I apologize that I wasn't able to do a full-fledged review of last year's Miss Earth pageant. So let me do a brief recap of last year's pageant before I proceed with this year. First, it was a welcome treat to see the pageant return to a live format (although it had a bunch of virtual pre-activities prior to the series of live activities in the Philippines). The pageant final had high entertainment and production values. The choice of Top 20 turned out to be a great looking lot, though there were a bunch of surprises. But as the creamiest of the crop emerged, it was mostly the ones that gotten heavy buzz. For the elemental queens, I got three of the four correct, and as I expected the superb commnication skills by Korea's Mina Sue Choi and Australia's Sheridan Morlock helped them pull away and garner the top two crowns of Miss Earth 2022 and Miss Earth-Air 2022 respectively. Colombia's Andra Aguilera (who finished in the Top 13 at Miss World 2021/22 and should not be mistaken with the reigning Miss Supranational from Ecuador who shares the same name) was very charismatic all throughout and gave the biggest impact in the evenign gown round with her fuchsia ballgown, but in the Final Four round gave the relatively weakest answer so she ended up as Miss Earth-Fire, and the one I didn't get (but was always on my radar as I rated her a shoo-in), Palestine's Nadeen Ayoub rose and ganrered Miss Earth-Water. This is what I call a babelicious elemental court, with all members renowned for their facial beauty--only the courts of 2004, 2005, 2019, and 2020 would fit this distinction.
Miss Earth 2022 Elemental Court: Miss Earth-Air Australia (Sheridan Morlock), Miss Earth 2022 Korea (Mina-Sue Choi), Miss Earth-Water Palestine (Nadeen Ayoub) and Miss Earth-Fire Colombia (Andrea Aguilera)
For this edition of this pageant, they did still maintain a hybrid format, with virtual pre-activities prior to almost a month of activities at the ultimate venue--Vietnam. This is the second time Vietnam hosted this pageant and only the third time that the pageant is held outside the Philippines.*1 The delegates were treated to a cultural immersion combined with environmental activities that is a hallmark of tis pageant.
*1 Vietnam previously played host in 2010. In 2015, Austria was the host.
Miss Earth delegates at the welcome party, Xin Chao Vietnam.
Due to transitioning to a new career, I wouldn't have time to do a Homestretch Review for this pageant, so instead like Miss Universe, I'll do a Delegates' Review with a full-fledged finals review afterwards. Anyway, I have to salute thsi pageant for consistency as they never went below the 80s level in terms of number of delegates since 2005. In fact, this year, it slightly exceeded Miss Universe's roster as it drew 85 delegates. That roster could have been 87, but two delegates failed to show up in Vietnam.
AUSTRIA - Zoe Müller. This country had three placements between 2013 and 2018, bookended by Miss Earth-Air finishes in those two aforementioned years. They seemed to be back in the pageant doldrums since then, and this lady, if she made it to Vietnam, would likewise miss the cut.
PANAMA - Nicold Castillero. She participated in some of the virtual activities prior to the Vietnam leg, so it's a wonder why she ended up a no-show in Vietnam. The Miss Earth Facebook page still featured a picture of her in their roster, and probably hoping against all hope that she'll show up in the preliminary competition, but to no avail.
