Saturday 10 September 2011

Miss Universe 2011 The Final Preview

With the preliminary competition done and dusted and only two more days until the final I expect this to be the last MU post from me until the final review. It has been a hell of a pageant with favourites constantly rising and falling but the preliminaries definitely changed my favourites list, for better or for worse? This is going to be one hell of a post so sit tight and be prepared to read some honest opinions on all 89 girls, yes all of them.

So starting from No.89...

89TH
EL SALVADOR
Maura Aldana

Every competition needs a loser and in Miss Universe 2011 it's El Salvador. She looks extremely old especially with her heavy make up but she's only 24. She needs to stop giving the pageant patty smiles and moves because it makes her look even more mature. And I hated how she played with her dress.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

88TH
TANZANIA
Nelly Kamwelu

Nelly looks like a fun loving personality but her major downfall is her facial features. Her prominently pointed nose gives her a slight witch-like look. I like her energy on stage but she just doesn't stand out in the right ways.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

87TH
GEORGIA
Eka Gurtskaia

People say she's a model but I don't share the same opinion. Her looks are awkward and her walk isn't that great however she does have a very lean body which does suit the "hangar" model archetype. She hasn't shown personality which Miss Universe craves.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

86TH
NEW ZEALAND
Priyani Puketapu

Originally I didn't mind her, she was floating in the 60-70 section but preliminaries changed my mind. She undeniably has a healthy body but her stocky frame makes her look extremely short especially with her slicked back hair, ageing her considerably.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

85TH
BOTSWANA
Larona Motlatsi Kgabo

Her facial beauty is lacking, pre prelims people praised her for her cute face but I didn't see that either. She lacks stage projection and doesn't have that MU vibe. However there's some charm to her which keeps her from the bottom.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

84TH
JAMAICA
Shakira Martin

I hate to say it but from Yendi to Shakira! Facially she's not that bad but she lacks the confidence that Yendi had and she seems quite timid, worsened by her body which needs some toning. Chances of her building on Yendi's success is slim.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

83RD
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Sheroma Hodge

I actually thought she looked her best in the preliminaries but still Sheroma is not in the same league as the best of the competition. Her smile is her asset though so she should use it to her advantage.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

82ND
KAZAKHSTAN
Valeriya Aleinikova

To me Valeriya is a plain Jane. She has a face that is quite ordinary but can be glammed up to look decent. My disappointment is sadly on what could have been. The original delegate Zhanna could possibly have made the Top 15 but we are left with Valeriya who really doesn't stand a chance.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

81ST
SLOVENIA
Ema Jagodic

The problem with Slovenia is that she doesn't stand out. Her weak points aren't major problems but I also don't see many great points about her, that's why she falls into the 80 and below. She doesn't stand out and I find her black hair is too harsh for her facial features.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

80TH
GUYANA
Kara Lord

Kara's strength is her confidence but she needs to be wary that her confidence can be perceived as arrogance especially the way she projected it in the preliminaries. She needs to tone it down a bit in order to not look too "Diva-licious" and masculine.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

79TH
GUAM
Shayna Jo Afaisen

Shayna is cute but sadly that's about it. Her round face and thin hair doesn't work well at Miss Universe as well as the fact that she's only 5 foot 5.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

78TH
INDIA
Vasuki Sunkavalli

Sadly there's nothing about Vasuki that stands out to me. Personally I found last years delegate Usoshi had an elegance and sophistication which saved her a bit but I don't see anything special with Vasuki. However I guess you could call her a dusky beauty.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

77TH
GERMANY
Valeria Bystritskaya

Valeria really disappointed me in the prelims because I was hoping she'd prove all her doubters otherwise. Whilst I didn't think Valeria was anyway near the Top 15 I did think she was better than what people suggested but she just wasn't what I expected. She does have a bit of a Martina Lee don't you think?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

76TH
ITALY
Elisa Torrini

When she entered in the evening gown competition I was playing the intro of Beethoven's 5th Symphony in my head. She has the same style as most Miss Italy Universe's but sadly her confidence and glamour cannot be backed up with her beauty and elegance. Her smile can be awkward and to me she looks like a rich Italian housewife.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

