MISS INTERNATIONAL 2022: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (AFRICA & OCEANIA GROUPS)

Before I proceed with the delegates from Africa, I have to note that initially there were two confirmed delegates from this region who ultimately failed to show up due to various reasons:

GHANA - Caroline Naa Nunoo.  This slight and slender lady seems to have every intention of competing here, considering she actually submitted an SDG advocacy video.  But it seems there were hitches that ultimately prevented her from competing here--is it lack of sponsorship or visa issues that's the culprit here?

SIERRA LEONE - Fatu Rugiaru.  In another pageant, her sort of features would've been appealing.  But I feel the predominantly senior Japanese panel wouldn't gravitate to her sort of features.  So it's really no loss that she didn't make it to Japan at all.

Now it's time to discuss the seven African delegates who made it to Japan.

CABO VERDE - Stephany Amado.  She's a model who is making major waves here, and based on her SDG video she seems to also be a good communicator.  Based on early results of the popular vote, she is topping the polls for Europe & Africa, but I feel even without winning the poll she'll make the cut anyway and may even go very far and make the "royal court".  Though some might quibble about her hairstyle during the preliminary swimsuit round, it's not a major quibble though I suggest she slicks and tie her hair back for the finals all throughout to maximize her prospects.

KENYA - Cindy Iseni.  She stands out with her cropped hairdo.  But the attention is likely being focused on CABO VERDE so there is little room for her to advance.

MAURITIUS - Ava Memero.  There are some who loved her wavy pre-Raphaelite locks and believe she can be in contention for the Top 15.  But I find her a bit of a hot mess based on what I see in the preliminary swimsuit and casual wear competition so I tend to put her in the bottom of the list.  But then again, I pegged Madagascar's Esmeralda Malleka as a cellar-dweller back in 2018 and that lady somehow won over the judges and made the Top 15.

NAMIBIA - Erika Kazombaruru.  She's one of the shortest ladies in this batch.  She's generally polished and attractive but I think her height might be a disadvantage.

NIGERIA - Precious Obisoso.  She's a short-haired African who is attractive and polished. She could've made more serious inroads, but she's clearly overshadowed by the formidable CABO VERDE.

SOUTH AFRICA - Ferini Dayal.  She seems to be of Indian descent.  We tend to think the top African to be from this country but this year, that honor goes to CABO VERDE.

TOGO - Océane Bellow.  She looks like the most polished African in this batch behind CABO VERDE.  Not sure if there will be room for her, but she's so far performing at a high level.

If I were to strictly follow the order as presented, I would've gone to the Europe group, but I'll break the sequence and for space purposes discuss the Oceania Group first, and there are only four delegates from this continent.

AUSTRALIA - Anjelica Whitelaw.  She looks Asian.  She's reasonably polished but not charismatic enough to make an impact.

HAWAII - Priscilla Wang.  She's very polished and a good speaker.  I have a feeling she can be the winner of Miss International - Oceania, a continental honor accorded to the most congenial delegate from her region.

NEW ZEALAND - Lydia Smit.  This blonde seems to be the top lady from this region, and she seems to have a chance to make the Top 15.

NORTHERN MARIANAS - Savannah Delos Santos.  Based on looks and stage presence, this lady would be the obvious cellar-dweller.  But her saving grace is her likable personality and strong communication skills (check her SDG video).  

COMING UP:  DELEGATES from EUROPE

MISS INTERNATIONAL 2022: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (INTRODUCTION & ASIA GROUP)

After a three-year pause due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Miss International Beauty Pageant is finally staging its 60th edition.  With the delays, this has made the reigning queen, Sireethorn Leearamwat the longest reigning queen in recent memory, as she has a full three-year reign.

Long-reigning queen:  Miss International 2019 Sireethorn Leeamwarat.