Now, here's my take on how the 85 delegates of Miss Earth 2023 stack up in my leaderboard:
TOP CONTENDERS: ALBANIA, NETHERLANDS, PHILIPPINES, THAILAND,
SHOO-INS: BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, MONGOLIA, PUERTO RICO, SOUTH AFRICA, VIETNAM,
LIKELIEST: BELGIUM, BULGARIA, CANADA, CHILE, CROATIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, ENGLAND, ETHIOPIA, FRANCE, GREECE, INDIA, INDONESIA, MADAGASCAR, MALAYSIA, MAURITIUS, MEXICO, MYANMAR, NAMIBIA, NEPAL, PARAGUAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL, RUSSIA, SLOVENIA, SOUTH SUDAN, SPAIN, UKRAINE, VENEZUELA, ZAMBIA, ZIMBABWE
INTELLIGENCE/ADVOCACY FACTOR: AUSTRALIA, BELIZE, DENMARK, GHANA, KENYA, NEW ZEALAND, SINGAPORE, U S A, U S VIRGIN ISLANDS
EXCELLENT: ARGENTINA, ARMENIA, BANGLADESH, BELARUS, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, CAMBODIA, CUBA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, GERMANY, HONDURAS, IRELAND, JAPAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KOREA, LAOS, NIGERIA, NORWAY, REUNION ISLAND, ROMANIA, SERBIA, SRI LANKA, WALES
VERY STRONG: CAMEROON, CHINA, HAITI, KOSOVO, LIBERIA, MONTENEGRO, NORTHERN MARIANAS, PAKISTAN, PALESTINE, SIERRA LEONE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO,
STRIKING DISTANCE: ARGENTINA, ARMENIA, AUSTRALIA, BANGLADESH, BELARUS, BELIZE, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, CAMBODIA, CUBA, DENMARK, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, GERMANY, GHANA, HONDURAS, IRELAND, JAPAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KENYA, KOREA, LAOS, NEW ZEALAND, NIGERIA, NORWAY, REUNION ISLAND, ROMANIA, SERBIA, SINGAPORE, SRI LANKA, U S A, U S VIRGIN ISLANDS, WALES
I remember in previous years how the Americas were prominently featured in the elemental court. But tis year, it seems to be a battle between Europe and Asia. Could it go to a blonde (or strawberry blonde) European stunner like ALBANIA (Drita Ziri) or the NETHERLANDS (Noa Claus) or can it go to an Asian like the PHILIPPINES (Yllana Aduana) or THAILAND (Nicole Bliault) or maybe even the host country VIETNAM (Do Thi Lan Anh). Will there be another shocking shut-out, and what surprises may be in store?
After tehe commercial break, they announced the Top 10 finalists moving forward to compete in evening gown in a similar straightforward fashion. And as the delegates changed into their evening gowns, they then announced the gold winners for the Voice for Change Award, done as a pre-recorded video segment.
They also touted the new changes and the trailblazers in this year's pageant. Prior to the announcement of the Voice for Change Gold winners, they aired a focus-group roundtable featuring SOUTH AFRICA (Bryoni Govender), SINGAPORE (Priyanka Anuncia), THAILAND (Anntonia Porsild),PORTUGAL (Marina Machete) and COLOMBIA (Camila Avella) discussing about the pageant opening up to transgernder and married women (like PORTUGAL and COLOMBIA respectively), with of course a message of sisterhood for their inclusion.
Prior to the evening gown segment they reiterated the milestones with outgoing president Paula Shugart touting it and featuring soundbites from GUATEMALA (Michelle Cohn), NETHERLANDS (Rikkie Kollé), NEPAL (Jane Deepika Garrett), and the aforementioned COLOMBIA..
The evening gown round featured the non-finalists doing an initial parade before John Legend singing his most recent single "Wonder Woman" live, and we witness the Top 10 parade in their evening gowns.
Musical guest John Legend
I only got five of the Top 10 correct, mainly because I was so bullish of the prospects of three delegates who ended up being "honorees" of the Ruth Ocumarez Award instead, and of course how I was bullish on SOUTH AFRICA and thought USA still has a powerful sash factor. Nevertheless, the five I missed in the Top 10, I'm generally okay with their placement though there is a side of me that wished a couple of them would be replaced with SOUTH AFRICA and CHILE.
SPAIN - Athenea Perez. Her main proposition is that she's the first woman of color representing this country, and that fact alone may have impressed the sleection committee so much that she fared this well. I have to hand it to her that she as a trim model's figure and strong stage chops (most especially exhibited in her flamenco outfit during the national costume competition) that she's an undeniable performer, but seeing her over, say, SOUTH AFRICA? I don't mind seeing her make the Top 20 even if I only placed her in my "Bubbling Under" list, but still I would've wanted SOUTH AFRICA in her place. Anyway, she also earned the distinction of being the only delegate who won a special award this year aside from the one who hogged all the others, as she won the Miss Congeniality prize. Perhaps that's also another factor that helped her win over the selection committee.
EL SALVADOR - Isabella Garcia-Manzo. She made a convincing case for herself belonging in this hallowed level and indeed she made the Top 10. We learned she came from a family that had been previous beauty queens, including one who represented neighboring Guatemala who was actually very notable--though the broadcast didn't give her name, they were referring to Jessica Scheel, who made the Top 10 in Miss Universe for Guatemala back in 2010 (yes, the same batch as Mexico's Ximena Navarrete and the beginning of the Philippines' pageant powerhouse renaissance with Venus Raj). She definitely was splashiest during the preliminary competition but her biggest highlight was in national costume as she dazzled with the way she presented her costume with electric lighting effects. She still made a very convincing performance as she made the Top 20, but to be blunt, in the evening gown round I found her white gown to be lackluster--I prefer the nude colored number she wore in the preliminaries. I would've ranked her 10th on this list based on evening gown alone, but I think with the energy of the Salvadorian crowd, she didn't really take up the rear in this group.
