She makes a striking look with her bangs but otherwise onstage she's less-than-polished. Based on interview snippets I saw she seems to be a strong communicator, but will that be enough to make her in serious contention for the Top 16.
SLOVAK REPUBLIC - Karolina Michálčiková. She is part of a contingent of very pretty Europeans this year. She proves to be a stronger than expected stage performer, so I'll label her an underrated gem.
SOUTH AFRICA - Ndavi Nokeri. There are some pageant fans who observe she has a passing resemblance to pop superstar Rihanna. Her styling decisions may polarize pageant fans and pundits but she does deliver standout impact that she is likely to sustain this country's very strong finish in this pageant.*12 I think she's a shoo-in for the Top 16 with a possible play for the Final Five.
*12 Since Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (now Tebow)'s win in 2017, this country never finished below Top Three with the exception of the 69th edition (i.e., 2020) when it shockingly missed the final cut.
SPAIN - Alicia Faube. Prior to her New Orleans arrival, many pageant fans and pundits regard her as having an inside track for the Top 16, but buzz fizzled when she arrived. Though her performance in the preliminary competition was actually solid, many (including myself) realize she was clearly overshadowed and she only has an outside shot of making the Top 16 at most.
SWITZERLAND - Alia Guindi. This blonde's attractive and is generally solid on stage, but she is overshadowed by a bevy of gorgeous faces from her continent.
THAILAND - Anna Suengam-iam. She delivered a very sleek and impeccable performance during the preliminary competition that it looks like she's one of the locks for the Top 16, and there are many fans buzzing that she would make serious inroads into the Final Five. Admittedly she did outperform PHILIPPINES, but let's see how it all figures when they compete in the semifinal rounds.
THE BAHAMAS - Angel Cartwright. She may be conventionally prettier than her predecessor, Chantel O'Brien, who delivered this country's breakthrough last year, but in terms of stage presence she's generally low wattage, so it's likely back to clapping for this country.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - Tya Jané Ramey. She's actually in the same boat as PANAMA, though she only placed Top 40 at Miss World 2019 but still managed to earn a continental title as Miss World - Caribbean as her continental colleague, Jamaica's Toni-Ann Singh, won Miss World. She garnered major buzz for her sterling performance during the preliminary competition that she could possibly pull off a Top 16 finish. She may not be conventionally pretty, but based on her performance, she also is another prime example of the "Beautifully Confident" motto.
TURKIYE - Aleyna Sirin. She's attractive but definitely not as polished as other contenders out there. In a less competitive year she would be deemed a solid contender but with this stratified standard she is close to taking up the rear.
UKRAINE - Viktoria Apanasenko. This comely blonde may have fluctuating buzz, initially being regarded as a possible Top 16 contender, then losing buzz when she set foot in New Orleans and then because of her patriotic messages throughout her preliminary competition and national costume presentations, returning back as a possible Top 16 finisher. I particularly like how she employed the colors of her country's flag (blue and yellow) as a flowing train during the evening gown round.
URUGUAY - Carla Romero. See ARGENTINA, but even plainer.
U S A - R'Bonney Gabriel. If I based my assessment on her facial beauty alone, I wouldn't peg this Texan of Filipina heritage as a front-runner. But the drama she delivered during the preliminary competition brought a lot of impact that I now understand why there are fans and pundits who think she could indeed make a play for the Final Five and maybe even win it all.
VENEZUELA - Amanda Dudamel. May people are buzzing that she is the one to beat, and I agree with them, as I feel she possessed an abundance of charisma and she backs it up with an outgoing personality and promoting her advocacies. Yes, there are some pageant fans and pundits who dislike her choice of gown during the preliminary competition but for me she delivered flash and impact in that number and that would be enough to still regard her as the one to beat.
VIETNAM - Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Châu. Like THAILAND, she delivered an impeccable, impactful performance during the preliminary compatition that I feel she secured a slot in the Top 16 and may not need to win the popular vote to secure her slot.
