MISS SUPRANATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 4)

 

MALAYSIA - Deidre Walker.  This country is typically an also-ran in the international pageant scene (with the exception of Miss World).  But this charismatic Eurasian beauty is proving to be the exception to that rule, as she seems to be on-track to make it to the Top 12 (not to mention being a Top 24 shoo-in).  She ticks all the boxes, so I can foresee a banner year for her country in this pageant this year (especially considering how her male counterpart is one of the front runners in that pageant).  Being a Top 10 finalist in the Supra-Fan vote alongside being a Top Eight Talent finalist are further feathers on her cap.

MAURITIUS - Nilmani Hurlall.  Unlike last year's breakthrough, this lady is raw and unpolished.

MEXICO - Vanessa López.  She can almost fit the mode of a CLBQ, but I find her features a tad angular.  But still, she is operating on all cylinders and is leaving no stone unturned. I especially found her evening gown performance to be the highlight of the preliminary competition, the way she carried her satin green ballgown with aplomb.  She looks like she has an inside track for the Top 12.

MOZAMBIQUE - Suema Abdul Rachid.  I find the performances of other African ladies to be more impressive, but she figured in the Top 10 of the Supra-Fan Vote, so it's possible she can have a fast-track ticket to the Top 12 via that path even if otherwise her Top 24 prospects are distant.

NAMIBIA - Romiley Hoffmann.  I think she's reasonably polished during the preliminary "evaluation" that she could be a Top 24 possibility.

NEPAL - Sama Parajuli.  She's generally solid, but not enough to be a possibility.

NETHERLANDS - Luna Isabella Stienstra.  Her exotic features are from the fact she's of Indonesian descent.  When my mom watched the preliminary "evaluation" with me she asked me if she's the transgender queen who figured in the news recently (it's actually Miss Universe Netherlands) and I can understand why she thought that, as the make-up she sported made her look like a drag queen instead of being naturally feminine like in her official portraits.  She 

NICARAGUA - Katherine Burgos.  With her making the semifinals in Suprachat, she is renowned for her strong communication skills.  She is a solid-enough performer, but there were other Latinas who were more buzzworthy so she was overshadowed.  Would her communication skills be enough to secure her a Top 24 slot?

NIGERIA - Genevieve Ukatu.  She's not receiving much buzz, but I feel her performance in the preliminary "evaluation" is actually of a high caliber that I would consider her a Top 24 possibility.  I also think she has strong communication skills.  Maybe she looks too pale for an African as she has a very light complexion, but then again so is superstar Rihanna, who for me this lady resembles.  Let's see if she'll be a sleeper surprise in the Top 24.

PANAMA - Jillyan Chue.  She's generally solid, though with fiercer Latinas out there, it will be an uphill battle for her to make the Top 24.

PARAGUAY - Fabiola Martínez.  She's very photogenic especially in her official Jubiler Schubert portrait.  However, with her relatively short stature and simply adequate presentation during the preliminary "evaluation", her best ticket to the Top 24 is if she is the overall winner of the Supra-Influencer challenge.

COMING UP:  PERU to THE BAHAMAS

MISS SUPRANATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 2)

 

CROATIA - Anetta Rajkovic.  This blonde is on the plain side, and her catwalk skills can be best described as lackadaisical.

CUBA - Monica Aguilar.  She is renowned for her strong communication skills and there are some pundits who are bullish about her prospects making the Top 24.  As good looking as she is, and even if her features almost fit the CLBQ type, I feel her preliminary performance is not as sleek as other Latinas out there, like...

CURACAO - Andreina Pereira.  Yes, her country is a Dutch territory, but her name and heritage makes her a great fit for the CLBQ archetype.  With this country's proximity to South America, especially Venezuela, it's not surprising to see a strong Latin presence in this territory.  She seems like a Top 24 shoo-in with a possible play for the Top 12.

CZECH REPUBLIC - Marie Jedličková.  There are some fans who feel it's time for the Miss Supranational crown to return to Europe and believe this lady is the one who could clinch it.  There are some fans who were slightly disappointed with her preliminary performance, but I thought she performed very well there that she's still in the running.  This year's batch features some top-notch contenders that are battling neck-and-neck that it's difficult to determine a Final Five, but some are still bullish this lady can clinch one of those final slots.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Crystal Matos.  Here's another CLBQ who received buzz from some pageant fans and pundits as a stage dynamo and felt her performance in the preliminary "evaluation" was sensational.  I do agree it's top-notch, though I'm not as bullish on her prospects as a possible winner--a Top 12 shoo-in with a play for the Final Five, yes, but we'll see if she can clinch the win in the end.

ECUADOR - Andrea Aguilera.  Another CLBQ, this time with brown locks instead of jet black, and she already proved her mettle by finishing 1st runner-up at Miss Grand International 2021.  She's undeniably polished, and yes, she could be making a serious play for the Top 12, though not sure if there would be room to secure her a Final Five finish.

EL SALVADOR - Luciana Martínez.  She has the physical features of a CLBQ, but she's not quite making a standout impression especially with the presence of DOMINICAN REPUBLIC and ECUADOR before her.

FINLAND - Linda Heinonen.  She's like a prettier, more polished version of CROATIA.

GERMANY - Maria Ignat.  There are some fans who noticed she has great looks and strong communication skills, so she seems to be a possible sleeper contender.  I can see that and am hoping she can succeed where her predecessor, the eventual Miss International 2022 Jasmin Selberg, didn't.

GHANA - Helen Demey Matey.  She might be a good speaker and a woman of substance, but she was one of the weakest performers in the preliminary "confidence evaluation" and her solid evening gown performance is not enough to offset that so making the Top 24 is outside of her reach.

