MISS UNIVERSE 2021: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (CONCLUSION)

PORTUGAL – Oricia Dominquez. See POLAND.

PUERTO RICO – Michelle Colón. I don’t find her conventionally pretty, but she possesses oodles of charisma that I do agree with the buzz by many pageant fans and pundits that she could be in contention for the sixth crown for her country. She’s most especially the top stage performer of this batch, in my reckoning, so it is exciting to see how far she can go.

ROMANIA – Carmina Cotfas. It’s frustrating that the selection committee didn’t let her predecessor Bianca Tirsin through the Top 21, as that lady’s track record*2 was poised to bring forth her country’s breakthrough to this pageant. Based on that outcome, it’s not likely that this otherwise gorgeous lady will deliver that breakthrough, also, but still we have to note that she’s also competing at a high level, albeit not at the same heights as Bianca.

*2 Bianca was previously 2nd runner-up at Miss Suprnational 2017 and 3rd runner-up at Miss International 2018.

RUSSIA – Ralina Arabova. She’s generally solid onstage–not in serious contention for the Top 16, but still a worthwhile competitor.

SINGAPORE – Nandita Banna. She’s basically Mohanna Prabha 2.0. Like her 2019 predecessor, she sports short hair, has a lean frame, is of Indian ethnicity, is not expected to be in contention for the semifinals, but is a worthwhile contender anyway.

SLOVAK REPUBLIC – Veronika Ščepánková. She’s slender and statuesque and has good catwalk skills. Her facial features, though, has harsh angles and she can sometimes register as a tad more mature than her biological age, and combined with less than remarkable communication skills she’s unlikely to be in contention for the Top 16.

SOUTH AFRICA – Lalela Mswana. Of the Africans in this year’s pageant, she is the most compellingly complete package. I should dare say she’s a shoo-in for the Top 16. Yes, I admit that I also said practically the same thing about her predecessor, Natasha Joubert, who ended up as the winner of the Ruth Ocumarez award instead, but I feel that scenario will not happen to this lady. I have a feeling there is a wave of sympathy in her favor for the flak her country received for discovering and disclosing the Omicron variant of COVID-19, but again, there are also those abundant intrinsic qualties this lady possessed to that it will be a big injustice if she didn’t make the cut.

SPAIN – Sarah Loinaz. After arriving in Israel, she received heavy buzz as a favorite to win the crown. She is a strong communicator and delivered the goods onstage, though some fans criticize her too-strong makeup during the preliminary competition. She seems to be a shoo-in for the Top 16 and maybe Top 10, with a possible play for the Final Five.

SWEDEN – Moa Sandberg. As of late this erstwhile pageant powerhouse has uneven fortunes in this pageant. Though this lady is not a buzzed-about contender, I consider her another pretty “refreshing” choice.

THAILAND – Anchilee Scott-Kemmis. This half-Australian seems to be following the Siera Bearchell (Canada 2016, Top 9) playbook. Like Siera, she is parlaying her perceived weaknesses to be her advocacy and letting her strong communication skills win over the judges/selection committee. To the objection of many conventionally minded pageant fans and pundits, she might be able to pull this off.

“THE” BAHAMAS – Chantal O’Brian. She has a great backstory about being raised by a single mother and losing two brothers, is a great communicator, has strong catwalk skills, and makes a striking presence with her short hair. She can conceivably pull off that much-awaited breakthrough for her country.

TURKEY – Cemrenaz Turhan. She is a cut above the typical delegate from her country–possessing a pretty face and solid catwalk skills. She is also after my heart as she’s a Management Engineering major at her university. She’s an okay communicator but it’s likely she’ll be overshadowed by a bevy of stronger, more compelling speakers out there.

UKRAINE – Anna Neplyakh. This brunette is another member of the P.A.T.I.S. Crew.

U S A – Elle Smith. She reminds me of actress Halle Berry, in one of her lesser-buzzed-about looks. There are some hyping her as a favorite to win, I think there are more compelling choices for that crown. Still, with her solid stage skills and reported sterling communication skills, she’ll be a shoo-in.

VENEZUELA – Luiseth Materán. Based on her preliminary competition performance, she seems to also be another shoo-in for the Top 16, but it will be a challenge making the Top 10 with some more compelling buzzed about choices out there.