75TH
GREAT BRITAIN
Chloe-Beth Morgan

I may be from Great Britain but once I knew Chloe-Beth was representing us I knew our bad luck would continue. I'm very happy with her success at Miss International but sadly I don't understand her appeal. Her eyes and nose are her biggest problems and on the preliminaries she looked aged coupled with bad styling. However her snap turn saved her from dropping into the abyss.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

74TH
SRI LANKA
Stephanie Siriwardhana

Honestly I feel so sorry for her with all the bashing comments about her weight. To be frank I don't think her body is that bad, yes not as lean or toned as many but still not enough to be making jokes about her running to the buffet every second. We've honestly seen worse! And actually I find her smile captivating however she has some very bad angles.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

73RD
NIGERIA
Sophie Gemal

Terrible styling in the preliminaries, it made her look masculine and a bit of a loon but there's something quite beautiful about Nigeria, I think it's her inner beauty that shines out but she's very timid and needs to get a stylist!

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

72ND
SOUTH AFRICA
Bokang Montjane

Bokang is an acquired taste but there's some reason why she outlasted all those pretty girls in her national competition. I think it's her confidence that won the judges over. Whilst I find her looks quite polarising I do seem to be drawn towards her when she's on camera.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

71ST
ST. LUCIA
Joy-Ann Biscette

It's always nice to see a delegate enjoying themselves even though they know they're not in contention, that's why Joy-Ann climbs up my rankings. Her smile is beautiful and whilst her look is plain she carries herself way.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

70TH
HONDURAS
Keylin Suzette Gomez

She is totally overshadowed by her afro but without it she'd be overshadowed by the competition. She has some lovely features beneath that mass of hair but it's just not shining out.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

69TH
BELGIUM
Justine De Jonckheere

Oh what were you thinking Justine? Possibly one of the biggest disasters of the night. Her gown was dreadful and her styling worsened her features. She's not the prettiest of delegates but she was doused with bad styling and makeup in the preliminaries to further worsen her cause. She manages to cling to 69th because she has an endearing personality.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

68TH
CURACAO
Evalina van Putten

This girl's spark has truly been blown out. She didn't exude any appeal in the preliminary competition and her plastic nose was more of a distraction than I thought it'd be. Yes she looks better than she was before but just because she's had a tremendous transformation does not automatically put her near the top.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

67TH
TURKS AND CAICOS
Easher Parker

She doesn't stand out but her intellect has caught the attention of pageant fans. Personally I find that she's very well spoken and has a solid beauty but her body needs toning and she doesn't excite.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

66TH
GUATEMALA
Alejandra Barillas

To be honest I don't understand how she beat Jessica Scheel in their national competition but she pleasantly surprised me in the prelims. She did extremely well so she rocketed up to 66th from basically rock bottom. However I would be shocked if she was included in the Top 16.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

65TH
URUGUAY
Fernanda Semino

This girl looks a bit like a teenager amongst the crowd, I think it's exacerbated by her smile. I think there's a decent girl behind what she is portraying herself as but I don't know how she can use it.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

64TH
CZECH REPUBLIC
Jitka Novackova

Was it the same girl competing in the preliminaries? I couldn't recognise her, or maybe it's because I don't know her look well enough because every time I rank her I need to look back at her photos. However she looks extremely old for only being 19. But will her Czech sash give her an advantage?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

63RD
ROMANIA
Larisa Popa

She was extremely exaggerated in the prelims but I have an inkling feeling she could be a dark horse. However I don't know whether her performance classified herself as a sophisticated lady or an old hag.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

62ND
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Dagmar Kolesarova

She's been disappointing since her arrival and it continued into the prelims but she does command attention with her dark hair and dark eyes.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

61ST
DENMARK
Sandra Amer

I don't really know what to think about Sandra because her look is interesting but yet I think it is too harsh for her. I also don't like her excessive use of makeup which adds too many random colours to her already overloaded face.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

