Miss Hong Kong 2011 (02/06/11)

Today the final 15 were announced. As a Chinese person who calls Hong Kong a second home I've grown up with this pageant and in a way Miss Hong Kong was what made me interested in the pageant scene. I do admit that Hong Kong has rarely, if ever, produced a delegate as strong as those of pageant powerhouses but this being my "home pageant" I feel obligated to watch and comment on it. Yes the calibre of Miss Hong Kong has been steadily declining but it's still a pageant I am very interested in.

If any of you reading this post follow Miss Hong Kong I'd like to ask you a question; In your opinion when did the MHK calibre start declining? In my personal opinion I'd have to say after 2006. 2006 produced three of the best winners of the decade; Aimee Chan, Janet Chow and Koni Lui but then 2007 was much more varied. Kayi Cheung did not deserve the bashing she received but I do agree she is not the prettiest MHK we've had and her performance on the night was nervous and jittery. Grace Wong would have been a better choice, she is pretty and quick on her feet but I feel she was the best of the worst, whilst Loretta Chow had a youthful glow to her but would be severely overshadowed by the winners of 2006.

Anyway here are the girls this year

01. Janey Yan (From Vancouver)

I think Janey is a decent delegate, she was born in Hong Kong so I'm expecting to hear fluent Cantonese from her which is always a plus. She is decent looking with no obvious major flaw and her height makes her an instant stand out. Her main problem will probably be fading into the background, despite her height I think she doesn't really make a strong impression. Like Alice Wong last year, who also competed in Miss Chinese Vancouver (MCV), she seems to be pretty but a bit bland and she needs to work on smiling more naturally like Alice Wong needed last year. She has potential but will need to show more confidence to place. But when I had a brief glimpse of MCV she was one of my two favourites.

02. Iris Kwan (From Canada)

This girl really needs to freshen up, first thing to do is to change her hairstyle because it adds years to her face and makes her look chubbier than she is (I'm talking about the straight hair with the split in the middle). I think with her makeover she could be a contender but at the moment she really lacks energy and appeal. Do not bash me for saying this but on angles she does vaguely exude a young Anita Yuen. 

03. Whitney Hui (From England)

I think Whitney is a frontrunner in this pageant and whoopee she's from England. Hopefully she'll be able to converse in Cantonese which would make her a huge favourite if so. I'm very happy with what TVB did to her hair because her old hairstyle aged her fresh face but now she looks more youthful and vibrant. In terms of looks I think Whitney is one of the most photogenic in the bunch but there's something that irks me about her face but I can't put my finger on it. However I think she has real potential to do well at MHK with her fresh face and bright smile. She really does give me a Sonija Kwok vibe who was the winner of MHK in 1999 and a successful TVB actress. She is currently one of my favourites.

04. Giselle Lam (From Hong Kong)

She has potential but in my opinion she needs to freshen up because there are angles where she looks older than she is. She needs to learn her angles because she definitely has good angles but she doesn't know how to use them. She also should stay away from over curling her hair because it just makes her very ordinary. For some reason she gives me a very Miss Asia vibe.

05. Rebecca Zhu (From Hong Kong)

She's been called by the press "清純 Jolin" citing her similarities to Jolin Tsai but a purer, fresher more innocent version of her but I personally don't see the resemblance. Oh by the way I think she's actually from Mainland China but I've just followed what TVB has reported because those that participated in the Hong Kong auditions are always listed as local candidates. She is a frontrunner in this competition but I feel she needs to show more of what she has got because at the moment I only see a pretty face. She also gives me too much of a mainland vibe so I really hope she can speak decent Cantonese at least to the level of Sire Ma (2008).

In this photo I think Whitney and Rebecca are the stand outs. Janey looks decent also showing more confidence but Iris and Giselle need to be more natural in front of the camera.

06. Nicole Leung (From Hong Kong)

I think Nicole has potential, her portrait is evidence enough, but she really needs to stop doing her eye thing, she has a tendency to over open her eyes which makes her look stunned and like a deer in the headlights. However I think that may be too much to overcome in such a short time so I reserve judgement on her until I see more photos.

07. Sandy Wu (From Hong Kong)

Sandy is another early favourite and a hot contender. She really does remind me of Charlie Yeung Choi Nei and another former MHK that I can't remember the name of. I think Sandy's main strength is the ability to look sophisticated but still fresh and youthful which surely are the qualities MHK has been looking for. She is currently one of my favourites but I wait with bated breath on how she converses with the judges.