The 60th edition of this pageant seems to be a period of rebuilding after the worst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has passed and remaining deeply steeped in tradition.  After drawing a record 82 delegates in its last edition, this year it's scaled back, ultimately drawing 66 delegates to this edition--its lowest turnout since 2009.*1  The competition format remains largely unchanged from 2018-19, with a preliminary swimsuit and casual wear competition and the rest of the competition (national costume and evening gown) determined during the finals.  There are a couple of fresh new twists, though:  first, this pageant seems to want to emphasize advocacies based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and so there are SDG videos posted on this pageant's nascent YouTube channel.  Then, this year there is a popular vote component as three slots are reserved for popular vote winners representing these three regions:  1) Asia & Oceania; 2) Europe & Africa; and 3) The Americas.

*1 Though it is the third oldest major pageant, in most years it draws the least number of delegates compared to newer upstarts like Miss Earth, Miss Supranational and Miss Grand International.  For instance it only took until 2007 before this pageant hit the 60-delegate threshold with 61 while Miss Earth has been attracting 80 delegates and more since 2005 (and consistently remains to do so until the present). It grew incrementally by two delegates for the next two years, then finally met the 70 thrreshold in 2010.  Its roster then hovered between 67 to 73 from 2011-2017 before ramping up its turnout in 2018 and 2019.  This year, its turnout is lower than Miss Grand International (68) and Miss Supranational (69), and of course Miss Earth (86).

Just like in the previous edition, the delegates would be presented based on continents, though this year it's back to conventional English alphabetical order instead of the quirky reverse order it employed in 2019.  The continents/regions presented are as follows:  Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas.  Without further ado, let's present the Asia group starting with:

CAMBODIA - Charany Chea.  She's cute, but she's one of the shortest delegates in tis batch and is not that polished during the preliminary swimsuit and casual wear rounds.

HONG KONG - Rosemary Ling.  There are some fans buzzing about her swimsuit performance, and she seems to have a tall model's height, which may help her create a streak following the Top 15 placement of her predecessor, Kaye Cheung.

INDIA - Zoya Afroz.  She's very pretty and reportedly a strong speaker.  There are some pageant fans and pundits who feel she can make a play for the Top 15 and even Top Eight, but I'm not that certain about that prospect, but she has been gradually winning me over the more I look at her.

INDONESIA - Cindy May McGuire.  She is reportedly a medical doctor and a strong communicator, but I have issues with her looks and presence as she is clearly overshadowed by other contenders out there and seems to pale with the strong competitors fielded by this rising pageant powerhouse in previous years.  Still, she may have performed enough to make the initial cut.

JAPAN - Kiko Matsuo.  It traditionally is assumed that this country is always guaranteed a slot in this pageant.  But since its win in 2012, this country had a non-placement drought between 2013=2015 before placing again between 2016-2018 and then missing the cut again in 2019.  Could this lady make the cut, or are we in for another possible drought in home soil?  In my opinion, it could go either way, as I don't really find her charismatic enough compared to other contenders out there. 

KOREA - Sujin Kim.  She has the potential to bring her country back to the Top 15 after last placing in 2010, but her performance in the preliminary swimsuit and casual wear competition was lackluster, so its likely this drought might be sustained.

LAOS - Puangtip Malichan.  She looks trim and polished, though I'm torn if her features are appealing enough to the predominantly senior Japanese panel.  But then again, the reigning Miss International has similar features, but I feel the "exotic" vibe she exuded in the preliminary swimsuit was a misfire.

MACAU - Dinelle Wong.  She's polished enough, but she's rather plain to be in serious contention for the Top 15.

MALAYSIA - Giselle Tan.  She's attractive and generally polished, so there is that chance that there might be room for her in the Top 15.

MONGOLIA - Nomin-Erdene Bayarkhuu.  See MACAU, but less slender and more shapely.

NEPAL - Nancy Khadka.  She's cute and has a strong advocacy in her SDG video, but she doesn't seem to be that polished in the preliminary swimsuit and casual wear competition.  

PHILIPPINES - Hannah Arnold.  She is obviously driven to deliver our seventh Miss International crown, and so far she looks totally on-point throughout her stay in Japan.  It's far from certain if she will clinch that win with a few formidable buzzworthy frontrunners out there but I feel she will at least make the "royal court".

