Courtesy of Hankooki
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Last Saturday night Ireland won the title of Mr World 2010. Ireland trained long and hard to achieve this peak of excellence, including months of exercises, rest and healthy eating. ‘My family is going to be so proud” said the new Mr World. “I just can’t wait to get back home and see them” he said. Second place in Mr World 2010 went to Czech Republic with Nigeria coming third. After the winning moment the winner and runners up faced the world’s media on stage at the Songdo ConvensionA, Incheon City. After nearly three weeks in Korea’s tomorrow city, Incheon, the Mr World 2010 contestants took to the stage to compete in the greatest international search for the World’s most desirable man. To be in with a chance of winning, the 74 contestants were stretched to the limits in a series of challenges to test their character, stamina and determination to succeed in as much as physical appearance, style and presentation. During the two week build up to tonight’s final they were put through their paces with extreme fitness tests, learned to cook Korean style and had Tae Kwon Doe lessons from a black belt master. They also visited stunning palaces, temples and the national museum, immersing themselves in the local culture. During their time in Korea, the Mr World contestants toured the country. During their travels around Korea, they competed in three fast track events, where the winner was automatically placed in the top fifteen. Korea was judged to be the most talented with his singing performance of the song ‘Only Once’, which won him the Talent Final competition in Gyeong ju. The Sports Final champion was Czech Republic, no surprise as he’s a former professional biathlete! The Top Model Final was very special as the contenders modelled clothes designed by Andre Kim, Korea’s most celebrated designer. Brazil took home the accolade in front of international media at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Incheon. The Mr World 2010 Final took place on Saturday 27th March at the Songdo ConvensionA, in the Korea’s city of tomorrow, Incheon. The line-up of official judges at the Mr World 2010 Final was: Julia Morley MWO Chairman, President of Variety International, the Children’s Charity and Chairman of the Mr World Judges Rounding out the top 5 were the candidates from Lebanon and The Netherlands. The semi-finalists were Brazil, Germany, India, Guadeloupe, Greece, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Wales, Venezuela and Korea. More on mrworld.tv. Exclusive photos from Mr. World 2010 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48751196@N02/sets/72157623589552631/with/4467590526/
Kamal Ibrahim, a 24-year old TV Presenter from Limerick, Ireland, is the new Mister World 2010. The 1.83 m tall model competed against 73 other men for the famous scarf. The 1st runner-up was Mr. Czech Republic, while the 2nd runner-up was Mr. Nigeria. Lebanon and Netherlands completed the Top 5. Czech Republic Germany Mr. World 2010 minute-by-minute on mrworld.tv and Facebook.
INCHEON ― The 16-day journey finally comes to an end. The grand finale of the Mr World 2010 contest will take place Saturday night at Songdo ConvensiA, Incheon ― with only one among 74 national representatives being named “the world’s most desirable man.” The star-studded event will feature Lee Da-hae, Julien Kang and Alesha Dixon, as well as performances by Paul Potts and Girls’ Generation. Some however have already won the fast-track to the semi-finals, or the top 15: Korea’s Yoo Ji-kwang, who topped the talent show, and Brazil’s Jonas Sulzbach, who was chosen as top model in a charity fashion show. The Czech Republic’s Josef Karas has also been noted as a strong contestant for his excellent results in sporting challenges. Over the course of the event only seven of the 15 semi-finalists will enter the finals. Three will be chosen as winners. According to Julia Morley, chairwoman of the Miss World Organization, which is co-organizing the contest with the Hankook Ilbo-The Korea Times Media Group, the competition is looking for a James Bond-type, who possesses not only sex appeal but also physical stamina, humanitarian ideals and fine manners. The panel of judges includes, in addition to Morley, the reigning Mr World Juan Garcia Postigo, a Spanish sommelier who won the title in 2007, and Mr World 1996 Tom Nuyens of Belgium, the first ever winner of the competition. Also on the panel are Miss World 2009 Kaiane Aldorino from Gibraltar, Miss Korea 2009 Kim Joo-ri, Miss World 2008 Ksenia Sukhinova from Russia and Miss World 2007 Zhang Zilin from China. Read full article at http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/03/135_63084.html Incheon, SOUTH KOREA – It’s all ready for the biggest male beauty contest of all times: in the upcoming Saturday night a record number of 74 candidates hailing from all corners of the world will fight for the Mister World title and a US$ 50.000-cash prize.
After over 2 weeks of sightseeing, preliminary competitions and rehearsals, they will hit the stage with pop stars Alesha Dixon and Paul Potts, all hoping to succeed Spain’s Juan Garcia Postigo as ‘the most desirable man in the world’.
Three candidates have already advanced to the semi-finals after winning fast-track events: Korea, Yoo Ji-Kwang, winner of the Talent Competition, Brazil, Jonas Sulzbach, winner of the Top Model contest, and Czech Republic, Josef Karas, winner of the sports’ competition.
Other 12 semi-finalists have been chosen in yesterday’s interviews with the judges. These names will only be revealed during tomorrow night’s final event.
From 15, 7 finalists will be selected, and then the judges will have to chose the winner and runner-ups. Among the judges are some of the most beautiful women in the world, Miss World 2007, China’s Zilin Zhang, Miss World 2008, Russia’s Ksenia Sukhinova, and Miss World 2009, Gibraltar’s Karine Adorino. Miss Korea 2009 and Miss World’s semi-finalist Kim Joo Ri, and the president of MWO, Julia Morley, are also among the judges. And who will be Mister World 2010? Considered as front-runners by those following the pageant from a close distance are Brazil, Sweden, India, Spain, Venezuela, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Angola, Peru, Romania, South Africa and Korea. However, it’s a very competitive group, and virtually anything can happen on Saturday night.