PERU - Camila Escribens. She's a known quantity as she was a Top 10 finisher at Miss Grand International 2019 (yes the one held in Venezuela), and with some highly touted favorites falling by the wayside, this paved the way for her to advance to this level. She's undeniably a strong performer onstage and made the right choices all throughout, and her background as a chef warmed my heart, but then again I realize this country has been touted as a culinary hotspot in recent years, and it made me think that this is like Filipinos being a hotbed in the nursing profession for over a couple of decades now so her profession maybe considered "typical". Still, I would love to be able to taste her food if I had the chance (or Peruvian cuisine for that matter).
VENEZUELA - Diana Silva. I only regarded her as a Top 20 finisher as I thought she'll defer behind her Miss Earth 2018 colleague from MEXICO, who unfortunately ended up missing the cut. Like PERU, with the absence of several early favorites this made room for her to advance to this level. I have to note she improved greatly from her Miss Earth stint as instead of being blonde, she went for a more natural brunette color.
PHILIPPINES - Michelle Marquez Dee. Her pedigree as the daughter of Miss Internatioanl 1979 Melanie Marquez gave her a built-in fanbase who I learned turned out to be a highly motivated lot who would be willing to move heaven and earth to bring this lady closer to clinching the crown. So whenever there is a sub-competition that has a popular vote element, her fanbase went on an active campaign to help secure her win. This happened in the Voice for Change award, the automatic Top 20 slot via the online popular vote, and Best National Costume, whicb was announced a couple of days after the pageant. She also garnered a fourth special award, Spirit of Carnival, a sponsor's prize by Carnival Cruise Lines. I have a feeling that because us Filipinos were spooked by Celeste Cortesi's shut-out last January, the motivated fans took the step to ensure she secured a Top 20 spot by winning te popular vote. Yes it may be argued that she doesn't really need to win the Popular Vote and garner her slot in Voice for Change via online poll as she has intrinsic and convincing merits to earn her slot, alongside sponsors noticing her following and very willing to tap into that to help promote their brands, but I think her winning the polls provided insurance that she secures her spot even if we could be confident on her intrinsic merits. Now, for National Costume--to be honest, I found it very campy--sure she can justify this with her background as an airforce reservist, but with the grandiose costumes of GUYANA and HONDURAS, alongside the impactful yellow flamenco costume of SPAIN and most of all, the dazzling performance delivered by host delegate EL SALVADOR, Michelle's costume win was obviously because of the motivated fanbase and nothing else. Anyway, her garnering four special awards helped her exceed the record set by Miss Universe 2001 Denise Quiñones, who won two special awards for Photogenic and Clairol Herbal Essences Style on top of winning the crown.
I did forecast this lady to make the Final Three. And if you asked me based on her performance all throughout her stay in El Salvador, she deserved a Final Three finish. I liked that she took the risk by cutting her already short neck-length bob shorter to a boyish, almost-pixie cut as it helped communicate her background as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. And I know she took some pointers from her famous model mom with her posings in her one-piece swimsuit, which worked wonderfully as she created a sleek, lean look while other favorites struggled because of the one-piece swimsuit designs provided. And yes, I agree with many pageant fans and pundits regard her final gown, a black number inspired by centenarian female tattoo artist Whang-Od, to be an iconic look. So why was she shut out of the Final Five. Some might attribute the presence of Carson Kressley and possibly even Nadia Ferreira in the final night selection committee as key hindrances, as many fans felt based on Carson's color commentary during Catriona Gray's iconic 2018 pageant he seemed less than impressed, and Nadia may be like other Latina beauty queens who may not be that into Michelle's Asian features. I know my parent's are not into her looks as they don't fit into their 1950s-era notions of beauty. I have a feeling that may play a factor, and perhaps it's simply the selection committee really liked the likes of AUSTRALIA and COLOMBIA, who I felt were a tad overrated. Just like Rachel Peters in 2017, Michelle is another one who lost the opportunity to deliver us our first ever 2nd runner-up finish in this pageant--Boy Abunda interviewed Michelle after the pageant and asked what would've been her answer to the Final Three question about what woman's life she would've loved to visit; Michelle cited Whang-Od as her choice, but even if she gave a strong point, I felt that the answers delivered by the eventual Top Two remained superior and more relatable to the selection committee, so Michelle would've ended up 2nd runner-up with her answer.
