GREECE - Maria Cholidou. This brunette is solid, but not quite making a standout impression to be in serious contention for the Top 24.
GUATEMALA - Naida Estubier. She's a pretty, slender lady with a notably elongated neck. She potentially evokes the vibe of an elegant gamine as a result, but I'm not sure if her preliminary performance capitalized on that vibe. I was watching the preliminaries with my mom and dad and my mom noticed something peeking out of her sheer grey evening gown--think Janet Jackson's notorious 2004 Superbowl performance. I took a further look and yes, there was a "peekaboo". I would've otherwise regarded her as a worthwhile contender but I don't know if she would be docked points by te experts for her wardrobe choice.
HAITI - Merlie Fleurizard. She is a great communicator and is polished on the catwalk. Not sure if her unconventional sort of beauty is appealing enough for the "experts" on hand (typically past Miss and Mister Supranational winners and ifnalists plus members of the organization like Andre Sleigh). Let's see if she can secure that Top 24 slot.
HONG KONG - Vinci Yuk Yu Chan. She's cute and had a moment being a Top Eight Talent finalist with her drawing skills. However, she's the shortest candidate in this batch and she's not so polished onstage so making the cut is definitely out of reach.
ICELAND - Ísabella Þorvaldsdóttir. She's generally a solid contender, definitely more polished than CROATIA or FINLAND, but like HONG KONG her main highlight was being a Top Eight Talent finalist with her ballet skills.
INDIA - Pragnya Ayyagari. There are some pageant fans and pundits who are hyping her as a possible Final Five contender, and the presence of Miss Supranational 2016 Srinidhi Shetty among the panel of "Experts" seem to indicate that there is a possible vote in her favor. Yes, that outcome is conceivable but I'm still more impressed with a few other Asian contenders out there, but I do see her as a Top 12 shoo-in. She's a Top 10 finalist in the Supra-Fan vote and a Final Five finalist in Suprachat so she could conceivably secure her slot that way, but I feel she convincingly performed consistently well enough on her merits without needing those possible fast-tracks.
INDONESIA - Yasinta Aurellia. This country has been doing extremely well in this pageant especially in the most recent editions, with three runner-up finishes since 2018 and never finishing below the Top 12 from that year to the previous edition so far. However, this year, with an extremely competitive group of Southeast Asians, she is likely to fall short of the Top 12 unless she wins the Supr-Fan vote to sustain her country's Top 12 streak. Otherwise, it's likely she'll just remain in the Top 24 and that's it.
JAMAICA - Thalia Malcolm. She's a raw presence with her blonde locks and the plainest off-the-rack evening gown of the group.
JAPAN - Mayuko Hanawa. I find her styling a bit too over-the-top and pageant-patty, but she's a solid contender who is a finalist in Talent (with her classical pop--yes, not really operatic--vocals, and a possible Top 12 wildcard by being a Supra-Fan Vote finalist.
KENYA - Martha Mwikali. I like her keeping her dark natural locks. However, during the preliminaries, she sported blonde hair extensions and wore a provocative sheer evening gown. I find her choices unflattering, and I don't foresee her making serious inroads to the Top 24.
KOREA - Juhyeon Roh. She's actually a worthwhile contender deserving of more buzz than what she's receiving as she's good-looking and delivered a polised preliminary performance. At least she has a highlight being a Top Eight Talent finalist as she has a great pop singing voice--she is my choice as winner for Talent, though ICELAND, JAPAN, and THE BAHAMAS are possible usurpers for that honor. I have to note that I prefer her video performance covering Andra Day's "Rise Up" over her live Talent final performance covering Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing"--she was flawless in the former and there were a few pitch issues in the latter.
COMING UP: MALAYSIA to PARAGUAY
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