VIETNAM – Nguyễn Huỳnh Kim Duyên. She proved to be a sensational stage dynamo, making major impact in national costume and the preliminary competition. It’s interesting that she’s actually channeling a previous Miss Venezuela, Miss Universe 2018 2nd runner-up Sthefany Gutierrez. Sthefany was channeling Cher‘s iconic 1970s look, so in effect I’m tempted to call this lady “Asian Cher”.

With all 80 delegates accounted for, here is my leaderboard:

TOP CONTENDERS: INDIA, PARAGUAY, PUERTO RICO

SHOO-INS: COLOMBIA, FRANCE, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, U S A, VENEZUELA, VIETNAM

LIKELIEST: ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, BOLIVIA, CANADA, CHILE, COSTA RICA, CROATIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, GHANA, GREAT BRITAIN, HAITI, ITALY, JAPAN, KENYA, MAURITIUS, MEXICO, NAMIBIA, NETHERLANDS, PANAMA, PERU, “THE” BAHAMAS

INTERVIEW/ADVOCACY FACTOR: NEPAL, THAILAND

SASH FACTGR: BRAZIL

HOST FACTOR: ISRAEL

EXCELLENT: ARUBA, BULGARIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, HONDURAS, HUNGARY, ICELAND, IRELAND, JAMAICA, LAOS, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, RUSSIA, SINGAPORE, SWEDEN

VERY STRONG: ALBANIA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, CAYMAN ISLANDS, CHINA, CURACAO, FINLAND, GERMANY, GUATEMALA, KOREA, KOSOVO, MALTA, NICARAGUA, NIGERIA, NORWAY, UKRAINE

STRONG: ARMENIA, CAMBODIA, CAMEROON, DENMARK, EL SALVADOR, MOROCCO, SLOVAK REPUBLIC,

VERY GOOD: BAHRAIN, ECUADOR

Now, my “Fearful” Forecast:

FINAL FIVE: FRANCE, INDIA, PARAGUAY, PUERTO RICO, SOUTH AFRICA

TOP 10: COLOMBIA, PHILIPPINES, SPAIN, U S A, VIETNAM

TOP 16: BELGIUM, CHILE, COSTA RICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, THAILAND, VENEZUELA

BUBBLING UNDER: ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, BOLIVIA, CANADA, CROATIA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, GHANA, GREAT BRITAIN, HAITI, ITALY, JAPAN, KENYA, MAURITIUS, MEXICO, NAMIBIA, NETHERLANDS, PANAMA, PERU, “THE” BAHAMAS:

STRIKING DISTANCE: ARUBA, BRAZIL, BULGARIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, HONDURAS, HUNGARY, ICELAND, IRELAND, ISRAEL, JAMAICA, LAOS, NEPAL, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, RUSSIA, SINGAPORE, SWEDEN

For me, the 70th Miss Universe crown is a three-way fight amongst INDIA (Harnaaz Sandhu), PARAGUAY (Nadia Ferreira) and PUERTO RICO (Michelle Colon), with FRANCE (Clemence Botino) and SOUTH AFRICA (Lalela Mswane) possibly pulling off an upset. Wonder if the outcome would proceed as most expected, or would we see some out-of-left-field surprises? Let’s see how it all unfolds. Best of luck to all the ladies.

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

MISS UNIVERSE 2021: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 4)

LAOS -Tonkham Phonchanhueang. She proved to be polished onstage, so she could be considered a worthwhile contender.

MALTA – Jade Cini. Like ITALY she has wavy hair, albeit in a lighter color and cut to shoulder-length. She’s a member of the P.A.T.I.S. Crew.

MAURITIUS – Anne Murielle Ravina. She was a surprising though proven worthy Top 12 finisher at Miss World 2018. Her strong communication skills will continue to serve her well in this pageant. But can she bring forth her country’s breakthrough in this pageant? She did perform well, but it seems there are more compelling choices out there. Still, it’s possible.

MEXICO – Debora Hallal. She was 1st runner-up behind the reigning Miss Universe Andrea Meza, and was handpicked to compete in this edition. She turned out to be polarizing for many pageant fans and pundits–though all are unanimous that she is unlikely to bring forth a back-to-back win, there are some fans who feel she is one of this powerhouse country’s weakest delegates, while others feel she performed strong enough to be in contention for the Top 16.

