Sunday 29 May 2011

Miss USA 2011 - First Update

So it's been a few days since most of the girls arrived for their media tour but I also spent a lot of time watching their "Vote for me" videos. These videos normally don't change much of my favourites but can change the ranking of those girls in the middle so who impressed to make my new Top 15?


(-) 1st - Alyssa Campanella, California
(-) 2nd - Angela Byrd, Hawaii
(-) 3rd - Alida D'Angona, Massachusetts
(up) 4th - Ana Christina Rodriguez, Texas
(down) 5th - Channing Pierce, Michigan

(up) 6th - Jamie Lynn Crandall, Utah
(down) 7th - Allyn Rose, Maryland
(-) 8th - Kia Ben-et Hampton, Kentucky
(down) 9th - Regina Turner, Connecticut
(up) 10th - Angelina Kayyalaynen, Washington

(down) 11th - Brittany Dawn Brannon, Arizona
(down) 12th - Courtney Hope Turner, South Carolina
(down) 13th - Amber Marie Collins, New York
(-) 14th - Jaymie Stokes, Kansas
(down) 15th, Jillian Wunderlich, Indiana

OUT
11th. Alaska - Jessica Chuckran
15th. Tennessee - Ashley Elizabeth Durham

IN
4th. Texas - Ana Christina Rodriguez
10th. Washington - Angelina Kayyalaynen

So quite a few changes within the Top 15 but not many changes to the actual Top 15.

Alyssa (California) is still my No.1 girl and I honestly don't see that changing unless she fails drastically. However Angela (Hawaii) is really pushing up there at the moment, whilst many have forgotten her I'm still sure she is going to make an impact. Alida (Massachusetts) is also another hot contender.

What was the cause of Ana's (Texas) cataclysmic climb to 4th? Well it was simply her video, it was one of the best videos of the girls where she showed beauty, charisma, intelligence and a winner's aura. At first I was unsure but Ana was gorgeous in her video and with her Texas background she'll be ready to take this competition by storm - look out Alyssa you have another contender.

Channing (Michigan), on the other hand, is showing signs of fatigue, she really needs to show the energy and likeability that the girls at the top have if not she faces stiff competition from Utah and Kentucky who can easily usurp her Top 5 spot.

Jamie (Utah) has been the star of the media tour, with no Alyssa and Angela, Alida and Channing having very few photos Jamie is really the stand out. Allyn (Maryland) is still a hot contender but she is suffering from severe burnout, she needs to solidify her position as a favourite because at the moment she is relying on her gorgeous video presence and photo shoots, she needs to stand out in candids as well. Kia (Kentucky) is looking like a very strong dark horse, I can see her making the Top 5 of my list if any of the above fall short in any of the other segments.

Out of my Top 10 Regina (Connecticut) is the only one surviving on potential alone. I know Regina has it but she hasn't done anything since. If she doesn't perform by the next time I update she will be waving her Top 10 position goodbye.

Besides Ana, Angelina (Washington) also showed a huge climb, yet again because of her video which was one of the best. I loved how she spoke of her racial ambiguity, I honestly thought she had some latina in her but maybe her father was European. Besides showcasing her charisma and intelligence she also came off as a beautiful contender which wasn't really evident in her pre show photos.

The competition is getting tougher and Brittany (Arizona) is starting to lose steam, the girls that have been over-hyped before the competition haven't shown up yet. For me she needs to be more flexible as her feline features can make or break her chances.

Courtney (South Carolina) is impressing everyone but I still don't see it enough to put her in my Top 5. She is just too all-american I think and in all honesty I'm thinking more for Miss Universe than just winning Miss USA. I think to be so "All-American" you need to be on the level of Shandi Finnessey because Kristen, Tara and Chelsea all didn't stand a chance.

Amber (New York) is starting to lose those qualities that made her a sudden favourite, I fear next time she'll have dropped off this list. Jaymie (Kansas) has looked gorgeous on candids but I'm worried for her long face which can register awkwardly on camera, she needs to learn her angles so that she doesn't exaggerate this fact. Finally Jillian (Indiana) completes my list. Original Jillian was more of a filler for my Top 15 but she has earned her spot with a very classy, confident and cool video.

At the moment I have a Top 16, Hope Driskill (Missouri) was the unlucky girl to have been eliminated from this list but besides her I have another 10 girls vying to make my Top 15.

Bubbling Under
Ashley Elizabeth Durham (Tennessee)
Heather Danelle Swann (District of Columbia)
Angela Sparrow (Illinois)
Keeley Patterson (Mississippi)
Brittany Wiser (Montana)
Julianna White (New Jersey)
Ashley Nicole Caldwell (Ohio)
Anna Prosser (Oregon)
Kate McCaughey (Rhode Island)
Kaitlyn Davis (Wyoming)

Honestly at this stage I like most of the girls, there are about 40 of them I could easily see making my Top 15 or near it in the coming days.

So now the next major hurdle will be preliminaries, that will be the next most important challenge for the girls and the place where my favourites might change again.

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