Who do you think has what it takes to be the next Mister World?? by Joseph Vitug RED TEAM As a collective whole, the Red Team made a major splash during the early stages of the pageant, winning the marine and paintball challenges. They reportedly led during the track relay event until the anchor leg, when they were overtaken by the Blue Team (thanks to Sports fast-track champion Czech Republic) and faded into third. They also didn’t win the cooking challenge, but they placed a respectable second. At the very least they were represented by two guys in the Top Eight of the Sports fast-track (unlike the Yellow Team, which was sadly shut out after leading). As befitting the bright nature of the color, this team likewise features a motley crew of distinctive characters—turning heads and garnering a lot of attention wherever they would go, mostly for the right reasons and occasionally for the not-so-right ones. Let’s start with… PHILIPPINES – Alvin de Joya. Although arguably Eric Salvador back in the year 2000 is the handsomest contestant representing my country and most local pageant fans and pundits are not that enthusiastic towards this guy, I would like to contend that this guy is probably the best representative we have ever sent. He has a neat, polished, physical presence all throughout—yes, like a Korean matinee idol—and even if we haven’t seen his bare torso in Korea so far, photos prior to his departure (and during the Mr. World-Philippines finals, which was held about a week before this pageant was underway) reveal a physique that could keep up with the buffest gentlemen in this competition. It also helps he made a major splash by being part of the five-man team responsible for winning the Marine challenge. Yes, his video showcased a flaw—he shouldn’t try to reach for something profound, just keep it simple—and he was overshadowed by China (whom he resembles closely) in the Andre Kim fashion show that also served as the Top Model fast-track, but even if we take those into account he performed well enough to be within a distant striking distance to be a semifinalist. POLAND – Maksymilian Lewandowski. This young, handsome, and buffed fellow is such a dreamy presence in his video that I couldn’t care less about his less-than-perfect communication skills. PUERTO RICO – Joshua Dalmau. Lookswise, this country has fielded better contestants, and no way is this mulatto fellow even in the level of, say, a Ricky Martin (or any ex-Menudo member for that matter). He is usually prominent in the athletic challenges, but unfortunately, he was the goat who squandered the lead the Red Team had in the track relay, as he allowed himself to be overtaken by Czech Republic and Mexico. ROMANIA – Voicu Panzar. At first glance, he resembles a young William Devane and he was expected to perform creditably but not much else. Then came the Top Model fast-track, and I was amazed how the tight tracksuit he wore revealed and framed an impressive physique. He is deserving of being shortlisted into the Top 20 in that event. Could be a sleeper surprise into the finals. RUSSIA – Sergey Kolenchikov. You cannot miss this guy as he always stands out wherever he appears, especially with his big, beefy frame and that extremely stylized Fu Manchu facial hair. But is it the right impression to give? He often looks like he has ties to the underworld, succeeding Bulgaria’s Georgi Zhekov from the previous edition for that dubious distinction. If not that, he would probably look too goofy like in his awkward taekwondo poses, or cheesy, like his fitness / sword routine that surprisingly garnered 3rd place in the Talent fast-track. But unlike Georgi Zhekov, what prevents him from being the obvious cellar-dweller is that there is a buffed, beefily handsome fellow underneath such unfortunate styling—maybe with the right look, he could’ve been the “beefcake behemoth” that we have been missing in this edition. Maybe if he sported a cowboy hat instead of a ski cap, he would garner compliments as he resembles country superstar Tim McGraw (a.k.a Faith Hill’s husband and the guy who played Sandra Bullock’s husband in her Oscar-winning role in “The Blind Side”). For now, I’ll just fantasize that it’s So You Think You Can Dance season 2 finalist, champion ballroom dancer, and Emmy-nominated choreographer Dmitry Chaplin competing in his place. SERBIA – Vasa Nestorovic. I have a feeling if he wasn’t lapped up by high fashion, he would’ve also have seen action in those Eastern European “studios”. Some of his swimsuit modeling photos verge close to that, and I know there are several pageant fans and pundits who are in a major tizzy at his sight. He makes a major splash wearing or carrying high fashion labels in his casual appearances (like that Gucci bag, or that blue vinyl jacket), and he has those chiseled sunken cheeks and that Zoolander-style pout. I actually fantasized about him doing some Zoolander-style modeling showdowns with other chiseled-jaw-and-sunken-cheeked contestants like Norway and Sweden—and voila, there actually are casual photos of him posing side-by-side with the aforementioned contestants, and yes, showcasing those sunken cheeks and chiseled jaws. Even Lebanon got into the act! He also posed with Brazil and Venezuela, but those two guys preferred to flash their radiant smiles instead of pout. It’s a major headscratcher why he was not shortlisted in Top Model. SINGAPORE – Hanxiong Hu. To my eyes, he’s too ordinary looking, but then again, there are Asians who seem to be into that kind of look, like those Japanese boy bands from the Johnny’s Associates stable like Arashi and the like. His prospects will depend on the presence of Japanese, Chinese, or Korean schoolgirls in the panel. SOUTH AFRICA – Jaco de Bruyn. Facewise, I find him handsome but I am more drawn by handsomer faces out there. But he seems to be competing at a stratified level—looking striking throughout all his appearances at the pageant, a strong communicator in his video, being part of the five-man winning team at the Marine challenge, being short-listed into the Top Six of the Talent fast-track and Top Eight of the Sports fast-track. He could conceivably provide a stealth surprise into the Top Fifteen. SPAIN – Guillermo Garcia. He reminds me of a cross between Mr. World 2003 1st runner-up Assaad Tarabay of Lebanon, with the beefiness and boyish appeal of Mr. World 