The Manhunt International 1997 was held in Singapore with 38 countries participating. It was an exciting event with lots of drama and colors. The World Final was held on the 23rd May 1997. The winner was Jason Erceg from New Zealand while the first runner up was Sandro Finnochio from Venezuela who later became Mr. World in 1998. The event was televised on the 24th May 1997 to more than 50 countries to 500 million viewers worldwide.