Paulo Paradela, known for being a stringent judge at the Rio de Janeiro samba schools' parade, evaluated the costumes for this year's event and awarded only four scores of ten. Among his evaluations, the Academics of Niterói, which paid tribute to President Lula, received the lowest score of 9.6, leading to the school's relegation. Paradela also assigned a score of 9.8 to Grande Rio, the second-lowest score given by any judge. The Academics of Niterói faced challenges during the parade, particularly with their queen, Virgínia Fonseca, whose elaborate costume, weighing 12 kilograms, needed to be partially removed due to discomfort during the performance. Additionally, her costume's adhesion issues affected the overall presentation on the Avenida, further contributing to the lower scores received. In contrast, the champion of the parade, Unidos do Viradouro, was among the few schools that achieved maximum scores from Paradela, along with Imperatriz, Beija-Flor, and Vila Isabel. Paradela, a graduate of PUC-Rio and a local of Rio, has been judging these prestigious competitions for eleven years, emphasizing the competitive spirit and the critical nature of costume evaluations in the samba school parade.