2007 1st runner-up Lucas Gil of Brazil. He seems to have what it takes to equal that showing or even bring forth a back-to-back win for his country. But I’m worried that he doesn’t seem to figure in the fast-track shortlists so far and he doesn’t seem to be prominent in the sports challenges. Plus, why wasn’t he shortlisted in the Top Model fast-track? It would be such a waste if he misses the final cut because he’s too gorgeous and charismatic to be shut out. I hope his fate would be similar to Miss World 2006 2nd runner-up Sabrina Houssami of Australia, who similarly was not prominent in the activities and fast-tracks, but nailed it when it counts. SRI LANKA – Hemal Rana. He actually was one of the few who looks great in his acid-test headshot, but most other photos made me think otherwise. There are pageant fans and pundits who loved his video, but I didn’t find it memorable. SWAZILAND – Phakeme Dlamini. Yes, he’s a decent communicator in his video, but there are more distinctive black men competing out there… SWEDEN – Alexander Siamak Shirpey. He owes his strikingly swarthy features from his Persian heritage. Though there are some angles that made me recall So You Think You Can Dance choreographer and judge Tyce Diorio, he is too masculinely chiseled that his charisma and appeal is almost stratospheric. I’m also shocked that he too wasn’t shortlisted for the Top Model fast-track. I hope, like Spain, he will deliver when it counts and make the final cut. I’ve observed in video footage taken of him, like in his interview video on the Miss World website and some candid video of activities (like the Marine challenge—he is also one of the five members of that team), he has this habit of forming a heart symbol with his thumbs and forefingers, and declaring “one love”—it is a charming gesture so far, but he has to be careful that it might devolve into shtick and end up being a turn-off. THAILAND – Rattasart Rungsirithip. At his best he reminds me of Filipino actor Diether Ocampo. But his acid-test headshot made his features too scrunchy to be appealing. Still, no one can deny he has an extremely buffed bod, and he displayed his athletic prowess by being shortlisted into the Top Eight in the Sports fast-track. Overall, he proves to be competitive enough to be within striking distance of making the final cut. TURKEY – Alper Aslanoglu. Lookswise he is one of the best-looking contestants out there, but he seems to be so low-key that he might end up being just another pretty face and miss the final cut. Still, he deserves to be treated with high regard. UKRAINE – Iurii Bogish. He is not really buzzed about but he could prove to be a stealth surprise into the finals like his predecessor Ievgen Dudin who made the final cut—he does have boyishly handsome features reminiscent of Take That singer Mark Owen. U S A – Ivan Rusilko. There seems to be a Filipino connection for the US representatives in this pageant lately—back in 2007, Travis Kraft was a well-known model in the Philippines. Now, this contestant is fielded by a Filipino-American pageant franchise holder. Pageant fans and pundits all over are polarized over his prospects, their opinions colored either by their regard (or lack or it) for the franchise holder, the contestant’s hairstyle and persona, or both. I try not to color my opinions based on those factors, so I’ll stick to the facts that I garnered about him—he was the captain of the Marine challenge team, he has given some interviews by the Korean press, and his video featured him emphasizing his achievements and background, like the fact that he’s studying to become a doctor. I personally think that he has strong communication skills and I have this feeling the judges could be intrigued by his academic credentials. VENEZUELA – Jose Manuel Flores. Venezuelan pageant contestants these days tend to generate polarizing reactions upon pageant fans and pundits, and surprisingly this also applies to this guy. Fans and pundits on the con side may acknowledge that this guy is handsome, but they find his features too bland to make any serious impression (unlike, say, Brazil, Czech Republic, Serbia, Spain, and Sweden). Those on the pro side may argue that yes, other guys might have more distinctive brands of handsomeness, but this guy still possesses abundant personality and charisma to be in serious contention for the finals. And again, I’m firmly on the pro side of the coin when it comes to this fellow—I have this feeling that he might even be on track of usurping a Top Five slot from one of the perceived front-runners (my likely suspect might be Spain, as much as I hope that doesn’t happen). WALES – Jonny Rees. This is one of my sentimental favorites—he reminds me of Ugly Betty actor Eric Mabius, though as if he just got out of a bar brawl when you look at his nose. I find his handsome-but-imperfect features rather intriguing that you wonder if he indeed got into some scrapes earlier in his life. Like Mr. Belgium, he has a puppy-dog appeal, but in his case, it’s a puppy pitbull, with an extra edge and bite. Now that all 74 contestants are accounted for, let me trot out my leaderboard. TOP CONTENDERS: BRAZIL, CZECH REPUBLIC, SPAIN, SWEDEN SHOO-IN: KOREA POSSIBLE USURPERS: SOUTH AFRICA, VENEZUELA LIKELIEST: BULGARIA, COSTA RICA, EGYPT, FRANCE, IRELAND, ITALY, KENYA, LEBANON, NETHERLANDS, NIGERIA, NORWAY, PERU, POLAND, SERBIA, U S A EXCELLENT: ANGOLA, BELGIUM, COLOMBIA, GERMANY, F.Y.R. MACEDONIA, MEXICO, MONGOLIA, PHILIPPINES, ROMANIA, THAILAND, TURKEY, UKRAINE, WALES PERSONALITY FACTOR: BAHAMAS, HONG KONG, MONTENEGRO VERY STRONG: AZERBAIJAN, BELARUS, BOLIVIA, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, CHINA, CROATIA, DENMARK, ENGLAND, GEORGIA, GUADELOUPE, KAZAKHSTAN, RUSSIA STRONG: AUSTRALIA, CYPRUS, ETHIOPIA, HONDURAS, INDIA, INDONESIA, JAPAN, LATVIA, NEW ZEALAND, NORTHERN IRELAND VERY GOOD: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GREECE, MARTINIQUE, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PUERTO RICO, SRI LANKA, SWAZILAND GOOD: CANADA, GUYANA, MALTA FAIR: LUXEMBOURG, MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE Now, here comes my “Fearful Forecast”, assuming if they choose a Top 15: TOP FIVE: BRAZIL, CZECH REPUBLIC, KOREA, SPAIN, SWEDEN SEMIFINALISTS: IRELAND, LEBANON, NETHERLANDS, NIGERIA, NORWAY, PERU, POLAND, SERBIA, SOUTH AFRICA, VENEZUELA BUBBLING UNDER: ANGOLA, BAHAMAS, BELGIUM, BULGARIA, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, EGYPT, FRANCE, GERMANY, HONG KONG, ITALY, KENYA, F.Y.R. MACEDONIA, MEXICO, MONGOLIA, MONTENEGRO, PHILIPPINES, ROMANIA, THAILAND, TURKEY, UKRAINE, U S A, WALES Wonder if there are going to be some out-of-left-field surprises and upsets as the finals are underway? I am sure of it but I do hope that the judging panel has the prudence to select the truly worthiest for the title. JUST ME! JOSEPH
