA to VIETNAM plus the "FEARFUL" FORECAST