MOROCCO – Kawtar Benhalima. It’s nice to see this country back after a 43-year absence. This short-haired lady doesn’t quite have the polish of other contenders but she is a refreshing presence.

NAMIBIA – Chelsi Shikongo. This 24-year-old is named after a former Miss Universe–the late Chelsi Smith, who happened to be crowned in her country 26 years ago. She makes a striking impression with her very short hair, and add to that strong catwalk skills she wowed many pageant fans and pundits with her preliminary performance. She could have potentially shone in interview also, as she exhibited strong communication skills. But I have to note something ironic–she declared herself to be a comic, but nothing she said in her Up Close video would make you laugh or at least chuckle. Earnest and eloquent? Yes. But funny? We haven’t seen that side of her yet. I know many pageant fans and pundits are hyping her as a Top 16 contender–it may be possible that this could happen, but I have a strong feeling they’ll only leave enough room for one black African slot, and the usual suspect seems to be the more compelling choice.

NEPAL – Sujita Basnet. Prior to her arrival, she was hyped to have an inside track to the Top 16. Although her intelligence and communication skills are undeniable, ever since she set foot in Israel it is clear that she is overshadowed by much stronger contenders.

NETHERLANDS – Julia Sinning. She was featured in a few of the “Follow Me” segments promoting various sites in Israel, and she made a great impression with her good looks and spontaneously strong communication skills. I thought she could be a possible sleeper surprise for the Top 16. But though that scenario is still possible, it would likely be despite her performance during the preliminary competition–her stage skills are just adequate, not generating that impact that many fans and pundits feel would seal the deal for that coveted Top 16 finish.r

NICARAGUA – Allison Wassmer. Here is another member of the P.A.T.I.S. Crew.

NIGERIA – Maristella Okpala. She’s notable for her long, beyond-waist-length braids. Other than that, she’s a P.A.T.I.S. Crew member.

NORWAY – Nora Nakken. As of late, being a P.A.T.I.S. Crew member would be considered a strong performance for this country.

PANAMA – Brenda Smith. She stresses on her “intersectionality”, as she has history hopping across three countries for the right to compete in this pageant. For starters, she was a Miss Teen USA veteran and tried out for the Miss Georgia USA state pageant. She then hopped over to compete in Mexico’s national pageant, until she finally got the right to compete here representing Panama. How could she pull this off? She was raised in the USA, but she’s born of a Mexican mother and a (black) Panamanian father. She’s able to tap on that diverse heritage to try and represent those countries of her heritage. It does make for an interesting tale, and she’s proven to be polished in all aspects, so a play for the Top 16 is in the realm of possibility.

PARAGUAY – Nadia Ferreira. She is noted for possessing a gorgeous face and sterling catwalk skills as she’s a model. Clinching the deal is her human interest story overcoming a congenital disease and some serious childhood ailments. Many pageant fans and pundits are buzzing she could be a possible crown contender, likely outdoing the 3rd runner-up finishes of Yanina Gonzales (2004) and Lourdes Arevalo (2006). I count myself as part of that camp, too, as if my understanding is correct, her college degree “Commercial Engineering” might be similar to my course, Management Engineering–other universities would refer to this degree as Industrial Engineering.

PERU – Yely Rivera. Her national costume is noted for being loaded with lights, making for a dramatic impact onstage. She likewise delivered strong stage chops during the preliminary competition, making her a strong possibility for the Top 16.

PHILIPPINES – Beatrice Luigi Gomez. She is a proven stage dynamo that based on her very convincing performance in the preliminary competition, it is likely she’s a shoo-in for the Top 16. Now, the question is if she can advance further to the Top 10, unlike the finishes delivered by predecessors Gazini Ganados (2019) and Rabiya Mateo (2020). I’m hopeful she’ll break that apparent glass ceiling.

POLAND – Agata Wdowiak. As in most editions the “P” group is highly competitive, and this delegate is no exception, delivering a high level of performance even if she’s not buzzed about to finish in the Top 16.

COMING UP: PORTUGAL to VIETNAM plus the “FEARFUL” FORECAST

MISS UNIVERSE 2021: AT THE HOMESTRTCH (PART 3)

GREECE – Sofia Arapogianni. She has a slim model’s frame though I find her facial features on the angular side. She doesn’t seem to have an Up Close video posted yet, but if we gauge her preliminary competition performance, she is performing at a P.A.T.I.S. level.