60TH
US VIRGIN ISLANDS
Alexandrya Evans

Alexandrya has been a pleasant surprise however she's still not ready to tackle the Top 50. Her body is stocky but undeniably toned and she actually has been looking decent in candids. I also liked her evening gown.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

59TH
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Gabrielle Walcott

Sadly I don't share the enthusiasm as others do for T&T. I like her attitude and her stage presence but she looks extremely old and verging on haggard. She also slaps on excessive amounts of makeup ageing her even further.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

58TH
SINGAPORE
Valerie Lim

Personally I think Valerie's look is a bit harsh and she hasn't been looking good in candids but she has a toned body and looked good in prelims so she manages to stay in the Top 60.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

57TH
ECUADOR
Claudia Schiess

She was pretty average in the preliminaries and I've never been a fan of her look but she has an interesting style that makes her stand out amongst those that fall below her.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

56TH
CYPRUS
Andri Karantoni

Whilst I don't really like her look she was undeniably radiant in the preliminary competition and looked the best she has been. However she still lacks on stage presentation compared to some of the hot favourites.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

55TH
BOLIVIA
Olivia Pinheiro

She's so over the top and pageant patty that it hurts. She has some strong points about her but her performance is distracting and annoying.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

54TH
IRELAND
Aoife Hannon

I actually find her OK, however many think she's trying too hard, she's no Rozanna Purcell but she's not as bad as I had initially thought. I like her poise and she does look quite glamorous at times, in fact what I'm annoyed about is not her look but her rather random humour.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

53RD
JAPAN
Maria Kamaiyama

She looked confident and sexy in the swimsuit competition but she still lacks real presence in my opinion. However I do love her personality and her constant smile but facially she just does not pop out.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

52ND
FINLAND
Pia Pakarinen

I never really understood her appeal and her rather lacklustre preliminary presentation confirmed that with me but she undeniably has some pretty angles.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

51ST
EGYPT
Sara El-Khouly

I'm starting to warm up to her, a bit. I do finally understand her beauty and she does have a bubbly personality but her very weak walk and lack of personality on stage will be the reasons for her exclusion.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

50TH
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dalia Fernandez

At her best Dalia could really strike fear in some of the favourites, I admit, but 90% of the times she looks plain. To me she looked rather plain in the preliminaries and I still can't get over her nose.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

49TH
CAYMAN ISLANDS
Cristin Alexander

I never expected Cristin to make the Top 50 when she arrived at Sao Paulo but her elegance and confidence has really made an impression on me. She has a natural charm which is aided by her tall and toned physique. 

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

48TH
ALBANIA
Xhesika Berberi

I've never been a fan of Xhesika and that hasn't really changed after the prelims. Her fans were willing me to watch her on stage but to be honest she looked no better in the prelims to what I've seen in candids. She's definitely her best when she's glammed up in photos but she's not telegenic. However with Fadil by her side she could potentially make a claim for a Top 16 spot.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

47TH
CROATIA
Natalija Prica

Croatia has been a huge question mark for me since the beginning but she performed well in general in the preliminaries so she manages to make the Top 50. Her main problem is looking old and a bit heavy.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

46TH
SERBIA
Anja Saranovic

Her over vibrant personality is her USP but also something that annoys me. I'm not a fan of her but I do admit she has some good angles.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

45TH
MAURITIUS
Laetitia Darche


Smack bang in the middle of the bunch is Mauritius. I was slightly disappointed with her prelims to be honest but she manages to stay in a decent position two days before the finals. She's supposedly the best Miss Mauritius in history so does she have a chance in breaking Mauritius' bad luck?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

44TH
SPAIN
Paula Guillo

Starting off the positive end of our list is Spain. Personally I'm not attracted to Spain's masculine features but she has a good energy on stage which makes her possibly a Top 16 competitor but I hated her hairstyle in the prelims.. She also trained in Venezuela so she has huge potential to make the cut.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

43RD
LEBANON
Yara El Khoury Mikhael

Lebanon is one of a bunch of beautiful Middle Eastern girls but like many from the Middle East she has the looks but nothing much else. I would like to see her perform well but she just didn't stand out in the prelims.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