08. Susan Su (From Hong Kong)

I'm not a fan of Susan but she has improved quite a bit with TVB's styling because I would personally put her bottom of the pack from the audition photos. She still doesn't appeal to me though and has a long way to go.

09. Mayanne Mak (From Hong Kong)

I'm not a fan of Mayanne but I think there is potential there because she does look rather sweet and endearing however I think TVB made a wrong move to put her hair in a bun because it accentuates her rather wide face.

10. Lena Li (From Hong Kong)

Lena reminds me of a TVB artiste that I don't know the name of. For some reason she just screams TVB to me, she's the type that I'd expect to see in MHK but at the moment I'm not impressed with her though I can see her doing well in this pageant.

Sandy is the stand out in this shot but I have to concur that Susan looks rather pretty in this shot. Nicole looks decent but the other two look like they need to sharpen up quick.

11. Lisa Lau (From Hong Kong)

I personally find Lisa quite fresh looking and attractive. Yes she looked tired and dare I say it "haggard" at the auditions but TVB has done her wonders by applying decent makeup on her to accentuate her best features. Yes she doesn't have a traditionally pretty Chinese face but I think she's a breathe of fresh air and gives me a Myolie Wu vibe.

12. Gwen Wang (From Hong Kong)

Gwen is a difficult one because I think she looked better during the auditions, I'll need to see more of her because I'm split at the moment but am I the only one that thinks she resembles Virginia Lok, the TVB executive who oversees the selection process of MHK. However at the moment I do like her.

13. Gemma Choi (From England)

She does give me a very British vibe for some reason. But reports suggest she has a decent figure, I can't really see from the above pics, which should serve her well in the pageant. I think she has potential to look good but I'm not convinced she'll do well in this pageant because she doesn't give me that MHK vibe. But it's great to see more British girls.

14. Hyman Chu (From Toronto)

Tall, pretty and from Toronto; the MCI powerhouse that has brought us Aimee Chan, Janet Chow and Selena Li of MHK and Candy Chang, Christine Kuo, Sherry Chen, Elva Wu, Diana Wu and Monica Lo of MCI. What I'm trying to say is she's bound for success at MHK but if she doesn't it would be an absolute shame for TVB. I really hope she speaks Cantonese because for some reason she gives me a Mainland China vibe.

15. Wyling Leung (From Toronto)

Yet again Wyling has potential but she really hasn't stood out in a good way yet. She looked like a hot mess in her first photograph and is so overshadowed by Hyman, one of the tallest girls in the bunch whilst Wyling is one of the shortest. She looks like an add on but will she prevail like Sammi Cheung did last year?

Hyman and Lisa are the stand outs for me here, Gwen isn't doing too bad herself but Gemma and Wyling look out of place, maybe simply because of their height.

So my current rankings

I have a clear Top 5 favourites at the moment though I think the rankings between those 5 could easily change. Gwen Wang could break into the Top 5 I think whilst Nicole, Janey, Giselle and Gemma need to prove me wrong with their individual flaws. Wyling could also make the Top 10 if she improves on her presentation. At the moment I'm only not keen on 4 candidates which is a very good feat I think. But even at this moment I'm think of pushing Giselle, Gemma and Lisa up whilst demoting Susan.

Photos don't always speak the truth so here are the girls on video

Finally a group shot

I think in this shot 3,5,6,7,11 and 14 look the best. Hyman's height is a real advantage and being placed in between two of the shortest girls this year will really accentuate that fact. Whitney's smile shines through in my opinion and I'm loving the elegance from Lisa.

So the inevitable question is 2011 better than 2010? It's a difficult one, I think 2011 is better than 2010. 2010 had a few obvious stand outs but the overall quality wasn't very equal but I think the quality of 2011 is on the whole better however I remember last year I thought 2010 was a step in the right direction maybe because 2009 was such a disaster that anything would have improved on it but months on my view changed so I don't know if this will be the same for this year.

There were a few press favourites who were left out such as 17 year old Janice Man look-alike. She was "hot" but I think that's the reason she was kicked out because she's 17 and sexy which doesn't fit with TVB's family friendly ethos. I also missed four other girls who I'm not sure the names of and a supposed Myolie Wu lookalike - but I didn't see the resemblance. I'll post up their photos when the TVB website doesn't act funny.

See you in a few days.