71ST MISS WORLD: AT THE HOMESTRETCH - ""FEARFUL" FORECAST

 With all 112 contestantas accounted for, let me now trot out my leaderboard:

TOP CONTENDERS:  BOTSWANA, CZECH REPUBLIC, ENGLAND, INDONESIA, PERU, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, TURKEY

SHOO-INS:  BELGIUM, BRAZIL, CROATIA, FRANCE, INDIA, LEBANON, MARTINIQUE, NEPAL, NIGERIA, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN, TUNISIA, UGANDA, UKRAINE, UNITED STATES, VIETNAM, ZIMBABWE

LIKELIEST:  AUSTRALIA, CANADA, COLOMBIA, CURACAO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GHANA, GIBRALTAR, GUYANA, IRELAND, JAMAICA, KENYA, MALAYSIA, MAURITIUS, MEXICO, MONGOLIA, NAMIBIA, NORTHERN IRELAND, PORTUGAL, PUERTO RICO, ROMANIA, SCOTLAND, SLOVAKIA, SOUTH SUDAN,  SWEDEN, TANZANIA, THAILAND, WALES

PERSONALITY FACTOR:  BELIZE, LESOTHO

HERITAGE FACTOR:  NEW ZEALAND, SRI LANKA

EXCELLENT:  ANGOLA, ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, CAMEROON, CHILE, COSTA RICA, COTE D'IVOIRE,  DENMARK, EL SALVADOR, ESTONIA, ETHIOPIA, FINLAND, HAITI, ITALY, JAPAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KOREA, MADAGASCAR, MALTA, MOLDOVA, MOROCCO, MYANMAR, NETHERLANDS, NICARAGUA, PANAMA, POLAND, SIERRA LEONE, SLOVENIA, VENEZUELA

VERY STRONG:  BANGLADESH, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, CAMBODIA, GERMANY,  GREECE, GUATEMALA, GUINEA, GUINEA-BISSAU, HONDURAS, HUNGARY, IRAQ, PARAGUAY, SENEGAL, SERBIA, SOMALIA, TOGO

STRONG:  BULGARIA, CHINA, ECUADOR,, GUADELOUPE, LIBERIA, MACAU CHINA, MONTENNEGRO, SINGAPORE

VERY GOOD:  CAYMAN ISLANDS, NORWAY, URUGUAY

Now, here is my "Fearful" Forecast:

FINAL FOUR:  BOTSWANA, CZECH REPUBLIC, INDONESIA, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

FINAL EIGHT:  ENGLAND, NIGERIA, PERU, TURKIYE

TOP 12:  BRAZIL, FRANCE, INDIA, PHILIPPINES

TOP 40:  AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, CANADA, COLOMBIA, CROATIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GUYANA, IRELAND ,JAMAICA,  LEBANON, MALAYSIA, MARTINIQUE,MEXICO, NEPAL, NORTHERN IRELAND, PUERTO RICO, SCOTLAND, SLOVAKIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SPAIN., TANZANIA, TUNISIA, UGANDA, UKRAINE, UNITED STATES, VIETNAM, WALES, ZIMBABWE

BUBBLING UNDER:  CURACAO, GHANA, GIBRALTAR, KENYA, MAURITIUS, MONGOLIA, NAMIBIA, ROMANIA, SOUTH SUDAN, SWEDEN, THAILAND

STRIKING DISTANCE:  ANGOLA, ARGENTINA, BELIZE, BOLIVIA, CAMEROON, CHILE, COSTA RICA, COTE D'IVOIRE,  DENMARK, EL SALVADOR, ESTONIA, ETHIOPIA, FINLAND, HAITI, ITALY, JAPAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KOREA, LESOTHO, MADAGASCAR, MALTA, MOLDOVA, MOROCCO, MYANMAR, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, NICARAGUA, PANAMA, POLAND, SIERRA LEONE, SLOVENIA, SRI LANKA, VENEZUELA

Miss World has reverted back to a Continental" format where they select from the best performing contestants per continent before determining the Final Eight and Final Four.  It makes things a bit more brutal as I feel two ladies in the Asia & Oceania Group (INDONESIA and TURKIYE) are Final Four worthy.  Europe seems to feature a rivalry between CZECH REPUBLIC and ENGLAND, wit the former having the upper-hand, but is tis pageant willing to crown another stunning Slavic blonde back-to-back?  BOTSWANA has been nailing the challenge events so it might seem she has the upper hand for the crown, but it is emerging that determining the winner will likely be murky and unpredictable.  May the best woman win!

