After the Top 40 announcement, Megan and Karan, introduced the judges. It is filled with prominent Indian personalities and surprisingly a lower proportion of the Miss World Organizaiton insiders than is typical.
I got 31 of the 40 correct. Cutting off the 13 fast-track winners as they were known before the finals began, that's 18 out of 27--not bad, but still not one of my best forecasts. Little did I anticipate many of the ladies who got in.
The biggest shockers for me are the inclusion of SOMALIA (Bahia Mahmood) and NEW ZEALAND (Navjot Kaur). I didn't include them even in my "Striking Distance" list, so for me if we based mainly on their actual performance, I would find tem as headscrattchers. But I think the goodwill generated by the Top 13 finish of Khadija Omar in the previous edition may have rubbed off on her countrywoman, and in the latter case, it was mainly because of her Indian heritage that she got an edge.
Three are six finishers that I initially pegged low but once I learned a bit more about them, I realize they shouldn't be underestimated and them landing in the Top 40 is not really a shocker. I'll start wit BELIZE (Elise-Gayonne Vernon), who effectively positioned herself as a "farmer girl" with her agricultural advocacy that she seems to strike a chord with the predominantly Indian judges. Despite not figuring in any fast-track events, CAMEROON (Julia Samantha Edima) and SOUTH SUDAN (Arek Abraham Albino) made the cut as they presented a cosmopolitan side to the African continent. MADAGASCAR (Antsaly Rajoelina) meanwhile, has her sincerity and advocacy (plus perhaps her athletic ability) to make an impression and make the cut even if she is not clearly as polished as the other contenders out there. As the days wore on, I start to appreciate GIBRALTAR (Faith Torres) as a striking looker (non-Rachel Zegler Snow White, anyone?) that she's a refreshing inclusion to the Top 40, and so is ITALY (Rebecca Arnone).
Though I failed to include her in my forecasted Top 40, I had a high esteem for KENYA (Chantou Kwamboka)--I just thought that there might not be enough room for her, but it turns out there is (especially since this "festival" decided to allow a record number of African entries to advance).
Three fast-track winners have their fast-track wins to thank for their placements, as I feel otherwise they don't have enough mojo to win over the panel of judges and insiders. CROATIA (Lucija Begić)) has her win in Sports to thank for her placement. UKRAINE (Sofia Shamia) has her European win for Beauty with a Purpose (BWAP) to make her advance. And of course TUNISIA (Imen Mehrzi) has her singing talent to thank for her Top 40 placement.
Based on their overall impression, it is always expected that CANADA (Jaime Vandenberg) and PUERTO RICO (Elena Rivera) would make the cut. I can also argue that MARTINIQUE (Axelle René) doesn't need her Top Model fast-track win to also make the cut, but that fast-track makes for a lovely accessory for her overall performance.
In the African region, SOUTH AFRICA (Claude Mashego) and TANZANIA (Halima Kopwe) are always in the radar and hence their Top 40 placements are expected. Same goes to ZIMBABWE (Nokutenda Marumbwa), whose Head-to-Head Challenge fast-track win is a special bonus for her achievement.
In my Always Worthy list for Europe, I happen to have two European contestants of color for the honors: BELGIUM (Kedist Deltour) and WALES (Darcey Corria). Both communicated their advocacies effectively to make it to the Head-to-Head challenge, while BELGIIUM made the shrotlist in Top Model while WALES made her mark in Sports and Talent (initial cut).
The three Asians in my Always Worthy list happen to all make the cut in the Head-to-Head challenge: MALAYSIA (Wenanita Angnng), NEPAL (Priyanka Rani Joshi), and VIETNAM (Huynh Nguyen Mai Phuong). But NEPAL had the big bonus of securing her Top 40 slot via a BWAP win for being the best in her region, and VIETNAM secured her slot via winning Multimedia. Again, those fast-track wins are lovely accessories to their ultimate finish.
Now, it's time to discuss the contenders who probably came closest to making the Top 12, but somehow fell short with the judges (and the Continental allocation system now in place).
I would start with the European region with FRANCE (Clemence Botino). She's a known quantity because of her Top 10 finsih at Miss Universe 2021, and much is expected of her, though she only figured in the Top Model challenge. But then, some other contenders who advanced over er also figured in fewer challenge events and still they made the Top12. So I feel she was probably the one wo was pipped at the post for a Top 12 slot.
Next, I'll go to the Americas where we have the highly hyped PERU (Lucia Arellano), who like FRANCE, figured in Top Model, but also has a bonus by placing 3rd in Sports, hence that is why I'll rank her above FRANCE.
The biggest shocker of those who missed the Top 12 are found in the Asia-& Oceania region, as to ladies who made huge splashes in the challenge events and are peceived to battle it out for the Continental crown missed the Top 12. I have a strong feeling that if Miss World did not create a strict rule that the Top 12 should be only the three best perforemers for each of the four regions, INDONESIA (Audrey Vanessa Susilo) and TURKIYE (Nursena Say) would've made the Top 12 and displaced the third-placers from two regions (most likely Americas and Africa though Europe is also a possibility). In future editions, I would recommend they either expand the roster of the second cut or remove the strict regional allocations altogether to allow merit to reign. It's just too upsetting to see these compelling ladies get shut out.
Following the judges' introduction were the performances of famous Indian pop star Tony Kakkar performing his hit song "Dheeme Dheeme [Slowly, Slowly]", followed by his sister Neha Kakkar, who performed an uptempo number.. This is followed by a recap of the activities set to a narrative poem.
COMING UP: THE TOP 12
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