These are the opinions of the author and not those of GlobalBeauties.com or any of its owners. by Joseph Vitug Before I continue with the Black Team, I would like to comment on the Top Model and Sports fast-track events. I have to say Brazil’s fast-track victory was well-deserved, along with the 2nd place finish of Czech Republic. What about the 3rd placer? Well you can read all about it as he’s part of this section. Now, the rest of the Top 20 shortlist has some interesting surprise inclusions and omissions—Serbia, Spain and Sweden were expected to ace this category, but were absent in the Top 20 of Top Model. I have only seen photos of the event so far and I thought those three exuded strong presence and charisma on the ramp—what happened? India redeemed himself with a fierce stage performance from his so-far lackluster (I’m putting that rather kindly) presence in the early parts of the competition that I would upgrade his rating by a few notches. China likewise was very striking. I was surprised by the inclusions of Bahamas and Hong Kong—seriously, were they that much better than the aforementioned “S” contestants? They performed well, to their credit, though. Czech Republic later earned an automatic semifinalist slot by winning the Sports fast-track event, further reinforcing his status as a front-runner. Two members of the Black Team garnered silver and bronze so you’ll read about them later on in this section. Nice to hear Belarus and Cyprus making a splash by making the Top Eight. BLACK TEAM This team has not made a major impression in the athletic and cooking challenges during the earlier weeks, with the exception of placing second in the track relay and Peru being commended for his taekwondo. But then, during the crucial Sports fast-track event, three members from this team made the Top Eight, tied with the Blue Team (oddly enough, the Yellow Team had no contestant making it to the shortlist). Will the late surge continue? Let’s see… LATVIA – Kristaps Punculis. He is one of the few people who looked much better than his pre-arrival modeling photos—thank goodness he cut off his mullet! I observed over the years of following male pageants that there usually would be an Eastern European contestant who would speak in bland monotones and would barely move at all in video interviews, as if we are viewing a still photo with a slightly moving mouth. This guy’s video is of that sort. LEBANON – Abdul El Balaa. I found his features a bit too rough and tumble and that in photos he doesn’t have that much charisma. So much so that I believe that he is not that assured of sustaining this country’s streak in this pageant’s finals. But his video displayed significant amounts of charm and personality that maybe this country’s streak might continue after all. LUXEMBOURG – Carlo Marino. Yes, there are contestants who would look more mature than most, and it would work for them. Unfortunately, for this fellow, his looks are too mature that I sometimes thought in his photos that he is a franchise-holder or a member of the crew or a casual tourist instead of a contestant. His video doesn’t really boost his cause… F.Y.R. MACEDONIA – Ivan Niksik. Yes, there are pageant fans and pundits who would regard him as a favorite. He is undeniably handsome, but he doesn’t know how to tap his charisma to the fullest yet. MALAYSIA – David Lian. You can’t miss his long, sharp chin—I think his face in profile resembles a crescent. We Filipinos have a term for those features—“Babalu”. MALTA – Mark Spiteri. His shaven head and his facial features reminds me of a beefier version of R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe. His video surprises me with the higher-than-expected pitch of his voice. But well, at least he has a great moment as he recently placed third at the Sports fast-track event. MARTINIQUE – Kevin Bellegarde. He seems to be the shortest contestant in this edition of the pageant. There is one pageant pundit who gave him an affectionate term: “Choco-Smurf”. MEXICO – Alvaro Alvarez. He has these stunning modeling photos pre-arrival that reminded me of Madonna’s current boyfriend (I’m tempted to put “boy-toy”) Jesus Luz. But photos in Korea were disappointing for me—I thought he’s probably Jesus Luz’s cousin from the favelas. But then there is his video—he sounds charming, intelligent, and articulate. I’m torn on how to rate him, because lookswise he doesn’t have the appeal of eventual telenovela stars Gabriel Soto (Mr. World 1996 1st runner-up) and Jose Luis Resendez (Mr. World 2003 4th place finalist), though his communication skills might give him that needed edge. MONGOLIA – Galbadrakh Badarch. Oddly enough, I think his features have the makings of a Korean matinee idol (you know, the sort who would be prominent in romantic dramas and maybe make music on the side). To my eyes, he does exude personality and charisma (along with a beefy but lean physique) that he is in contention to make the final cut. MONTENEGRO – Pedrag Pavlicic. He is cute, though I’m not crazy about his pageboy haircut—at some moments, he reminds me of American Idol season 9 semifinalist Alex Lambert (better known as “mullet boy”). But he styled it nicely in his video, and he is an amusing highlight—“where’s my coffee?” NETHERLANDS – Honza Filipi. It seems there is a common thread between this contestant and his predecessor, judging from his name—it sounds Italian, so is it possible that he is of Italian descent? But unlike his predecessor, he possesses a key trait that is distinctly Dutch—his towering 200 cm height (6′ 6 1/2”). He is clearly the tallest in this edition of the pageant. But besides his height, he also makes a distinctive presence with his classically blonde handsome features. Yes, he is worthy to be ranked third in the Top Model fast-track event. NEW ZEALAND – Arnold Du Toi. His pre-arrival modeling photos made me recall Norwegian Idol