I have a feeling that people liked the model and the basics of the portrait, but probably didn't realize the shot was lit by fire. So they probably thought the white balance was off. I'm guessing that would be the reason for the disappointing score.
Looks like the engineer has put away his goggles and cleaned up nicely. I don't really see a fire within but he does appear sincere. His skin tones are a bit too orangeish.