SINGAPORE - Scarlett Sim.  As in most years, we don't expect much from this country, and this lady is no different.

TAIWAN - Ting-Yi Cheng.  She has a girl-next-door cuteness, but I don't know if that is enough to impress the predominantly senior Japanese panel of judges.  Still we can peg her as a worthwhile contender.

THAILAND - Ruechanok Meesang.  She seems polished, but I find her facial features to be very plain.  There are some fans who are hyping she can at least place in the Top 15 but I'm not as bullish as those other fans.

UZBEKISTAN - Nigina Fakhriddinova.  She is attractive, but she has a major disadvantage--her figure is on the zaftig side, and the predominantly senior Japanese panel are similar to Miss Grand International's Nawat Itsragrisil that they prefer slimmer frames over voluptuous ones like hers.

VIETNAM - Phạm Ngọc Phương Anh.  She seems to be leading the poll for this region and hence is likely to secure a spot in the Top 15 by that path.  But I think she is worthy of making the cut by her own merit, as she's attractive, trim, polished, and reportedly could speak English.  She can make a serious play for the Top Eight in my reckoning and is our country's biggest threat in being the top Asian performer this year.

COMING UP:  DELEGATES from AFRICA and OCEANIA

MISS EARTH 2022: "FEARFUL" FORECAST

Apologies for not being able to come up with a Homestretch review for last year's Miss Earth and that for this year, I'm only able to provide a "Fearful" Forecast with a delegates review coming up later.  The reason for totally missing out last year was basically it was difficult for me to determine a finalized list of contestants based on the virtual pageant format--would we consider participation in one activity as criteria enough to count one as a full-fledged official delegate, or if one participates in all three important pre-judging rounds (Intelligence, Beauty of Face, Figure & Form) as the criteria.  It's not quite that clear-cut.  Still, last year's pageant featured a major breakthrough as an underdog country ended up as the winner:  Belize with Destiny Wagner.  With COVID-19 pandemic restrictions easing up, Destiny spared no time performing her duties as a titleholder publicizing the cause and the organization making various appearances around the world.

Reunion of Miss Earth queens (L-R):  Nellys Pimentel (Miss Earth 2019), Destiny Wagner (Miss Earth 2021), Lindsay Coffey (Miss Earth 2020), and Katherine Espin (Miss Earth 2016)

Though we already had a black winner way back in 2002 with Kenya's Winnifred Omwakwe, one must note that she didn't win the crown outright*1 and it took the dethronement of the original winner, Bosnia & Herzegovina's Dzejla Glavovic for her to assume the crown, it was originally assumed that Destiny is the first black winner to win the crown outright.  But I belatedly discovered we had an earlier black winner who won outright--in fact it turns out in that particular year, we had a black Top Two*2.  The year was 2019, and at the time Puerto Rico's Nellys Pimental was styled like a more conventional Latina with straighter wavy locks so even if her complexion was undeniably dusky, no one would've thought she was actually black.  Well, if we go by the conventions in Puerto Rico and her parents' country of origin, Dominican Republic, that might be true, but for American conventions, she would be considered black, so it explains why Nellys lately decided to go for an Afro look, to be truer to her roots and let her hair go natural..

*1  Though the sentiments of her fellow delegates at that time always regarded her as their winner and actually protested when Dzejla was crowned.

*2 The second placer in 2019 is USA's Emani Davis.

Outright black winners:  Nellys Pimental (Puerto Rico, 2019) and Destiny Wagner (Belize 2021)

This year, Miss Earth decided to conduct a hybrid virtual and live format--there were activities that were conducted virtually, like introductory meet-ups, costume competitions*3, and the three pre-judging rounds of Intelligence, Beauty of Face, and Form & Figure.  Then the delegates get to fly into our country for about 2 1/2 weeks' worth of eco-tourism activities until the grand final at Okada Manila.  There were 91 delegates present in one form or another in the virtual rounds but five eventually dropped and 86 made it to our shores.

*3  This year, they conducted two costume competitions--the national costume and a fauna costume as this year they are promoting a fauna theme to draw attention to saving our animal species.