and World Idol champion Kurt Nielsen—and that’s not really a compliment. He fortunately cut his hair by the time he arrived in Korea, and early photos made me recall a blonde version of singer Michael Buble, and I was seriously considering rating him among the front-runners. Less-than-flattering photos followed, that I can only regard him as a creditable contender. NIGERIA – Kenneth Okolie. Pageant fans and pundits do not seem to notice this guy that much, but in my opinion, he can equal the showing of his predecessor, Ikenna Bryan Okwara. He actually does have a charismatic presence, resembling a cross between Senegalese hip-hop/R&B singer and producer Akon and “House” actor Omar Epps. So I was not shocked at all seeing him shortlisted for the Top Model fast-track. He also delivers the goods in his video, with his confident demeanor and his silky-smooth voice—I can imagine the ladies easily being seduced by him and be ravished in a boudoir. NORTHERN IRELAND – Matthew Poole. Alright, he is highly photogenic in his pre-arrival modeling photos. But his more candid shots make me recall early-Wham-era George Michael (prior to growing a stubble), or his döppelganger in that 1990s pop/R&B boy band Color Me Badd—again, this is not really a compliment. At least he got shortlisted in the Top Model fast-track. NORWAY – Chris Eileng. I thought that he could be one of those possibly overlooked gems as he didn’t seem to be as heavily buzzed about unlike, say, Brazil, Czech Republic, Spain, or Sweden, but I found him oozing with charisma and sex appeal. He started hitting his stride in the latter stages of the competition, being shortlisted in Top Model and placing 2nd behind Czech Republic in the Sports fast-track. One of my sentimental favorites to make it to the finals. PANAMA – Hector Javier Franco. He encounters the same issues as Dominican Republic and Honduras—his features are too exotic to make the right kind of impression and make serious inroads into the finals and he has nothing to help carry him around those issues. PARAGUAY – Diego Tuma Bogado. I actually find him surprisingly good-looking, though I do have issues with his eyebags—does he have any sleep? His video is unfortunately one of weakest of the bunch, though. PERU – Manuel Illich. I am so not into his looks, but he exudes a lot of confidence, outgoing personality, and charisma—not necessarily solely from the photos he took and posted on his Facebook profile but photos culled from other sources, too. He is also an excellent communicator judging from his video. As much as I would prefer to place him in the “Personality Factor” list, I have this sense he is making more serious inroads into the finals. COMING UP: THE RED TEAM AND MY FEARFUL FORECAST These are the opinions of the author and not those of GlobalBeauties.com or any of its owners. by Joseph Vitug This team seemed to be a force to be reckoned with in team athletics challenges, with the exception of running on track (they were last on the relay), as they usually were a close second to the Red Team. So, let’s take a look at the motley crew of fellows that comprise this team: YELLOW TEAM EGYPT – Tarek Naguib. He may not be as drop-dead hunky as his pre-arrival modeling photos may portray, but he’s still great looking enough to be in serious contention for the finals, and his beefy frame is enviable. With a spot likely to be reserved for Lebanon, will there be enough room for this hunky and engaging Arab? ENGLAND – Andreas Kattou. I presume his name and his swarthy features suggest that he is of Greek descent. He’s attractive and he seems outgoing enough, but I couldn’t find any significant amount of charisma in his video. ETHIOPIA – Matewos Jigsa. He has one very distinctive feature—his triangular-shaped head. I know scrawny frames allowed Africa to wield a whole lot of Olympic gold medals over the past half-century in long distance running events, but this is a male pageant, not a long-distance running event. Anyway, he is an extremely pleasant surprise in his video, as he looks like a nice dignified, clean-cut preppy. FRANCE – Mohammed Al-Maiman. He is the closest we have to a “beefcake behemoth” in this edition of this pageant. He qualifies as a hunk and a serious contender for the finals. He seemed to have proven his worth in athletic challenges, especially in the marine and paintball events (in the latter, he and Mr. Egypt were the only surviving members of their team). GEORGIA – Giorgi Orbeladze. He’s cute and handsome in a boyish way, and there are people who would dig those features. His chances of making the final cut would probably depend if the composition of the judging panel prefers that kind of look. GERMANY – Michael Pichler. There is really nothing to fault this guy for, as he is buffed and good-looking enough, and is articulate enough, but somehow I just sense something missing – that even if there are several pageant fans and pundits who believed he is in serious contention for the finals, I don’t really quite see him having the inside track. He might turn out to be a sleeper surprise, though. GREECE – Lampros Danas. He does look striking in his pre-arrival modeling photos, but he hasn’t really gotten much coverage since then—he doesn’t even have an “acid-test” headshot, though we clearly knew he was around. His distinctive feature is clearly his shoulder-length straight brown locks, though there were a couple of other long-haired fellows who seemed to be overshadowing him so far. He made a poor impression on his video mainly due to his choice of clothes—shirtless with the exception of orange denim overalls?! GUADELOUPE – Emmanuel Binga. He seems to consistently pop up in photos, though I don’t really see any charisma from him. To his credit he is a worthwhile contender with his buffed-enough physique and his attractive-enough face—hanging around with Mr. France probably helped him boost his profile. I just don’t see him becoming the “black-guy-most-likely” to make it to the finals. GUYANA – Max Chung. Apparently his surname may provide a hint why he has a lighter, mocha complexion. Still, his best prospect is simply to enjoy participating in all the events being offered. HONDURAS – Carlos Ortega. I simply find his features a tad too plain to make any serious impression, though he does have a buffed physique and solid communication skills. HONG KONG – Wesley Lee. He