With all 84 delegates accounted, allow me to trot out my leaderboard and here's how I feel they all pan out:
TOP CONTENDERS: PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, U S A, VENEZUELA
SHOO-INS: CURACAO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, SOUTH AFRICA, THAILAND, VIETNAM
LIKELIEST: ANGOLA, ARUBA, BAHRAIN, BRAZIL, CAMBODIA, COLOMBIA, ECUADOR, FRANCE, GERMANY, GHANA, GREAT BRITAIN, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, ICELAND, INDIA, INDONESIA, ITALY, JAMAICA, LEBANON, MAURITIUS, MEXICO, NETHERLANDS, NIGERIA, PANAMA, PERU, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, UKRAINE,
EXCELLENT: ALBANIA, AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, CAMEROON, CANADA, CROATIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, HAITI, JAPAN, KYRGYZSTAN, LAOS, MALTA, NAMIBIA, NORWAY, POLAND, RUSSIA, SLOVAK REPUBLIC,
VERY STRONG: ARMENIA, BHUTAN, BOLIVIA, CHILE, EL SALVADOR, FINLAND, GREECE, KOSOVO, MALAYSIA, MYANMAR, NICARAGUA, PARAGUAY, SWITZERLAND,
STRONG: ARGENTINA, BELIZE, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, CHINA, COSTA RICA, KOREA, NEPAL, SAINT LUCIA, SEYCHELLES, SINGAPORE, THE BAHAMAS, TURKIYE,
VERY GOOD: BULGARIA, CAYMAN ISLANDS, URUGUAY
Now, my "Fearful" Forecast:
FINAL THREE: PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, VENEZUELA
FINAL FIVE: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, U S A
TOP 16: ANGOLA, COLOMBIA, CURACAO, GERMANY, ITALY, JAMAICA, SOUTH AFRICA, THAILAND, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, UKRAINE, VIETNAM
BUBBLING UNDER: ARUBA, BAHRAIN, BRAZIL, CAMBODIA, ECUADOR, FRANCE, GHANA, GREAT BRITAIN, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, ICELAND, INDIA, INDONESIA, LEBANON, MAURITIUS, MEXICO, NETHERLANDS, NIGERIA, PANAMA, PERU, PORTUGAL, SPAIN
STRIKING DISTANCE: ALBANIA, AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, CAMEROON, CANADA, CROATIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, HAITI, JAPAN, KYRGYZSTAN, LAOS, MALTA, NAMIBIA, NORWAY, POLAND, RUSSIA, SLOVAK REPUBLIC,
It looks like it's going to be a battle between those who fit the former "Confidently Beautiful" motto spearheaded by PHILIPPINES (Celeste Cortesi) and VENEZUELA (Amanda Dudamel) and including the likes of COLOMBIA (Maria Fernanda Aristizabla), CURACAO (Gabriela Dos Santos), DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (Andreina Martinez), GERMANY (Soraya Kohlmann), ITALY (Virginia Stablum), THAILAND (Anna Sueang-iam), UKRAINE (Viktoria Apanasenko), and VIETNAM (Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau), or would we see the camp of the new "Beautifully Confident" motto prevail spearheaded by PUERTO RICO (Ashley Cariño) and U S A (R'Bonney Gabriel) and featuring the likes of BRAZIL (Mia Mamede), GREAT BRITAIN (Noky Simbani), MEXICO (Irma Miranda), PANAMA (Solaris Barba), and TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (Tya Jane Ramey). Or we feature ladies who can vacillate between the two like ANGOLA (Swelia Da Silva Antonio), JAMAICA (Toshami Calvin) and SOUTH AFRICA (Ndavi Nokere). Boy, there are a lot of compelling choices this year that I'm not that confident that I'll get the roster right. Let's hope for a competition as colorful and dramatic as the host city of New Orleans.
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
Are we going for Confidently Beautiful? (L-R) PHILIPPINES (Celeste Cortesi) and VENEZUELA (Amanda Dudamel)
Or Beautifully Confident? (L-R) U S A (R'Bonney Gabriel) and PUERTORICO (Ashley Carino)
