THAILAND - Kasama Suetrong. She parlayed her very Asian features to exude a desirably exotic vibe to make major impact in this pageant. This is especially evident as she was the top Asian performer in the Supra-Model competition. She likewise made a stunning impression during the Preliminary evaluation that she seems to be the top Asian who could make a play for the crown.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - Brittany Deane. I initially found her underwhelming if we base mainly on stage presence, but I started to realize she actually registers better in photos. On top of that, she's a Supra-Chat semifinalist so she might perform strongly in interview. She also is a finalist in the Supra-Fan Vote, so do not count her out.
UKRAINE - Marina Mizhnova. This blonde is good looking but not as polished as some of the fierce contenders out there. Can the goodwill generated from the ongoing conflict still benefit her, or is she simply too overshadowed by stunners out there?
UNITED KINGDOM - Joanna Johnson. Her main asset is her strong communication skills and intelligence, and indeed she was shortlisted in Supra-Chat. She may not be generating buzz but she's reasonably polished and can pull off a play for the Top 24.
UNITED STATES - Jenny Dykstra. Early in the competition, there was buzz that this blonde is a possible front-runner, especially as she held her own very well side-by-side with one of the big favorites, CZECH REPUBLIC. But many pageant fans and pundits, including myself, felt that her peformance onstage seemed inconsistent, that I'm not certain a Top 24 slot is assured for her--I'm fretful she might be pipped by some surging performers out there. Still, she's a strong contender, so let's see if the Panel of Experts still look upon her with favor.
URUGUAY - Lola de los Santos. This country is a bit unheralded in the pageant scene lately, but this lady has been generating some buzz from some pageant fans and pundits that she could be a possible sleeper surprise as she seems to exude a polished presence all throughout.
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - Bria James. She is obviously not in the "standard" pageant shape that many pageant fans expect their beauty queens to be, but we have to welcome the diversity she brings to these proceedings. Yes, she is not in contention of making serious impact but er presence is very welcome.
VENEZUELA - Rossana Florini. There are many pageant fans and pundits who tought by virture of her sash she is a contender for the Top 24. But I'm not feeling her and she's not quite making any serious impact--she's more in the level of this year's CHILE or COLOMBIA than say, the likes of MEXICO or PERU.
VIETNAM - Lydie Marie Wache Vũ. There is a whole wealth of stunners in the Southeast Asian region, what with THAILAND making a huge splash, but INDONESIA, LAOS and MYANMAR are not far behind, not to mention that the PHILIPPINES is very much in the fray. And this lady is also generating a lot of sparks. Is there enough room for all of them, and which among them can go Top 12 and beyond?
With all 68 candidates accounted for, here is how my leaderboard looks:
TOP CONTENDERS: BRAZIL, CZECH REPUBLIC, INDIA, SOUTH AFRICA, THAILAND
SHOO-INS: CURACAO, DENMARK, INDONESIA, MEXICO, MYANMAR, PUERTO RICO, SLOVAKIA, VIETNAM
LIKELIEST: ARUBA, AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, BOLIVIA, BOTSWANA, CANADA, COTE D'IVOIRE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GERMANY, GUATEMALA, HAITI, ICELAND, JAPAN, LAOS, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, NIGERIA, PERU, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, SPAIN, UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES, URUGUAY,
INTELLIGENCE FACTOR: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
EXCELLENT: ALBANIA, ARGENTINA, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, FINLAND, HONDURAS, MALTA, NEPAL, PAKISTAN, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, SIERRA LEONE, UKRAINE, VENEZUELA
VERY STRONG: CAYMAN ISLANDS, CROATIA, GIBRALTAR, HONG KONG, ITALY, NICARAGUA, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
STRONG: BANGLADESH, GHANA, MALAYSIA
Now, here's my "Fearful" Forecast:
FINAL FIVE: BRAZIL, CZECH REPUBLIC, INDIA, SOUTH AFRICA, THAILAND
TOP 12: CURACAO, DENMARK, INDONESIA, MEXICO, MYANMAR, SLOVAKIA, VIETNAM
TOP 24: ARUBA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, COTE D'IVOIRE, GERMANY, LAOS, NIGERIA, PERU, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, PUERTO RICO, SPAIN
BUBBLING UNDER: BELGIUM, BOLIVIA, BOTSWANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, ICELAND, JAPAN, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES, URUGUAY
STRIKING DISTANCE: ALBANIA, ARGENTINA, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, FINLAND, HONDURAS, MALTA, NEPAL, PAKISTAN, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, SIERRA LEONE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, UKRAINE, VENEZUELA
It looks like a tight five-way race among BRAZIL (Isadora Murta), CZECH REPUBLIC (Justýna Zedníková), INDIA (Sonal Kukreja), SOUTH AFRICA (Bryoni Govender), and THAILAND (Kasama Suetrong), but do not count out CURACAO (Chanelle de Lau), who could parlay her experiences at Miss Universe 2016 and Miss International 2017 (where she finished 1st runner-up) and upset the major favorites above. Can any of these ladies have what it takes to promote the brand and help it grow back to achieve its headiest heights in the mid-2010s? Best of luck to all the ladies in this pageant.
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
No comments:
Post a Comment