Now, I know a lot of Filipino pageant fans were upset over Michelle not advancing further into the Final Five, and I join in their commiseration. But believing in so-called "leaked" scores that supposedly she was swapped out of the Final Five by THAILAND or that somehow the Miss Universe El Salvador Instagram page's erroneous post about her inclusion isntead of THAILAND was the correct result is an empty speculation with no basis of truth in it. First, because I believe THAILAND was that formidable to begin with, and if anyone may have swapped places with Michelle it would've been te likes of AUSTRALIA or COLOMBiA instead.
While Filipino pageant fans were reeling in shock when the Final Five was announced and excluded our bet, there was a bit of a consolation as they announced Michelle won the Spirit of Carnival special award, which fans already knew ahead of time as it was actually announced after the preliminary competition.
Though the format of this year's Final Five Q&A remained the same (finalists pick an envelope with a number representing a judge, who then fields the question the finalist would answre), I've noticed that this year's questions were not the hard-hitting "social issues/current events" questions of previous years, but more simpler questions.that do not require reading a newspaper or researching news feeds and news reports over the internet. I got three of the Final Five correct, which isn't bad, but still, I wished one of them would be replaced by PHILIPPINES.
COLOMBIA - Camila Avello. She performed like what we expect from a beauty queen from her country--gorgeous Classic Latina Beauty Queen (CLBQ) looks, strong catwalk, and strong interview (albeit in Spanish as she's not fluent in English). If you didn't know her background as a married mother of one, you would assume she's just like most of her high performing predecessors. But she capitalized and generated headlines for that background, and that might be the reason why she garnered greater traction with the selection committee that they selected her over PHILIPPINES even if it can be argued that the PHILIPPINES delivered way more impact. For the Final Five Q&A, Mexican actor/singer Mario Bautista fielded her this question: "If this was your last day on earth, how would you live it?" Her answer: "I am already living it because I’m here. I’m breaking stereotypes being a woman, being a mother. It’s to leave history, a legacy, something that I want to transmit to women, mothers, and children." It's a solid answer where she shoehorned her hyped background, but I would've wanted something a bit fresh, or maybe something more in line with the question, like "I would live it te way I have conducted my entire life, proud of what I have achieved like [her background as a married Miss Universe delegate, etc.]..." Many pageant fans I've observed only consider her in the bottom of the Top 20 pack, but I rated her a bit higher as I always felt that if several favorites fell by the wayside, there would've been room for her to advance to the Top 10, and that she indeed did, but I wish not at the expense of eliminating PHILIPPINES.
PUERTO RICO - Karla Guilfú Acevedo. I always pegged her as a Final Five finisher especially with her background as a Miss Supranational 2021 1st runner-up, and indeed this is where she ended up. She also gotten an extra gravy by being one of the gold champions for Voice for Change, for her "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" mental health advocacy. She also delivered great dramatic impact by tying her hair in a bun and sporting a blue gown with a bejeweled neck/shoulder accessory, so I totally have no objections seeing her advance to the Final Five. For that round, fielding her question was Miss Universe 1977 Janelle Commisiong who asked: "If you win tonight, what would you bring to the Miss Universe brand?" Her response: "I would use that opportunity to show the world the relevance of beauty queens nowadays. I would use my activism regarding mental health and showing the world how it is important that if we use our voice, if we take our space, if we are courageous enough to be ourselves in this world, I would use the platform to reach in and be that." She actually delivered a substantial answer that tied into her advocacies and background, and if you ask me, I would rather see her advance to the Final Three instead of AUSTRALIA.
Prior to Khun Anne's takeover, after the Final Three was announced they would immediately conduct the final Q&A round. But well, since Khun Anne's takeover, they had to pause this segment to make way for...
...Khun Anne\s now patented "Hello Universe" address, where she speaks to the crowd talking about generic messages on female empowerment. After her address and a mini video sequence about the progress El Salvador has made, that was when the final question was conducted. .
Then, for the Final Look, John Legend was back to sing his 2014 mega-smash "All of Me". Unlike other artists who interact with the Final Three, John stayed on his piano as the Final Three walked the catwalk. Take note that the YouTube video segment didn't feature his song, as perhaps Khun Anne couldn't afford to clear the song so a muzak instrumental (that resebles John's first hit single, "Ordinary People" from 2005) is playing instead.