42ND
KOSOVO
Aferdita Dreshaj

Miss Washed Out Pop Princess plops in at No.42. Being frank she looked average in the prelims but then she was very good in the swimsuit segment and obviously has a lot of fans. I highly doubt Fadil's pair of Albania and Kosovo will both be out of the Top 16 so I think Aferdita is on her way to the Top 16.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

41ST
CHILE
Vanessa Ceruti

She was climbing but then her boring prelim performance sealed the deal for me. She's facially not the best so she needs to excel in every other segment but sadly she's as interesting as a stick at the moment.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

40TH
VENEZUELA
Vanessa Goncalves

Riot in the house! I stand by my initial assessment that Vanessa is lacking as a frontrunner. She has the stage props and undeniably has a beautiful body but her face looked beyond human in the prelims to me, she looked so plastic it was unimaginable. She's so high on my list because she has everything but the face.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

39TH
POLAND
Rozalia Mancewicz

This Polish beauty better start standing out because like so many European delegates she just moves with little conviction however she is undeniably beautiful and can at her best contend with the top blondes but being in such a tough group (the P group) she'll probably be overlooked.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

38TH
HUNGARY
Betta Lipcsei

Possibly the worst gown this year, continuing the tradition of awful gowns from Miss Hungary's. There were a lot of choices for worst gown this year but Betta's "scrunched up tissue paper-like" bottom definitely beat them all. Anyway Betta is beautiful but yet again lacks the stage props which is quite common in European delegates.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

37TH
CANADA
Chelsae Durocher

This may be a bit unconventional but I still like Canada. I thought she looked decent in the prelims despite an average dress and not standing out. I think her best asset is her smile.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

36TH
MONTENEGRO
Nikolina Loncar

She has been climbing everyday for me and she peaks at 36th. I love her personality and somewhat tween (teen queen) appeal. She's also not bad looking and winning Miss Congeniality should mean she's likeable.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

35TH
TURKEY
Melisa Asli Pamuk

She has one of the faces of this pageant but her flabby stomach and her slightly timid performance let her down. However I thought she looked beautiful in her red evening gown.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

34TH
ESTONIA
Madli Vilsar


It was around a week or two into the pageant that I started to like her from initially side-lining her as a clapper. I thought she did well in the prelims, showcasing her bubbly personality however she does need to tone up a bit.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

33RD
COLOMBIA
Catalina Robayo

This girl might not have the best facial features but she definitely knows how to work the crowd. She walks with conviction even though it borders on pageant patty. She's an interesting proposition, could she make the cut?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

32ND
GHANA
Yayra Erica Nego

Finally Yayra gives me a taste of why I originally had faith in her. She's not the prettiest but it is evident she enjoys walking on the stage and she definitely can walk. She has great presence on stage and her gown fitted her very well, it'll be interesting seeing if she'll land a spot.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

31ST
BAHAMAS
Anastagia Pierre

Another former Miss USA contender. She performed well at preliminaries. I hate to say this but her disproportional head has been a huge distraction for me. I didn't want to let it affect my decision but it really has played prominently in my mind. It's a shame because she has the potential to soar.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average


We finally get down to the business end of the rankings, the Top 30.

30TH
FRANCE
Laury Thilleman

I was one of the few who supported her after her crowning and maintained my faith in her however by the time everybody jumped on her bandwagon I kind of wanted to jump out. She's undeniably a strong competitor but she is no Malika Menard or Chloe Mortaud. She's a contender but I wouldn't want to see her winning.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

29TH
BRAZIL
Priscila Machado

I was disappointed with Brazil's preliminary performance. We lost that regal queen and in exchange been given a pale and old looking latina. I don't know if it was the pressure that got to her but she's slowly falling back to where she was pre pageant.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

28TH
ANGOLA
Leila Lopes

I never really jumped on her bandwagon but then again I saw that she was genuinely quite pretty but she didn't showcase that in the preliminaries and I was left rather cold towards her. One thing that irked me was that Angola and Aruba were styled so similarly and they were so close together in the running order, will that affect their chances?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