Without further ado, let me now trot out my leaderboard and here's how I feel the 86 final delegates would stand:

TOP CONTENDERS:  AUSTRALIA, COLOMBIA, CUBA, KOREA

POSSIBLE USURPERS:  BELARUS, NETHERLANDS, ZIMBABWE

SHOO-INS:  BELGIUM, BRAZIL, NIGERIA, PALESTINE, PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, VENEZUELA

LIKELIEST:  BELIZE, CABO VERDE, CHILE, CZECH REPUBLIC, DR CONGO, INDIA, IRAN, IRELAND, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, MONGOLIA, NAMIBIA, PERU, POLAND, PORTUGAL, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA, THAILAND, U S A, ZAMBIA

INTELLIGENCE FACTOR:  CANADA, GHANA, HONG KONG, INDONESIA, SINGAPORE, 

EXCELLENT:  ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, CHINA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, ESTONIA, ETHIOPIA,  GREECE, HAITI, JAPAN, KOSOVO, KYRGYZSTAN, LAOS, PAKISTAN, PANAMA, REUNION ISLAND, ROMANIA, SERBIA, SIERRA LEONE,  SLOVAK REPUBLIC, SLOVENIA, SOUTH SUDAN, SPAIN, VIETNAM, 

VERY STRONG:  ALBANIA,  AUSTRIA, CAMEROON, CROATIA, ENGLAND, MALTA, MAURITIUS,  MONTENEGRO, NEPAL, NEW ZEALAND, NORTH MACEDONIA, NORTHERN MARIANAS, NORWAY, SCOTLAND, SENEGAL, SRI LANKA, UGANDA

STRONG: FRANCE, IRAQ, WALES

\

VERY GOOD:  BULGARIA

GOOD:  BURUNDI

Here is my "Fearful" Forecast:

ELEMENTAL QUEENS:  AUSTRALIA, COLOMBIA, CUBA, KOREA

TOP EIGHT:  BELARUS, NETHERLANDS, PHILIPPINES, ZIMBABWE

TOP 12:  BELGIUM, BRAZIL, NIGERIA, PALESTINE

TOP 20:  CHILE, CZECH REPUBLIC, D R CONGO, IRELAND, PUERTO RICO, RUSSIA, U S A, VENEZUELA

BUBBLING UNDER:  BELIZE, CABO VERDE, INDIA, IRAN, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, MONGOLIA, NAMIBIA, PERU, POLAND, PORTUGAL, SOUTH AFRICA, THAILAND, U S A, ZAMBIA

STRIKING DISTANCE:  ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, CANADA, CHINA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, ESTONIA, ETHIOPIA,  GHANA, GREECE, HAITI, HONG KONG, INDONESIA, JAPAN, KOSOVO, KYRGYZSTAN, LAOS, PAKISTAN, PANAMA, REUNION ISLAND, ROMANIA, SERBIA, SIERRA LEONE, SINGAPORE, SLOVAK REPUBLIC, SLOVENIA, SOUTH SUDAN, SPAIN, VIETNAM, 

it looks like it's a four-way race to the crown, with the question if it will go to a Classic Latina Beauty Queen (CLBQ) like COLOMBIA (Andrea Aguilera) or CUBA (Sheyla Ravelo), to a diligent and motivated student who trained in our shores like AUSTRALIA (Sheridan Mortlock), or the US-educated charismatic K-Pop queen KOREA (Mina Sue Choi).  But then, do not count out the likes of BELARUS (Liliya Levaya), NETHERLANDS (Merel Hendriksen) and ZIMBABWE (Sakhile Dube) usurping these front-runners to garner an element.  Whatever the case, best of luck to all the delegates!

JUST ME!

JOSEPH

Are these the elemental queens?  (L-R):  AUSTRALIA (Sheridan Mortlock), COLOMBIA (Andrea Aguilera), CUBA (Sheyla Ravelo), and KOREA (Mina Sue Choi)

Or would these ladies earn an element?  BELARUS (Liliya Levaya), NETHERLANDS (Merel Hendriksen) and ZIMBABWE (Sakhile Dube)