It was then time for the final walk of the reigning Miss Universe, R'Bonney Gabriel. R'Bonney wanted to have a dramatic flair for her final walk, just like Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen when she handed over her crown in Namibia, so she sported this bejewelled red headpiece to accompany her exaggerated red mermaid gown. Her look did made people talk but it seems that it polarized fans as some liked the dramatic flair while others felt it was too much.
Normally, after the final walk they would announce the winners, but this time they made room for the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, to make a brief speech and then there was an announcement of next year's host country, which turns out to be Mexico. After all that, that was then they announced the final results.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele
Let us now discuss the Final Three. The final question that each had to answer went like this: "If you could live one year in another woman’s shoes, who would you choose and why?"
2ND RUNNER-UP: AUSTRALIA - Moraya Wilson. I don't deny she's one of the most gorgeous lookers in this year's batch and she covers all the bases. But there is one disconcerting fact about her that made me have reservations on including her in my "Fearful" Forecast--I learned of news that her parents are embroiled in lawsuits involving multiple businesses they created and featured a then-teenage Moraya as a director. This kind of controversy made me feel that Moraya's family might be sketchy people who may be encountering financial issues, so I felt this could potentially harm Khun Anne's business interests, which has been under fire as is already. I would've included her in the Top 20 and consider her as a Top 10 possibility otherwise. It turns out the selection committee ignored (or are totally unaware about) that detail and favored her very highly. But are they justified?
Her sporting a two-piece swimsuit suited her lean figure the best, and I could understand how she could've scored highly in that category, as besides that trim and fit frame she has that gorgeous face. Now,f or the evening gown, I've noticed she tripped a bit as she entered the stage and to be blunt, her pink printed mermaid gown doesn't really have much oomph unlike, say, PHILIPPINES, so it was a shocker to discover her being called first into the Final Five. And I know I'm not alone in the sentiment that she's overrated, as YouTuber Davonna Finley (a.k.a. The Sovereign) was livid at her inclusion in the Final Five and Final Three. For the Final Five Q&A, Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere fielded her this question: "How would you use the Miss Universe platform to promote global gender equality?" Her answer: "I would use the Miss Universe platform to push a message. I think this community is strong and when we bond together we can create changes. And when it comes to gender equality, when we use our voice, when we use our power to make a change, that’s when real movement happens." To be blunt I thought she gave the weakest answer amongst the Final Five, but she seemed to have cast a big spell over the selection committee that they still put her through the Final Three.
For the Final Three question, she gave this response: "I would live my mother’s. She is a very strong woman, she is tough, she taught me how to work hard, be brave, be strong. And I’m forever grateful for those lessons she taught me." If one is not aware of the current controversies Moraya's parents were embroiled in, one might assume that this is a heartfelt sentiment and may even clinch a win in circumstances where the contestant was the hands-down top favorite. But knowing Moraya's family controversies, as much as I respect her solidarity with her family, choosing her mother leaves a horrible taste in the mouth. Let's just say The Sovereign heaved a huge sigh of relief when she was finally announced as only 2nd runner-up. I would forever dream of that "what if" scenario where the PHILIPPINES was up here instead of this lady.
1ST RUNNER-UP: THAILAND - Anntonia Porsild. She's the first Major League*2 international titleholder who was given the chance to compete in another Major League pageant, and many fans were bracing for history to be achieved if she gets to win this pageant also. Though there were some fans who criticized how she looked during her stay in El Salvador, when it was time for the competition, she proved to make a convincing case for herself of becoming a potential double winner--even if many may say her choice of one-piece swimsuit didn't quite flatter her, many other big favorites were also saddled with the arguably lousy swimsuit design so it's unlikely she's penalized for her swimsuit choice. She was very polished as expected onstage, and we all know about her superb communication skills.
*2 Major League is what I'll be referring to the six major international pageants around: Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, Miss Earth, Miss Supranational and Miss Grand International. This is to contrast with the designations by other pageant sites, like Grand Slam as designated by Global Beauties (which omits Earth), Big Five by Missosology (which excludes Grand because of adversarial interactions with the pageant's owner, Nawat Itsragrisil) or Big Four by several other bloggers and sites (including Wikipedia), which omits Supranational and Grand.