may not be much in the looks department, but his video is actually amusing and unforgettable—observe the articulate expressions of his face. INDIA – Inder Bajwa. He has these stunning pre-arrival modeling photos, but his acid-test headshot is a major disaster. Things go downhill from there, as he looked too mature for comfort in casual photos, and his video is actually a hot mess—yes, he’s articulate but we expect that from Indian contestants, and it doesn’t help that he doesn’t sound spontaneous and sincere. INDONESIA – Todi Pandapotan. He actually looked appealing when he sported some facial hair in his pre-arrival modeling photos, as when he shaved it off he lost charisma points. The taekwondo photos show that he’s growing it back, but right now, he shares the same dubious distinction with Mr. Ethiopia as possessing the same “inverse triangle head”. He also stands out with his very prominent ears, too, and not in a good way. He was refreshingly self-conscious in his video, especially with that awkward grimace towards the end where he seemed to sense he did not express himself as well as he would’ve liked. IRELAND – Kamal Ibrahim. It’s quite unusual to see this country represented by a black man. Regardless, this fellow delivers in the looks department plus he has a welcome charmingly confident demeanor that may possibly make him into “the black-guy-most-likely.” ITALY – Paolo Cosi. Here is a sleeper possibility for the finals—he looks handsome in every photo taken of him and he projected a likeable outgoing vibe. Will he make the right impression when it counts? I do hope so for his sake as he seems worthy, however word from Incheon say no. JAPAN – Hareruya Konno. It’s nice to see this country represented, as they rarely see action in the male pageant milieu. This fellow with the extremely interesting name (yes, it’s derived from that famous religious word, “Hallelujah”—he’s reportedly half-Israeli) actually exudes a striking presence and looked good in the “acid-test” headshot. So is he within striking distance of making the final cut? Unfortunately, there are two serious concerns that force me to peg him down several notches. First, when he opens his mouth, he possesses “teef”, not teeth—I saw that this feature is actually rather common with several good-looking Japanese men, so I wonder what’s up with that; I am reminded of what I read in a Time-Life reference book before about the Heian-era notions of beauty: blackened teeth, shaved eyebrows and thick eyebrows painted on the forehead in its place. Second, though he’s undeniably fit enough to carry another guy on his back on the beach, I saw a shirtless picture of him and his physique lacks tone and definition—he stood out like a sore thumb amidst a group of superbly buffed and toned contestants. KAZAKHSTAN – Roman Moronov. I’m not into his early-solo-career-era-Ricky-Martin long curly locks. Tying his hair back does not do anything for me, either. To his credit, though, he does have a humorous and outgoing personality. There might be some people who are into his personal style, and he seemed to do well in athletic pursuits. KENYA – Lwanda Kotengo. At first glance, I don’t see this fellow as being in serious contention as I found his face lacking any star quality or charisma. However shirtless group photos emerged and I was impressed with his lean and well-defined physique. That physique was likewise in full display during the Talent competition as he performed a tribal dance, and was shortlisted into the Top Six. Unfortunately, his video gave me visions of the character Frozone (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) from the Pixar film “The Incredibles”. KOREA – Ji-Kwang Yoo. He is actually starting to grow on me. At first glance, I thought his prospects are not as solid as I only regard him like a blandly cute schoolboy. But his winning Talent fast-track performance (singing James Ingram’s 1981 ballad chestnut, “Just Once”) made me recall American Idol season 9 semifinalist and fellow Korean John Park. If this guy auditions in American Idol and Shania Twain is one of the judges, I have a feeling Shania will also praise him for a “nice bottom end”. Arguably, this guy seems to even have outsang John Park (who was a major disappointment in the semifinals and was eliminated in the Top 20 round). Besides that, I’ve noticed how well-put together he looks in formal parties and he makes a great impression. I have this feeling he could be this edition’s equivalent of China’s Lejun Tony Jiang back in 2007, and he might probably end up a surprising runner-up. COMING UP: THE BLACK TEAM These are the opinions of the author and not those of GlobalBeauties.com or any of its owners. by Joseph Vitug After a long three-year wait, the Miss World Organization has finally staged another edition of its male counterpart, the Mr. World pageant. It promises to set the standard that all other male pageants would need to follow, providing the right balance in demonstrating how a male pageant could be genuinely masculine and glamorous at the same time. The athletic programme probably provided catnip to allow this pageant to attract a record number of 74 contestants (yes, it’s the biggest international male pageant ever held to date). For some sectors of society, though, the disappointing news is that it is unlikely we will be seeing these contestants in Speedos during this pageant—partly because in several areas of Korea it is still snowy, but mainly that seems to be the prevailing policy since 2007, though based on pre-arrival modeling photos of several contestants, many would be more than willing to sport them if advised to do so. Guess the few occasions to see them shirtless would have to be consolation enough. I don’t see any contestant in this edition who possesses the stratospheric standards of masculine gorgeousness set by the past winner, Juan Gabriel Garcia of Spain and his first runner-up Lucas Gil of Brazil, and neither would we find any deliciously hunky beefcake behemoths like Chile’s Patricio Laguna in the past edition and Belgium’s Fabien Hauquier back in 2003. However, there are still some extraordinarily attractive and fascinating specimens of manhood represented in this pageant, the majority of whom sported enviably rippled physiques, and it is proving to be an extremely competitive group with no unimpeachably definite front-runners