GUATEMALA – Dannia Guevara. This Latina is a P.A.T.I.S. Crew member.

HAITI – Pascale Belony. She finished Top 24 at Miss Supranational last August, and her strong communication skills and background as a nurse and frontliner could also serve her well and make the cut in this pageant. But I don’t know how the selection committee feel about her slightly thicker-than-most figure and her evening gown is not that impactful. Still, don’t count out her Top 16 chances.

HONDURAS – Rose Meléndez. She’s very proud of her Afro-Caribbean ethnicity, making a standout impression with her Afro, and showcased a very African style with her green evening gown accessorized with turban.

HUNGARY – Jázmin Viktória. She has a slim model’s figure and very solid on catwalk. I couldn’t gauge her communication skills as there is no Up Close video available, but from what I know, she’s a worthwhile contender.

ICELAND – Elísa Gróa Steinþórsdóttir. She’s a very pretty blonde with an interdisciplinary background being a flight attendant, makeup artist, and dancer/choreographer. Her performance during the preliminary competition, though, is at a P.A.T.I.S. level.

INDIA – Harnaaz Sandhu. For me, she’s the most spellbinding presence during the preliminary competition. Even when clad in a modest short-sleeved swimsuit, she was so charismatic that she took my breath away. For that alone she would be my choice to win Miss Universe. But I fear her winning it all is far from assured–she does have good communication skills, but there are others out there who prove to be more compelling, and they could easily wrest the crown away from her. Still, it’s nice to see an Indian resurgence in this pageant, and she’s likely to sustain Adline Castellino‘s Final Five finish last May. Interesting to note that the last time this powerhouse made the Final Five prior to that was 20 years prior with Celina Jaitley.

IRELAND – Katharine Walker. If ICELAND’s pretty face is the quality that helps her go above P.A.T.I.S. livel, in this lady’s case it’s her gift of gab (honed from her background as a podcaster and radio deejay) and background as a nurse/frontliner.

ISRAEL – Noa Cochva. Being the host delegate, she has a stronger-than-average chance of making the cut. Helping her cause is that she’s great looking and a solid communicator. But then came the preliminary competition, and to be blunt she was a disappointment onstage–the evening gown round was particularly hard to watch, from the gown design to the weak catwalk. Still, the selection committee may still give her a lot of leeway and allow her to make the cut.

ITALY – Caterina Di Fuccia. This is another one of the “refreshing” possibilities. This wavy-tressed brunette has a very comely face and sleek figure, and her catwalk skills proved to be top-notch. She is reportedly a runway coach, so it’s apparent she definitely practices what she preaches–I would highly recommend all girls to take runway lessons from her.

JAMAICA – Daena Soares. Onstage, she’s more P.A.T.I.S. level, but what elevates her into a worthwhile contender are her pretty face and strong communication skills.

JAPAN – Juri Watanabe. She delivered the most dramatic gown presentation with her black gown with black obe laden with gold brocade on the back. Unlike a typical Japanese delegate, she has excellent command of English, and it shows her as a great and intelligent communicator. She could be another possibility for the Top 16.

KAZAKHSTAN – Aziza Tokashova. Her best qualities are her good looks and sleek figure. Otherwise she doesn’t quite stand out–it’s quite a contrast how this country’s Miss World counterparts had made significant splashes while delegates fielded here don’t make much impact and hence so far never even made the cut.

KENYA – Roshanara Ebrahim. If it weren’t for the presence of NAMIBIA and SOUTH AFRICA, this lady would be on track to follow in her countrywoman Mary Esther Were (2016)’s footsteps and make the semifinals. I don’t foresee her equaling Mary Esther’s Final Six showing, but her performance thus far is commendable.

KOREA – Jisu Kim. She is pretty and can speak English fluently. But I noticed the languid way she speaks–it’s like a very casual California surfer girl. I don’t know how well the selection committee would respond to such a “chill” tone. Not helping matters is that her stage skills are adequate at best.

KOSOVO – Tuti Sejdiu. This blonde is a member of the P.A.T.I.S. Crew with styling during the preliminary competition verging towards the pageant patty side.

COMING UP: LAOS to POLAND