For the finals, Anntonia stepped up her game further by wearing an utterly sexy, almost sheer nude gown which was an eye-popping sight--though there might be some detractors who might criticize it for being too provocative. For the Final Five Q&A, social media personality Avani Gregg relayed her question thusly: "If you could speak to a room full of students about online bullying, what would you say?" Her answer: "I would say to not listen to what people have to say because in the end everyone is entitled to their own opinion but it is up to us on how we react to it. Use our voice to stand up for what is right, and be the change that we want to see in the world by leading by example. Don’t listen to the hate because it doesn’t shape us, but what shapes us is how we get back up and how we move forward from that." It's an eloquent and well-composed answer so it was a cinch she earned her slot in the Final Three.
She chose a very popular and inspirational personality for the final question: "I would choose Malala Yousafzai, because I know the struggles she had to deal with to get where she is today. She had to fight for women’s education and fight for all women to be able to stand strong and be the change and lead by example. If I could choose anyone, that would be her." If there wasn't one lady from an underdog country who proved to be her major obstacle, she could've achieved the double victory, but garnering 1st runner-up is still a commendable finish--it's so far this country's third best finish after the two wins back in 1965 (Apasra Hongsakula) and 1988 (Porntip "Bui" Nakhirunkanok).
MISS UNIVERSE 2023: NICARAGUA - Sheynnis Palacios. On paper, Sheynnis is an underdog behind the likes of PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, and THAILAND as she was "merely" a Top 40 finisher at Miss World 2021/22. However, we witnessed a transformation when she competed in her national pageant, as she delivered an impeccable catwalk and revealed a makeover as she cut her hair to a shoulder-length bob, and we witness something very distinctive and special that could bring her country to unprecedented heights. Throughout her stay in El Salvador she generated heavy buzz, and she was always on-point. This continued on with her preliminary competition performance, as she was also on top form--I may be fixated on THAILAND's unprecedented attempt, but I realize the tides are rising and going in her favor.
She was undeniably savvy with everything she did in this pageant--she opted for a two-piece swimsuit as she knows the other designs are just not as flattering, and indeed she was an impeccable standout in her two-piece outfit. She already looked great in her preliminary light blue gown, but little did we know the magic she would deliver with her finals gown--it was a short-sleeved white number accessorized with a blue cape--savvy as it evokes the colors of her own country's flag (and also El Salvador's and Central American neighbors Guatemala and Honduras) that created a very regal effect--she arguably was the only one who looked like royalty amongst the Top 10. Then for the interview rounds, she was aware she's speaking to predominantly an audience of Spanish speakers so even if she can speak English (albeit thickly accented and not as fluent), she knows she can canvey her thoughts the best in her native language. It also helps that even if the Salvadorian crowd may prefer their own representative to shine, when she expectedly failed to advance to the Final Five, the crowd's energy and support was transferred to this lady, as she's part of the same region so she is considered one of their own.
For her Final Five question, Somali-American model Halima Aden relayed to her this question: "What qualities and values guide you as a leader and role model for others?" She delivered this answer: "The quality that has inspired me and has inspired millions of women and girls is humility and to be able to appreciate all of the little things, because that’s where the most valuable thing is: the essence of being human." It's a deep, well-delivered answer and indeed worthy of making the Final Three.
Her answer for the Final Three question may seem unusual and obscure: "I would choose Mary Wollstonecraft, because she opened the gap to give an opportunity to many women. What I would do is to have that income gap would open up so women could work in any area that they choose to work in because there are no limitations for women. That was 1750. Now in 2023 we are making history." Yes, Mary Wollstonecraft may not be a household name but if you study her biography, she was actually THE pioneer for all Western feminist movements that followed. We may need to correct a little detail in Sheynnis's answer though--Mary was born in 1759, and the bulk of her groundbreaking work took place between the 1780s-1790s. Another piquant note--this woman was the mother of the author of Frankentstein, Mary Shelley. I'm not sure if the selection committee at hand actually got the reference, but they probably picked up from the response from the Salvadorian audience who cheered gleefully at her answer.
It turns out the Salvadorians and most other delegates welcome this victory. I would also like to assume the common Nicaraguan people were beaming with pride at this major breakthrough, as this was their first win in any Major League pageant.*3. However, someone important from that country is spoiling the country's expected jubilation--the dictator Daniel Ortega. This was exhibited when the national director Karen Celebertti and her family were barred from returning to their native country, and then te dictator issued trumped-up charges against Karen's family claiming they have ties to "subversive" elements (e.g., anyone opposed to the dictator's regime). Many pundits speculate that it seems Ortega is reverting back to his Sandinista roots and hence wanting to prevent new pageants from being held in the country. But it is later discovered that basically the Ortega regime wanted someone within their camp to run their country's franchise and this was their way to forcibly remove the current national directors--Xiomara Blandino who represented the country in 2007 and made Top 10, married into the Ortega family and seemed to have interest becoming the country's national director. Considering the way this situation was handled, would Khun Anne accept Xiomara's takeover of the franchise?