this time (like the aforementioned Juan Gabriel Garcia and Lucas Gil back in 2007). The 74 contestants are divided into four teams. Unlike the random groupings in past editions, the groupings are now easier to follow as they follow English alphabetical order. The four teams are identified by color: the Blue Team, the Yellow Team, the Black Team, and the Red Team. Let us begin with the… BLUE TEAM This team may not have made a major impression in athletic challenges as it is often beaten by the Yellow and Red Teams, but they recently won the cooking challenge and a track relay. This team also hosts a few of the likeliest to win this pageant. ANGOLA – Jorge Martins. The black contestants in this edition of the Mr. World pageant barely make an impression as a collective whole, and very few have the charisma to be in serious contention. This guy is one of those exceptions—beefy, masculine, and based on pre-arrival modeling photos, quite handsome. Lookswise, he still delivers the goods in Korea based on the few photos available of him, though him becoming the black-guy-most-likely is not going to be a walk in the park, as there are quite a few nipping closely at his heels. His video may indicate a hindrance as he sounds like a himbo with the hesitancy and lack of confidence in the way he expresses his thoughts. AUSTRALIA – Tim Boulenger. This country is renowned for its hotties, but unfortunately this fellow fell short, though I thought he could have been a possibility prior to his arrival in Korea. His way-too-angular features and his Dudley-Do-Right jaw made me think of some Picasso cubist painting. AZERBAIJAN – Hafiz Aghayev. His pre-arrival modeling photos seemed to portray a swarthy hunk who could possibly usurp the slot typically reserved for a Mr. Lebanon. Post-arrival photos are like expecting a lion but only seeing a meek metrosexual kitty cat instead. To his credit, he sometimes channels actor Antonio Banderas at his 1980s-1990s prime. BAHAMAS – Kendrick Kemp. Ten years ago, they landed in the Top Five with Neil Dames. It’s highly unlikely this guy could even come close to that showing—unless the judges decided to put an extremely high premium on excellent communication skills and personality, which he displayed in excellent effect in his video. BELARUS – Mihail Baranov. This guy with the short-cropped Caesar’s cut is cute and speaks coherently, but he is facing an uphill battle with others with stronger charisma. BELGIUM – Willem Vermuyten. He has a nice, cute, scruffy appeal—yes, like a puppy dog—and he made a splash being first runner-up during the Talent fast-track competition when he showcased his piano skills. Making the final cut is still in the realm of possibility, but he won’t achieve Fabien Hauquier’s success, that’s for sure. BOLIVIA – Jonathan Fischer. He is handsome in an Ivy-League-university-student way, but he doesn’t seem to possess the “star quality” needed to make serious inroads in this pageant. BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA – Dejan Radovic. His shaven-head look has a great appeal, but it seems he was overshadowed by more charismatic personalities out there. BRAZIL – Jonas Sulzbach. I could figure out why he was the victor of his national pageant—he actually resembles Mr. World 2003 Gustavo Gianetti (even in personality), albeit with paler complexion, scruffier features, a ginger tint on his hair color, and extra derring-do judging from some modeling photos released over the internet. In this pageant, this country seems to be like a major powerhouse similar to Venezuela in Miss Universe, and this guy is almost certain to make the final cut. Now, to equal Gustavo Gianetti or Lucas Gil, well, I know it will be a major challenge and nothing is assured this time, but chances are looking very good for Jonas. BULGARIA – Martin Martinov. This guy is a thousand leagues forward from his predecessor—I’m glad that apparently the Bulgarian franchisee doesn’t seem to have ties to the underworld anymore, though there seemed to be a successor in that dubious category (read about him in my review of the Red Team). He has a nice, scruffy blonde model vibe, and judging from his surprisingly superb communication skills in his video, he could turn out to be a sleeper possibility. CANADA –Ron Wear. I can only dream of ice dancing Olympic gold medalist Scott Moir competing instead of this person. Is this really the best that Canada has to offer this time? Were they even able to tap the legendary hunks of Montreal? Sure, his decent communication skills and likeable-enough personality are redeeming traits, but they are not enough to offset the issue about his looks. Oh well, I’ll just simply stick to my Scott Moir dreamboat fantasy… CHINA – Lei Zhao. This country has actually gotten away with making the final cut while fielding lesser-regarded contestants before, with a lean rippled “uncle” back in 2003, and a plain-looking but articulate charmer who landed a surprising 2nd runner-up finish back in 2007. Now, they fielded a slim, chic metrosexual for this pageant. Would they get away with it again? Take note that host Korea has already gotten a slot, so I feel they are less likely to make room for another Asian, and there are actually better options out there (including one from a lesser-regarded country in this milieu—yes, and a member of the Red Team). COLOMBIA – Camilo Tocancipa Garcia. Some might be turned off by his blond highlights and spiky mullet hairstyle, but in my opinion, he actually made it work well for him. Yes, making the final cut is a possibility for this guy. COSTA RICA – Eduardo Esquivel. He is undeniably good-looking, and is viewed with high regard by several pageant fans and pundits. He is one of the few who also looked awesome in those infamous “acid-test” headshots that were apparently taken during the welcome dinner. I wonder if he has the charm and outgoing personality of his predecessor, Alonso Fernandez Alvarez, who made all the way to the Top Five last time? CROATIA – Dino Bubcic. He is undeniably highly attractive with the right kind of balance of youthfulness and manliness. But he doesn’t seem to have that “star quality” that other contestants are showcasing, so he might end up as “just another handsome face” in this contest. CYPRUS – Christos Christodoulides. I honestly thought very little of him until someone posted an “artistic nude” photo