The ultimate outcome of Mister Global 2017 is what I and most people expected, as the big favorites were the ones placed highest. Still there was room for quite a few surprises. For instance I got 11 out of 16 correct, with two in my “Blubbling Under” list and one in my “Striking Distance” list.
The biggest headscratcher for me was Indonesia (Reynaldi Rifaldo), who not only made it to teh Top 16 but went all the way to the Top Ten. But then, witnessing the Top Ten swimsuit round, perhaps there is an edge he had as he displayed a sense of derring-do–more on that when I post my full fledged Mister Global review (which will mostly come after I complete all my Eurovision pieces).
Similarly surprising for me was the inclusion of Panama (Arturo Lugo) as I found him a tad raw, and his choice of suit in the Top 16 formal wear round reflected that. But perhaps to the eyes of the judges he’s polished and makes an impact enough when it counts.
I was expecting Sri Lanka (Menuka Alwis) to make the cut as he exudes oodles of charisma and sex appeal and an enviable physique. But sizing him up compared to his peers his disadvantage is that he’s on the short side. At least he had the consolation of winning Best National Costume, He’s a runner-up behind two co-winners of this edition’s Lucas Malvacini award.
The two co-winners of the Lucas Malvacini award coincidentally come from countries that were the Top Two last year–Czech Republic (Tomáš Dvořák) and Thailand (Nontakorn Amput). It’s ironic that in the preliminary and final judging panel were the reigning Mister Global and his runner-up so what made these two strong contenders miss the cut? Were their interviews disastrous? Did Thailand somehow clashed with the organizers somehow that led to his exclusion?
I got three of the five finalists right–the judges may not seem to like India (Srikant Dwivedi) as much as I did but a Top Ten finish for him is totally satisfactory, and having Chile (Fabián Esteban Vera Abello) and Vietnam (Thuận Nguyễn) in this lofty group is fully justified. For many pageant fans and pundits, ti was always a battle among Brazil (Pedro Henrique Gicca), England (Christopher Joseph Bramell) and South Africa (Gerrie Havenga) and Brazil’s win was definitely deemed ideal. This set of winners is clearly unquestionable.
Now did this year’s pageant format live up to the well-received 2016 production? I’ll answer that question in my full-fledged review coming up in a couple of weeks.
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
Joseph Vitug's Views 