*3 Their best finishes in any Major League pageant was a 4th place finish at Miss World 2001 with Ligia Argüello and finishing 3rd runner-up at Miss International 2016 with Brianny Chamorro.
Former Nicaragua national director Karen celebertti
Future Nicaragua national director? Xiomara Blandino at Miss Universe 2007
I love the little video clip where the delegates surrounding the new Miss Universe asked "Who are you?" and Sheynnis enthusiastically answered "Miss Universe!" It made me recall the same enthusiastic reaction at Miss Earth 2019 when Puerto Rico's Nellys Pimentel was surrounded by her groupmates in the Water group, and they all chanted their team name as they celebrated her victory. I have a feeling Sheynnis will be concentrating on reinforcing this pageant's profile in the Latin American market especially with the next edition to be held in Mexico. I have a feeling that after Sheynnis's reign she'll remain in exile for a while because I think she's loyal and grateful to the director who helped her achieve this dream--and I'm sure America would welcome her with open arms.
For those who missed the Mayan flair of the staging of the 1975 edition of the Miss Universe pageant, you might be disappointed as like in most recent editions they opted for a sleek, modern black stage design--the closest thing to a Salvadorian flavor found onstage would probably be the two humongous openings where the delegates could enter and exit. The stage also has an X-shape that makes one recall the 2018 staging in Bangkok, Thailand. The Salvadorian flavor seems to lie mostly with the energy of the audience, as they prove to be a gracious, enthusiastic bunch.
Jeannie Mai and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo were back to host this pageant this year, but they are joined by TV presenter Maria Menounos, who turned out to also have a pageant background as she represented Massachusetts in Miss Teen USA 1996, where she barely missed the Top 10 by placing 13th. And also back to provide color commentary were Zuri Hall and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray. All hosts did a great job and no mistakes are observed amongst all of them. I don't know if it's my own personal bias or not but I want to see more of Zuri and Catriona onscreen as their banter was sparkly, bubbly, and energetic, while the main hosts tried their best to match the energy of the Salvadorian audience but still remained a bit too chill--the closest thing to energy that I saw among the main hosts was Jeannie changing to a tuxedo-style gown for the final part of the competition.
Miss Universe hosts: Jeannie Mai, Olivia Culpo, and Maria Menounos
Miss Universe color commentators Zuri Hall and Catriona Gray
The pageant was conducted in an efficient manner, as instead of a ramshackle production number to open the pageant they just went right in with the live delegate introductions, and then follow that with the announcement of the Top 20. Here, they announced it in three batches in a 7-7-6 format. After each batch was announced, we would see video interviews of the Top 20.
After the Top 20 was called, they then quickly segued to a highlight reel of the reigning queen, R'Bonney Gabriel followed by her appearing onstage for a brief chit-chat with the main hosts.
After a commercial break, Olivia did a backstage chitchat with some of the Top 20 before the swimsuit segment began. This year's swimsuit segment is set to the recording of J. Balvin and Willy William's 2017 mega-smash, "Mi Gente". All Top 20 semifinalists stuck to the same swimsuits they wore during the preliminary competition, the difference being that they don't have their sashes on them during this segment.
I got 14 of the Top 20 correct. The six that I didn't predict but went through were in my "Bubbling Under" list, so their inclusion was not shocking. It's nice to see the noteworthy competitors who benefited from the new rules were given representation here, but some pundits may wonder--was it representation for representation's sake, or is there true merit to their inclusion?
NEPAL - Jane Dipika Garrett. She was the one who turned her body size into her unique selling proposition and advocacy. We have to hand it to the gracious Salvadorian crowd as they applauded her presence everytime she was onstage. Other aces up her sleeve during the preliminary was her strong communciation skills and a polished performance during the evening gown round. So her making the Top 20 was not a shocker, but unlike Canada's Siera Bearchell back in 2016, she wasn't able to advance further to the next round. The selection committee felt her representing all the plus size at this level is adequate representation enough. There are some fellow delegates, most notaby FRANCE, who don't seem to like her non-competition behavior, so they are probably relieved she didn't advance further.