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

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71ST MISS WORLD: AT THE HOMESTRETCH -- ASIA & OCEANIA (PART 2)

 

MACAU CHINA - Li Mengli.  She was one of the late arrivals and she's not as polished to boot, on top of being Chinese, so her prospects were very slim.

MALAYSIA - Wenanita Angang.  She made the shortlist in the Head-to-Head challenge and is a pretty polished contestant, so she seems to have a good footing to make the Top 40.

MONGOLIA - Bolor Bat-Erdene.  She's a polished contender who made it in the "homely" fast-track events of Sports and Talent (as a Top 14 finalist with her traditional dance performance).  She may also have Top 40 in her sights.

MYANMAR - Yoon Theint Theint Nway.  She's attractive, but nott quite delivering much firepower like the other contenders out there, so she's likely ending up as an also-ran.

NEPAL - Priyanka Rani Joshi.  You can always count on this country on shining best in BWAP, and indeed her project (on bringing electricity and educational access to a remote rural community)is deemed the best for this region, so indeed she secured her Top 40 slot.  Making the sortlist in the Head-to-Head challenge and Sports are gravy to her notable achievement.

NEW ZEALAND - Navjot Kaur.  There are only two contestants from the Oceania region, and she's obviously the lesser one.  She made the shortlist in the "homely" Sports challenge.  But we should not fully dismiss her, as she has a couple of aces up her sleeve--she has strong communication skills and she's of Indian heritage.

PHILIPPINES - Gwendolyne Fourniol.  She made it in four fast-track challenge events of the Head-to-Head challenge, Top Model, Sports, and the initial cut in Talent.  I admittedly only dismiss her as probably only finishing at the Top 40, but it looks like she could be gunning for a Top 12 finish if we base it on her showings in those events.  I do have to salute her for making it in Sports, as this is the first time our country made it in that event.

SINGAPORE - Oh Wei Qi.  She seems to be in the same boat as CHINA and MACAU CHINA.

SRI LANKA - Kavindi Nethmini[.  She seems a reasonably polished contender who failed to figure in any fast-track event.  Would her heritage be enough to get her a leg up into the Top 40?

THAILAND - Tharina Botes.  She made an initial splash in the Head-to-Head challenge but after that buzz seemed to diminish, so even if she seems to have great credentials her Top 40 prospects are far from certain.

TURKEY / TÜRKİYE - Nursena Say.  It's interesting how this pageant vacillates referring to this country by either its "older" name or the "newer" name.  And also how this year they tagged this country under the Asia/Oceania group as normally this country is included among the Europe team--I have a feeling the key reason is because Asia & Oceania has the fewest contestants this year (yes, Africa has outranked them) so they decided to add this country in this bin.  And this lady is regarded as the best contestant fielded by this country since Miss World 2002 Azra Akın.  She made a lot of major splashes, like being the top performer for her region in Top Model and becoming the runner-up overall to boot, then getting shortlisted in BWAP (with her projects helping cencer-stricken children with their treatment and volunteering when the coutnry was beset with devastating earthquakes).  It seems it's between her or INDONESIA as being the top performer in this region overall, but there are other compelling contenders closely nipping at their heels.

VIETNAM - Huỳnh Nguyễn Mai Phương.  She's a charming, polished contender and she made the cut in the Head-to-Head challenge.  But she secured her Top 40 slot as she emerged as the Multimedia champion.

