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Mr World 2010 to Be Unveiled Today

Students walk along the stage holding national flags during the final rehearsal of the Mr World 2010 contest at Songdo ConvensiA, Incheon, Friday. The 16-day search for the ``world’s most desirable man’’ comes to an end tonight. / Korea Times Photo by Cho Young-ho

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff Reporter

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.

Lee Da-hae, heroine of the TV drama ``Slave Hunters''; Julien Kang, who appeared on the sitcom ``High Kick Through the Roof''; and British supermodel-singer Alesha Dixon will present the show.

In addition to hosting, Dixon is expected to showcase her smash single ``The Boy Does Nothing.'' It will be her first time performing in Korea.

Also invited to the stage are tenor Paul Potts and K-pop group Girls' Generation. Potts, the famous salesman-turned-singer, will put on ``Un Giorne per Moi'' from the album ``Passione'' for his large fan base here. The explosively popular girl band Girls' Generation is expected to mesmerize the crowd with its hit number ``Gee.''

Viewers can also expect to see the 74 young contestants groove to music onstage. Also to be featured are a special taekwondo demonstration and traditional fan dance performance ― sequences that the contestants have become familiar with by now after their sojourn in Korea.

Contestants, who have been working in groups, can look forward to the announcement of the leading team. Divided into four ― red, blue, yellow and black teams ― the young men had been engaged in various group challenges.

The competition will be broadcast via MBC ESPN to an expected audience of 1 billion around the world. The show will be televised in 140 countries, through the United Kingdom's SKY1 TV, China's CCTV, the United States' Bravo and E, Russia's CTC, Brazil's CMT, Mexico's Televisa and South Africa's SABC3, among others