PAKISTAN - Erica Robin.She of course made a huge splash by being the first from this staunchly Muslim country to compete in this pageant, and to help accommodate her country's extreme modesty dictums she sported the burqini. I had mentioned that she, BAHRAIN and EGYPT were handled by the same national director and original fan sentiment initially favored BAHRAIN to make it, but this lady was the one to break through instead. How? Besides having prettier features, she delivered a more finessed performance during the preliminary competition and was a major highlight in the evening gown round as she sported a white sari veil to accessorize her gown, and hence delivered dramatic elegance and made an indelible impact. For the final, because the burqini does not showcase one's figure, she was probably not given a chance to advance further and the selection committee decided this would be as far as she would go.
PORTUGAL - Marina Machete Reis.While Spain's Angela Ponce was the first transgender delegate to compete in this pageant back in 2018, this delegate made a breakthrough by being the first transgender to advance to the semifinals. She delivered polish and flair in equal measures during the preliminary competition and thsi was why she made the cut. She was polished in her swimsuit presentation, and although herloud orange evening gown could be deemed as polarizing, she delivered dramatic flair in that outfit and that could have been her convincing argument to advance, and hence edged over fellow transgender delegate NETHERLANDS. I've noticed when she introduced herself live, she sounded convincingly feminine enough--it's only in a more subdued interview setting that you would know from her voice that she's transgender.
CAMEROON - Issie Princesse. This country had only begun to compete in this pageant in the 2020 edition, and finally it had its breakthrough with this lady. She has been receiving positive buzz all throughout her stay, but buzz grew heavier with her very convincing preliminary competition performance. She was a mixture of fierce and polished, and is proven to be a strong communicator so she earned her spot in the Top 20, and even if I didn't predict her inclusion, I'm glad she made the breakthrough.
NAMIBIA - Jameela Uiras. She's in the same boat as CAMEROON, garnering increasing buzz with her preliminary competition performance. I gave her the edge over CAMEROON as I thought she has the trimmer swimsuit figure, but I think we're really just splitting hairs and their standigns could easily be interchanged.
JAMAICA - Jordanne Levy. I think many pageant fans and pundits underrated her but she was an undeniably polished high level performer during the preliminary competition. What probably sealed the deal was her background as a medical doctor. Like CAMEROON and NAMIBIA she's a very refreshing inclusion that I have no objections seeing.
U S A - Noelia Voigt. She touts her Venezuelan heritage as her unique proposition, and like almost all Miss USA winners she's undeniably polished and a great communicator. However I noticed she's actually on the short side, so after initially believing she could make a play for the Final Five, I thought at most she'll make the Top 10 and that was what I pegged her in my "Fearful" Forecast. But it turns out the selection committee have other delegates they preferred over her, and so she didn't advance to the next round.
A piquant note I observe is that there are angles where she resembles former Miss America 1984 and famous actress/singer Vanessa Williams*1 in her 1990s heyday as a recording artist, especially when she smiles.
*1 Ironically, despite being dethroned due to the surfacing of nude photos that were then published in Penthouse magazine, Vanessa emerged as the most famous Miss America winner ever, as she conducted her life and career with relative grace since then.
Vanessa Williams (image courtesy of Jesse McCarthy for Getty Images)
INDIA - Shweta Sharda. She parlayed her background as a dancer/choreographer to make a major impact onstage and hence continues her country's four-year placement streak in this pageant. She remained consistently strong all throughout and most likely onlly missed the Top 10 by very little.
CHILE - Celeste Viel. As I was coming up with my "Fearful" Forecast, I was on the fence in including this lady--she's a top-notch performer and a gorgeous looker, yes, but I was concerned she might be set aside for other contenders. But the Voice for Change shortlist made me think she may have a more secure footing into the Top 20. But then, when she was called into the Top 20 and saw her video interview, I realized she's a more serious contender than I thought--I was stuneed by her fluency in English and the depth of her content so I was rooting for her to go all the way to Top 10. I think she probably came close but fell a bit short as the selection committee were more impressed with a few others. At least she broke a 19-year semifinals drought.
SOUTH AFRICA - Bryoni Govender. I thought her preliminary performance was so stellar on top of her known gift of gab and depth of advocacy that I thought she would make for a serious play for the Final Five. So I was shocked when she didn't make Top 10 as I thought her performance was so flawless that she deserved to advance furhter. But it seems the selection committee had a stronger liking for Latinas that they could not make room for her. I would've have her take the place of one of the eventual Top 10 finishers.
