This year, Manhunt International had decided to create a second round of cuts from the Top 16 to a Top 10 instead of announcing the winners’ circle directly from the Top 16 as it was their wont in previous editions. But my concern that the decisions have already been made the night before in the preliminary competition seem to materialize as they quickly announced the next cut immediately after the Top 16 swimsuit parade. The Top 10 then of course paraded in formal wear where they then announce the winners. But this year, they added an extra accent as prior to the Top 10 walking in their tuxedos, they showcased the reigning winners’ circle of Miss Universe Philippines, with the winner Celeste Cortesi making waves with her avant-garde white peplum gown.
Though I wasn’t aware they would do a second cut, I did peg a Top 10, and I got 8 out of 10 right, as I previously thought FRANCE and GREECE would’ve been in this level but they were shut out.
NICARAGUA – Hanniel Espinoza. I may have pegged him only as a “Bubbling Under” choice but I felt he always had strong enough merits to make the cut–I just thought the likes of BULGARIA and MALAYSIA may have garnered more favor based on historical results and the fact he stayed scruffy would’ve been a disadvantage. But it seems Rosko & Co. relaxed their clean-shaven policy and it worked wonders for this guy. I didn’t notice that he’s also one of the taller delegates in this batch, and that might also be a factor that helped him make it to this level. The story of his five-day arduous journey to make it to our shores also probably made an impression.
SPAIN – Alexander Calvo. I thought he would make a play for the Final Five and possibly duplicate the showing of his predecessor, Yeray Hidalgo. But despite his undeniable handsomeness and buffness, buzz about him was relatively muted. I think what pulled him down was his very flat hairstyle–it may have been in vogue back in the 1920s-1930s, but I know modern male hairstyles tend to feature height at the top, which he didn’t quite manage.
BRAZIL – Hendson Baltazar. Besides the human interest story of him only having one leg, he created a major stir with his makeover when he arrived in Manila–his prior looks feature him with scruff, but he unleashed major charisma when he appeared clean-shaven and I thought he could be a possible winner. Somehow in later stages he faded a bit but he still has undeniable charisma and the Mr. Photogenic special award is well-deserved.
PERU – Daniel Jares. Many local pageant journalists and pundits observed he resembles famous Filipino TV personality Atom Araullo and on top of his translation skills he made an indelible impact and received heavy buzz as a possible usurper for the Final Five. A sponsor’s prize by Blackwater just reinforced his possible path of making that far. He probably just missed the winners’ circle by little. It’s interesting to note he kept his scruff–normally this pageant would permit only one scruffy guy to make the Top 16 but this year they allowed three–NICARAGUA, this guy, and…
SOUTH AFRICA – Marcus Max Karsten. After his shock exclusion at Mister Global 2019, he’s out for vindication and it looks like he achieved it here. He garnered two sponsor’s prizes from Blackwater and AQ Prime, and it is possible that he’s the one who was closest to making the winners’ circle but missed by a sliver. I have a feeling this is where keeping his scruff might have prevented him from going further, but this achievement is something worth saluting.
I can peacefully feel good about getting three of the Final Five correct. I was half-surprised at the showing of one of the eventual Final Five, but well, I have to respect that there are good reasons for that high showing.
4TH RUNNER-UP: NETHERLANDS – Cas Hagman. I may not expect him to generate a back-to-back win for his country but he did display the competitive drive characteristic of his predecessor, Paul Luzineau, so despite not getting any special award his making the winner’s circle was not surprising and fully justified.
3RD RUNNER-UP: VIETNAM – Tran Manh Kien. He may not have ended up as the Top Asian in this batch but he still was undeniably so strong that a Final Five finish was indeed a foregone conclusion, justifying his showing with his manly charisma, and buffed bod that made him earn a Best Swimwear Model special award.
2ND RUNNER-UP: U S A – Elijah Van Zanten. I always regarded him as a front-runner, and indeed he left no stone unturned here and covered all the bases. He was deemed the winner of the Digital Challenge for Runway though I also felt his Digital Challenge video for Physique was commendable too. I personally felt he deserved perhaps a finish one notch higher, but this placement is still a great placement.
1ST RUNNER-UP: PHILIPPINES – Joshua De Sequera. I’m surprised to hear some pageant pundits in my circle took a liking to this guy, as for most Filipino tastes he is considered to be on the plain side. But we have to credit him that his modeling pedigree (his mom is Filipina modeling legend Marina Benipayo) did serve him well as he does know how to project better than the pre-competition photos might indicate, and of course there is his imposing 6’4″ stature. I may not peg him as 1st runner-up material and in my mind it’s like 2018 all over again when the host country finished in this place, but here there is some good justification for his strong showing, like garnering two sponsors’ prizes from Blackwater and AQ Prime and a Best Commercial Model special award. On a piquant note, it’s interesting he shares one quality with another Filipino Manhunt delegate who finished in the Top Three, 1997 2nd runner-up Vincent Pinto*1: he’s already a father when competing in this contest.
*1 I learned this detail about Vince Pinto retroactively in last year’s Miss Universe Philippines when his daughter Jasmine Umali competed representing Manila–based on the age at the time she competed, she was already born when Vince was competing in MHI.
MANHUNT INTERNATIONAL 2022: AUSTRALIA – Lochie Carey. His first name is pronounced the same way you say the name of the Norse god of mischief (and now more famous as the Marvel superhero Thor’s brother / nemesis) Loki. He has all the elements worthy of ultimately garnering this title, with his buffness, handsomeness, charisma, and social media engagement. It doesn’t matter if he’s the shortest guy amongst the Final Five, he still qualifies as a tall-enough model. He garnered the most special awards, with two sponsors’ prizes from AQ Prime and Blackwater, a win for Digital Challenge – Physique*2, and earning a fast-track slot for being the top overall performer in all three Digital Challenge events. His win seemed inevitable and generally unquestionable and well-received.
*2 Though I personally preferred the Physique videos of USA and SPAIN, but still his Physique video was top-notch.
Though I feel the conduct of the World FInal is serviceable, at best, I can say I’m very satisfied with the final results. Admittedly I know this contest is still in a rebuilding phase due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I hope it can soon reach the heady heights it used to achieve several years back.
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
Press Presentation Casual Wear images courtesy of Mike Zuniga for Sash Factor; Press Presentation Swimwear images courtesy of Joy Arguil for Fab Philippines; Final swimsuit competition images courtesy of Andy Cayna for Sash Factor. All other images courtesy of Manhunt International unless otherwise indicated.