27TH
THAILAND
Chanyasorn Sakornchan

She wasn't as strong as I had expected and to be honest Fonthip was better than her (and if we look even further back into Miss Thailand's Gavintra, Farung, Chananporn etc etc) but she continues the style of bubbly Thai delegates and has definitely improved since crowning. I would like to see her perform better though.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely (due to public vote)

26TH
ARUBA
Gillain Berry

The positive surprise of the pageant. Gillain wasn't even considered pre pageant but once she arrived she sparked massive fear into the hearts of other black delegates. If she can capture her best moments for the final she'll do well but the first step is making it in the Top 16.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

25TH
SWEDEN
Ronnia Fornstedt

I was a tad shocked when she won Miss Photogenic but I do think she's very pretty. She also presents herself well however she needs to show more personality. Her height and lean body definitely allow her to stand out.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

24TH
PORTUGAL
Laura Goncalves

There's something about Portugal I just love. She has a classy look that could also be cutesy or feminine if she wanted. However like with Poland making it from her group will be incredibly difficult with Peru, Panama, Philippines looking like very plausible Top 16 candidates.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

23RD
HAITI
Anedie Azael

Anedie is so adorable it's unreal. But wiping away the cutesy image she's also a decent competitor. However it could be difficult to breakthrough with her round face but she's definitely a pleasant surprise and very photo and telegenic.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

22ND
INDONESIA
Nadine Ames

Nadine performed very well in the prelims and has definitely pushed herself into a nice spot however I'm still unsure about her facially and she lacks presence in comparison to some of the other girls near her in this ranking.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

21ST
KOREA
Sora Jung

I was so disappointed with Sora's styling on the night, she could have been a huge contender but her styling messed her up in my opinion. However Sora still stays in my Top 25. I find it amusing that a load of people put her as a clapper pre arrival but when she landed she was knocking on the door of the favourites list. Also I love that she's bilingual

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

20TH
MEXICO
Karin Ontiveros

I don't for one moment doubt that Karin is one of the most beautiful this year but her stiff expressions have got to go. I'm not sure if her styling has worked for her, we'll just have to see what happens on the 12th but looking at history a lot of the times the reigning country doesn't make it the next year, only Canada, Japan and Venezuela have managed it in this past 10 years.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

19TH
PARAGUAY
Alba Riquelme

Confident, sultry and tall Alba has always been a dark horse in my list even when people didn't take notice of her but yes her major ailing point is her nose, like the thing that haunted Marelisa Gibson. I think she has a chance of making it into the Top 16 but it would be a hard fought battle.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

18TH
NICARAGUA
Adriana Dorn

Whilst I wasn't entirely sure of her preliminary performance Adriana has been climbing my rankings every day. She definitely has some very beautiful angles and can easily pull off both elegant and sultry however will her chances be wilted with a number of strong latinas in the competition?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

17TH
VIETNAM
Vu Thi Hoang My

Vietnam looked the best she has been in the prelims and has sky-rocketed to 17th place in my list, what a shame, just one away from placing. She was sultry in her red evening gown and didn't let Venezuela's cheers take over her own performance, however with so many good Asians this year Vietnam might have to sit on the sidelines.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average


and Finally the Top 16, some changes have been made to my Top 16 and a lot of internal shuffling so how does it look now?


16TH
COSTA RICA
Johanna Solano

A banging body, a beautiful smile and the pageant patty laugh Johanna knows what she is doing and can even carry off a heavy dress. She has pageantry written all over her but will Miss Universe accept her with open arms? It's a tough competition this year.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

15TH
SWITZERLAND
Kerstin Cook

With the classy one sided look donned also by former MU Stefania Fernandez, Kerstin looked ready to do her thing in the swimsuit competition. She has captivating eyes and a cosmopolitan edge about her that could be a hit with the judges.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

14TH
ARGENTINA
Natalia Rodriguez

ARGH, one of the most beautiful girls in the competition but ruined by her hairstyling. How could they make one of the best girls look so common? For some reason she also looked shorter than her 5 ft 8.5. I just wonder if her chances have been dashed because of this.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