of him (think in the levels of the current Mr. Brazil). I maintain he still lacks the needed charisma to gain the edge, but he does make a positive impression. CZECH REPUBLIC – Josef Karas. I have a theory why this country has not yet participated in this pageant (or most male international pageants) until now—the best looking males from this country seemed to be lapped up by those famous studios like Falcon International, William Higgins, Sarava/Kristen Bjorn, and the like—and anyone who could read between the lines would know that having these studios in your resumé results in instant disqualification. This reasoning could also apply to Hungary and Slovakia’s absence in the male pageant arena in the past decade, too. Thank goodness those studios don’t seem to view this handsome Renaissance man (musician and athlete, among other things) as a suitable fit for their needs (or he wasn’t nterested in that route), so we the general public, could finally get to enjoy the masculine beauty that this country offers (we all know how the beautiful the ladies from this country are over the years, anyway). In my opinion, he exudes the vibe of Mr. World 2000 Ignacio Kilche of Uruguay, and I have this strong feeling that several people couldn’t resist his bright blue eyes. It helps that he possesses superb English skills due to extensive stays in the US and Canada. Right now, he’s my arguable front-runner. DENMARK – Kevin Skroder. There are some photos where he looked handsome and others where he looked plain. In other words, I find him simply a middling but worthwhile contender. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Ramon Uyola. His native features are just too exotic to my liking, unfortunately. So here’s how I thought the members of the Blue Team stack up: COMING UP: THE YELLOW TEAM These are the opinions of the author and not those of GlobalBeauties.com or any of its owners.
Contestants were pushed to their limits with press ups, sit ups, squat thrusts and other timed circuit training. Nigeria said “The exercises were much harder than I thought”. After the results were tallied the top twenty were announced as: South Africa, Thailand, Belarus, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Angola, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Denmark, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Macedonia FYRO, Panama. From these only the eight contestants with the best times would make it through to the Mr World Sports Final, they were:
The finalists were announced ten given a few hours to rest before facing the beach race in the afternoon. It consisted of a 300 metre track set up on the sandy surface, specially chosen to sap the energy from the leg muscles. It was a close contest but Czech Republic held the initiative throughout and it was no surprise to see him cross the line in first place. He was followed three seconds later by Norway who also ran terrifically. But it was the fight for third place where the race really came to life. In the last five metres third place changed three times. It looked like South Africa had the podium position before he tried to run faster than his legs could take him and fell flat on his face. Then Cyprus took the position but stumbled a mere metre away from the finish line. He couldn’t stay on his feet and much like South Africa before him, ended up with a mouth full of sand. This flurry of excitement at the death allowed Malta to steal in and snatch third place. Final results: 3rd Malta 01.20 Czech Republic will now go into the Mr World 2010 Semi-Final as Sports Champion. The Sports Final is the third and final fast track event after Korea won the Talent Final and Brazil won the Mr World Top Model.
Julia Morley and Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo opened the event with speeches before spectacular lights and booming music started the show with a bang. The first group walked out, led by Brazil, in futuristic tracksuits, in a 2018 Winter Olympics theme, for which Korea’s city of PyeongChang is a bidder. The second group featured Costa Rica and England among others wearing darker colors. The inspiration for these creations was the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The third stage had a European Royal theme. The national representatives of Japan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montengro, among others, wore Napoleon style complete with war medallions. The next segment was a wedding theme and the models wore grand tailcoats and pure white designs adorned with gold detail. Korean court costumes inspired the fifth and final section of the show. The designs were modern interpretations of court clothing from the Three Kingdoms Period (57-668), Goryeo (918-1392) and Joseon Kingdoms (1392-1910).
“If previous fashion shows highlighted feminine beauty for the delight of men, this event features beautiful masculine styles for women to marvel at,” said Kim, Korea’s top designer. The Mr World contestants were also being judged as they strutted down the catwalk. Chairman of MWO Julia Morley along with Andre Kim, the? first ever Mr World Tom Nuyens, Miss World 2007 Zhang Zilin, Miss World 2009 Kaiane Aldorino and Miss Korea Kim Joo-ri were sitting at the end of the catwalk on the panel. After the show the men came out in their own suits and the top twenty were announced as Brazil, Nigeria, Netherlands, Bahamas, Hong Kong China, Romania, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Norway, Egypt, Korea, Angola, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, China, Cyprus, Venezuela, Northern Ireland and India. The finalists were cheered by the crowd as they eagerly anticipated the final results. Third place was Netherlands, our tallest contestant at 202cm, second was Czech Republic and the Top Model winner was Brazil. He will now go into the Mr World Semi Final. |
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This morning around sixty contestants put themselves forward for a series of timed physical tests aimed at seperating the men from the boys. Only the strongest, fastest and most determined would make it through to the final beach race where our Sports champion was crowned.
The amazing outfits featured flower and dragon designs with bright blue, purple, white and golden colours. New Zealand modelled a purple design, “I never thought I’d wear a creation like this” he said.