COMING UP:  THE "FEARFUL" FORECAST

71ST MISS WORLD: AT THE HOMESTRETCH -- ASIA & OCEANIA (PART 1)

 

Now, we're at the regtion that housed the host country--Asia and Oceania.  It is interesting to note that this region has the smallest roster amongst the four groups, and on top of that, it could've been smaller if a Eurasian country that typically was pegged as part of the EUROPE region hasn't been tagged into tis group instead..  But even if this group is relatively small in number, do tey have competititive firepower to be amongst the top contenders?

AUSTRALIA - Kristen Wright.  There are only two contestants from Oceania tis year, and clearly this blonde is the main standout of the two.  She made the cut in Head-to-Head and Sports, but it seems with her strong interview skills she seems to have an inside track for the Top 40 and possibly even beyond.

BANGLADESH - Shammi Islam Nila.  She's a cute lady who obviously lacks polish, that is why she is ending up as an also-ran.

CAMBODIA - Sreypich Teng.  While this country has been fielding more competitive contenders in other pageants, for this pageant we have one of the less-polised contenders out there.

CHINA, P. R. - Ke Xu Xin.  This pageant typically regards this country very highly, but with India as host, that supposed advantage may not be in play this time--it is known that the two highest populated countries in the world (with India overtaking China since last year) have this ferocious antagonistic rivalry spanning decades if not centuries, and with this lady being more of a middling contender instead of a charismatic standout like its two winners, Zhang Zilin (2007) and Yu Wenxia (2012), this country seems to be facing an upilll battle to make the Top 40.

INDIA - Sini Shetty.  I may not find her as beautiful or charismatic as other ladies that had been fielded to this pageant previously (like its bevy of six winners), she is competing at a high level that it seems it's a cinch she'll secure a Top 12 placement.  She made the shortlist in the Head-to-Head challenge, Top Model, and Talent.

INDONESIA - Audrey Vanessa Susilo.  Like BOTSWANA, she seems to be figuring in all the fast-track challenge events, making it in Head-to-Head, Sports, Top Model, BWAP, and was ranked third in Talent with her singing and piano plaiing.  I have a feeling if they published a shortlist in Multimedia, she would've made that list too.  Based on all these remarkable showings, could she be a top contender for the crown?

IRAQ - Balsam Hussein.

JAPAN - Kana Yamaguchi.  Her highlight is that she made the shortlist in Sports, but other than that she doesn't recieve much buzz.

KAZAKHSTAN - Tomiris Kakimova.  She's good looking and reasonably polished but she failed to figure in any fast-track event, so it's likely at most she can aspire for the Holly Carpenter Award.

KOREA - Lijin Kim.  She seems goog-looking and polished but like JAPAN her highlight was making the cut in Sports.  Not sure if she has enough mojo to impress the judges to be in serious Top 40 contention.

LEBANON - Yasmina Zaytoun.  This Miss Universe 2022 veteran made a big splash in the Head-to-Head challenge as with her impassioned speech she secured a Top 40 spot by being one of the five finalists in that event.  Her prettiness was undeniable that she also got sortlisted in Top Model.  But I'm concerned that with the heavy firepower delivered by the likes of the host country, INDONESIA, PHILIPPINES and TURKEY/TÜRKİYE, would she still be able to stand out or will she be overshadowed by them?

COMING UP:  MACAU CHINA to VIETNAM

71ST MISS WORLD: AT THE HOMESTRETCH -- EUROPE (PART 2)

 

MALTA - Natalia Galea.  She made the initial cut for Talent but not enough to showcase at the BWAP galaa.  She's an attractive lady but looks like overshadowed by other standouts out there.

MOLDOVA - Diana Spotarenko.  She's a gorgeous 20-year-old ingenue from the autonomous Gagauz region.  Since she failed to figure in any fast-track challenge, she is a likely candidate for the Holly Carpenter award.

MONTENEGRO - Anđela Vukadinović.  Unlike MOLDOVA's girlish ingenue gorgeousness, this lady possesses sharp, angular features that alongside obvious lack of training or resources, made her very far from being in serious contention for the Top 40.

NETHERLANDS - Amber Koelewijn.  With her gymnasitic and dancing skills, she got shortlisted in Talent and showcased it in the BWAP galaa.  She has a very likeable personality that could possibly win over MWO insiders, but we'll see if she'll go far.