13TH
PUERTO RICO
Viviana Ortiz

Easily the most captivating gown of the night and Viviana carried it with elegance and a hint of sex appeal. Puerto Rico is definitely on her way to the Top 16 but I'm just slightly worried about her masculine features, she does however give me an Ana Rodriguez feel.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

12TH
PANAMA
Sheldry Saez

Oh lord I finally see it! I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon. She is one of the best when glammed up, I still think she's not the best in candids but with preliminaries done it doesn't matter if she looks like shit in the morning because it's all about the final night now.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

11TH
PHILIPPINES
Shamcey Supsup

Shamcey so nearly made my Top 10, she probably will if she makes the Top 16 and produces a stunning performance. Whilst I'm not as crazy as some about her prelim performance I did think it was solid and distinctive, which is what gave Venus the edge. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of Shamcey in the finals.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely


NOW FOR MY TOP 10

10TH
RUSSIA
Natalia Gantimurova

Whilst I'm extremely disappointed with her prelims (she looked like a Christmas present in the Evening Gown segment) I still think she is one of the most stunning girls in the pageant. Yes she didn't look as good in the prelims but I still have faith that if she makes the Top 16 cut she could be a danger.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

9TH
ISRAEL
Kim Edri

Another of my lovelies that didn't do well on the night. She is definitely one of the faces of the pageant but sadly her dress swamped her and her thighs are slightly big compared to most of the other girls. However it's not all over yet. If Irina Antonenko managed to make it last year, which I imagine is down to her beauty alone, then Kim Edri could possibly do it as well.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average


Be prepared, be very prepared

8TH
USA
Alyssa Campanella

WHAT HAPPENED! My favourite since even when she participated in Miss California has now dropped to 8th! I just can't believe what we saw in the prelims. It was not her night, the biggest problem was her styling. Her swept back hair aged her considerably and didn't allow her to use it the way she did at Miss USA and secondly she looked so thin! She was visibly so much more frail compared to the other girls that it was disturbing to watch. I'm worried about her health because she was so much better at Miss USA. And her tan didn't help her either, it didn't look even and was possibly slabbed on to make her look healthier. Is this the end for Alyssa? She's no longer the frontrunner after this performance and I worry if she'll even be able to make it to the Top 16 as major backlash could ensue in America. However her interview and evening gown should be enough to save her as long as she doesn't fall into say 10th place and get eradicated by the MUO for not being a healthy role model to young girls. I hope it's all just styling. Her relatively high ranking is because of her candids and her interview and actually her Miss USA performance, sometimes I wonder whether I'm biased towards the girls I've watch the national pageants of, in brief I think I am but it would take reasonable consideration for me to be biased towards them.

The Alyssa we see now is not the same girl that won Miss USA, come back to us Alyssa and stay positive and healthy.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

7TH
CHINA
Roseline Luo

China is back on the map! And it's not even because of the preliminaries. Something just clicked for me this week that allowed Roseline to find her way back to the Top 10 for me and coupled with a good preliminary performance it seemed absurd not to include my fellow Chinese into the Top rung of candidates. She has been styled similarly to Honey Lee but they're really not that similar. However she'll excel and I can't wait to see her in the Top 5.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

6TH
AUSTRALIA
Scherri-Lee Biggs

I feel so sorry for Scherri-Lee because essentially at the moment it's Top 6 for me and Scherri-Lee unfortunately came in at 6th. To me she has always been in contention and her healthy body and brilliant smile affirmed my thinking. However she should not hold her dress the way she did instead she should walk with elegance and poise in order to stand a chance of making the Top 5 because I think she'll be a good bet for the Top 10 at least.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely


FINALLY TOP 5, most of you'll know which five have made it but with Alyssa gone who'll be the new frontrunner?

5TH
NETHERLANDS
Kelly Weekers

Many believe she threw her chances away in the prelims, I don't really understand why because I thought she did well but I do think Kelly could be our shock exclusion in the Top 16, it's a gut feeling so I can't explain it but she does give me an Alida D'Angona vibe for some odd reason.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

4TH
PERU
Natalie Vertiz

Calm, sophisticated, classy, sexy with a hint of saucy is what describes Natalie. She has finally broken into my Top 5! I will be shocked if she is excluded from the Top 16 but I do get a slight bitchy attitude from her, I hope that's not true, however confidence is the key to winning.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

3RD
UKRAINE
Olesya Stefanko

Through all the chaos Ukraine has stayed comfortably in her spot. She is sex personified, from that captivating stare to her sultry walk everything is just a teenage boy's wet dream. However she'll need to know when to bring it down a notch for the live finals or she may come with 18+ censorship.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

2ND
MALAYSIA
Deborah Priya Henry

Did you guess it, Deborah at No.2? For all this time Deborah has been patiently waiting in the 2nd spot for Alyssa to fall and when she does someone else usurps her power. However Deborah is still a hot contender. She has barely placed a foot wrong in this whole competition and if she does manage to make the Top 5 be very afraid girls because she's not going to mess up her final answer.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

1ST
GREECE
Iliana Papageorgiou

Did you see it coming? Iliana manages to climb all the way to No.1 because of a solid album of candid shots and a mesmerising preliminary performance. What I liked about her performance was that it was a little edgy, she used her modelling abilities to make her walk more cosmopolitan for the pageant scene and it really worked even when her gown looked slightly like a wedding dress. Some say she's too skinny but what I saw on the night she was a healthy skinny rather than what Alyssa looked. She's a dangerous proposition because she can make it all the way to the Top 5.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

So all 89 girls done and dusted. I think I am currently operating on a Top 12 favourites ranking e.g. from Panama upwards are my favourites this year. And here's my fearless predictions for what would happen on the 12th.


Top 5
Panama, Puerto Rico, China, Malaysia, Greece

Top 10
Peru, Venezuela, Australia, Philippines, Ukraine

Top 16 (including Public Vote)
USA, France, Kosovo, Spain, Costa Rica, Thailand

This was actually incredibly hard. I'm working on a basis of who could shine in the respective competition. Since Top 16 is Swimsuit and Top 8 is Evening Gown I judged who would shine in each round.

USA will fall in the swimsuit round if she looks the same as she did in preliminaries, if she gets that far.
France doesn't strike me as a plausible Top 10 candidate.
Kosovo is a wildcard really but her facial features could be her downer
Spain doesn't strike me as a Top 10 girl either
Costa Rica has a smashing body so it was a difficult decision to cut her here but there are so many top contenders
Thailand is also strong but not strong enough. Will be a viewer vote with Shamcey getting through outright.

Peru might miss the cut because of her average evening gown.
I think this might be the time when Venezuela's facial beauty will get to her
Australia's way of carrying her gown could be her downfall here
I really think Philippines could push into the Top 5 but the 5 above look more plausible atm
Ukraine was another difficult one to cut but it's just a gut feeling.



I really doubt whether this would actually be the Top 5 because it looks so implausible to me but this is the best I've got atm.

If this does happen I think Puerto Rico and Malaysia will do the best in the final question whilst Panama and Greece will be the girls that confuse the judges because of their personalities. I think China might be the weak link here.


And just so I cover my back I'm going to give another 16 names.
Alternative 8
Mexico - she's a strong contender but her stiff smile is worrying me
Ghana - She has stage presence but I'm not sure
Brazil - Her controversy will be her downfall
Russia - With Ukraine in it might be tough to get Russia as well
Switzerland - Her look might give her an edge
Paraguay - She's facing strong competition but another latina is not impossible
Nicaragua - Just like Paraguay
Angola - If anyone is getting in from Africa it's very likely to be Angola

Bubbling Under
Romania - I have this inkling feeling she's a darkhorse
Vietnam - Might be one too many Asians
Korea - Yet again one too many
Indonesia - Same as Vietnam and Korea
Sweden - Possible with her Miss Photogenic award
Aruba - Regal beauty, could be a contender
Poland - Europe normally does well for Top 15 maybe another isn't impossible?
Albania - Fadil, end of.

Well it was a long but enjoyable post, see you on Monday?

No comments:

Post a Comment