NORTHERN IRELAND - Kaitlyn Clarke.  She's a stage performer who has her sights for the West End and possibly even Broadway, and with her bravura performance of "Don't Rain on My Parade" from the musical Funny Girl (made iconically famous by Barbra Streisand), she placed 2nd in the Talent challenge.  She also seems to have strong communication skills that she got shortlisted in the Head-to-Head challenge, so she might have an inside track into the Top 40.

NORWAY - Andrea Farias.  Her features doen't register as Norwegian at all, and based on her surname and the fact that among the languages she could speak is Spanish, she probably have Hispanic heritage on her father's side.  She is also one of te rawest contenders from this continent, so se is far from being in contention for the Top 40.

POLAND - Krystyna Sokolowska.  It's tough to follow in the footsteps of her predecessor, the reigning Miss World Karolina Bielawska.  She made the initial shortlist in Talent, but not enough to be asked to perform at the BWAP gala.  Is there still enough room for her in the Top 40?

PORTUGAL - Catarina Ferreira.  She's attractive and well-spoken and her main highlight was being among the 14 finalists in Talent, being similar to BOTSWANA in that she performed by singing and playing an acoustic guitar.  She could be a sleeper possibility to the Top 40.

ROMANIA - Ada Maria Ileana.  Like POLAND, this brunette's sole highlight was making the initial cut in Talent, but not enough to be asked to perform in the BWAP gala.  She seems to be an articulate lady with a good command of English, but with the demeanor of a stereotypical beauty queen which MWO insiders tend to frown upon.

SCOTLAND - Chelsie Allison.  Of the ladies from the British Isles, she's the one who made the last splash, as she only figured in one fast-track event.  But it's one that most fans tend to focus a lot--Top Model.  Now, the issue is if she has enough gravitas and substance in her interview to be able to advance to the Top 40.

SERBIA - Anja Radić.  There are angles where she resembles actress Ashley Judd, who in turn has featues that resembles Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot.  Unlike Gal Gadot's Miss Universe stint when she represented Israel*4, this lady's less-than-noteworthy performance can be attributed simply due to lack of resources and support, not any act of sabotage.

*4  Gal Gadot herself noted that when she competed at Miss Universe, she deliberately sabotaged her chances of being in contention for the Top 15 by her styling choices and deliberately bombing her interviews.

SLOVAKIA - Sophia Hrivňáková.  She made a standout impression during the physical aspects of the competition, as she made the shortlist in Sports and was the top performer for her continent in the Top Model competition, making her a Final Four finalist there.  Could this help in her prospects for making the Top 40?

SLOVENIA - Vida Milivojša.  Tis wavy-haired blonde failed to make any impact in any fast-track event, so it's likely she's an also-ran.

SPAIN - Paula Pérez.  Prior to her arrival, she was hyped as a potential crown contender with her beauty, her background as a medical doctor, her talent as a ballerina, and her British accent.  She did make an initial splash in the Head-to-Head challenge as she was shortlisted there,  She also made the initial shortlist in Talent but was not invited to perform in the BWAP gala.  I have a feeling she'll secure a Top 40 slot, but I'm not certain if she can go further than that.

SWEDEN - Stina Nordlander.  She's a gorgeous blonde who is an academic overachiever and a member of MENSA (the organization for people with high IQ).  I would love to root for her to go far, but she only figured in the "homely" fast-track of Sports (thanks to her football background).  But would her background still be impressive enough for the judges and MWO insiders to grant her a Top 40 slot?:

UKRAINE - Sofia Shamia.  This good-looking brunette's big highlight is of course her BWAP project as her country's current situation is a perfect hotbed for noteworthy advocacies to shine.  And that alone might secure her a Top 40 slot.

WALES - Darcey Corria.  She's of Jamaican descent wit some strains of Yemeni heritage in her DNA besides native Welsh.  She made the cut in the Head-to-Head challenge, Sports, and the first round of Talent.  She could be a strong Top 40 possibility as she is a standout communicator with strong advocacies.

COMING UP:  ASIA & OCEANIA (AUSTRALIA to LEBANON)