GIBRALTAR - Michelle Lopez Desoisa.  I am surprised at her preliminary performance as I found her strong in swimsuit, and despite people quibbling about her evening gown with that excessive ruffled train, I felt she pulled it off well that I can see her as a refreshing sleeper choice for the Top 24.

COMING UP:  GREECE to KOREA

MISS SUPRANATIONAL 2023: AT THE HOMESTRETCH (PART 1)

 

This year's Miss Supranational pageant may fundamentally be still like other recent editions (especially since 2018), I've noticed that they are playing with new terminologies in an attempt to make their brand more distinctive from other major pageants.  For starters, they start publicizing about the "Experience", describing the whole period the candidates are competing as such.  There is also the way they chose to describe the preliminary compatition as an "evaluation" instead of a "competition", and for what most pageant fans and pundits would call a swimsuit competition, it's now called "confidence evaluation"--supposedly because this competition is more about body confidence and obviously trying to distance from the notion that body shapes would be judged.  I'm not sure if these terminologies would stick in the public's consciousness in the long-term, but we do have to give the World Beauty Organization credit for trying something.  Another interesting development is that this pageant increased the maximum eligibility age for the candidates--if in Miss Universe you feel that 29 years old is already a tad too mature, this pageant now allows ladies up to 33 years old to compete.  You can see this with the presence of some notable veterans in this batch.

This year's turnout of 65 candidates is a tie for the fourth lowest turnout in this pageant's history, tying with the 2017 edition and only exceeding 2009 (the inaugural edition), 2012, and 2021.  But it could've tied last year's edition of 69 candidates, as four ladies participated in the Supra-Chat, and three of them could not make it to Malopolska, Poland for various reasons.

CHILE - Francisca Lavandero.  This blonde participated in Episode 1 of Suprachat, but later on had issues with her national organization that she couldn't show up in Poland.  She seems to be an attractive looker who could've shaken up an already competitive batch.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA - Anita Mikue.  She's also an attractive looker who seems to be a worthwhile contender in this batch..It's unknown why she couldn't make it, so at this point she's considered a no-show.

SOMALIA - Fowzia Abdirashid.  Though her portrait on the Miss Supranational website exposed her hair, she is normally clad in a hijab, and would've made a standout impression with her very pretty face and thoughtful communication skills.  Such a shame because of visa issues she couldn't make it to the pageant venue, and it would've been interesting to see how they would've accommodated her during the "confidence evaluation", as she's likely to adhere to edicts of extreme modesty for her culture.

One candidate actually showed up in Poland, but due to personal reasons opted to withdraw a few days later and she is...

ALBANIA - Klara Musabelliu.  She's a well-spoken slender brunette.  Wonder what are her "personal reasons" for not being able to continue with the bulk of the competition?

So how are the remaining 65 candidates?  It's interesting that with ALBANIA's withdrawal, there is no country represented that began with the letter "A".  So instead, we have to start with...

BELGIUM - Jana Meskens.  She's a great looking girl, but in the "preliminary evaluation" she proved to be a tad raw, so she is unlikely to advance to the Top 24.

BOLIVIA - Stephanie Terrazas.  Now, she's reasonably polished, but she doesn't quite make a standout-enough impression for the Top 24.  I would consider her a worthwhile contender.

BOTSWANA - Dabilo Moses.  She made a splash with her live introduction during the opening ceremonies, and there are some who felt especially as this is her country's debut in this pageant, that this could be her ticket to make a breakthrough for her country and make the Top 24.  I'm not as convinced judging from her preliminary performance, but it's possible if personality holds a strong weight this year she could advance.

BRAZIL - Sancler Frantz.  This finalist from Miss World 2013 is already 32 years old but she is still competing at a high caliber in this competition.  I feel she is a Top 12 shoo-in but I'm not sure how highly favored she is to make the Final Five and gain that win that some fans felt was deprived from her in her Miss World stint by the unstoppable Megan Young.

CAMBODIA - Chily Tevy.  She gives refreshing ingenue vibes, but with a very formidable Southeast Asian contingent she may not have enough mojo to secure a Top 24 slot.

CAMEROON - Kevine Ghomba.  She's an overachieving entrepreneur who is reasonably polished, but there are stronger Africans who made a stronger impression so at most she's a worthwhile contender.  I have a feeling in the future we'll see her as a pageant director.

CANADA - Alexa Marie Grant.  She's a lovely brunette who made a standout impression in Suprachat, becoming a Top Five finalist there.  She does know how to project well onstage, even if her "confidence" photo didn't seem impressive, she was actually a strong performer.  Moreover, as a finalist in Suprachat, she potentially has a potential to fast-track to the Top 20, along with a Top 10 opportunity as she's one of the Top 10 in the Surpa-Fan Vote.  Being a Top Eight finalist in Talent is gravy on her standout impression.  Now, I have quibbles about her choice of evening gown during the preliminaries as for me it's a busy blue misfire.  Hope when she makes the Top 24 (as she seems to be amont the likeliest to make the cut) that she'll make a gown change.

CAYMAN ISLANDS - Melissa Bridgemohan.  Now, for body diversity, we have this lady.  No one's expecting her to advance to the Top 24, but at least we can say that women of all shapes and sizes are represented and seen with her presence.

COLOMBIA - Valentina Mora.  She is a Classic Latina Beauty Queen (CLBQ) with her jet black locks, fair complexion and consistently sleek and polished presence.  She is competing at a high level that she is likely to make a serious play for the Top 12.

COSTA RICA - Margaret Gray.  This country's population mix is reportedly the whitest in Central America, so it's a bit of a shock to see this country represented by a black lady, and despite her very American name, her English skills are not as strong.  She's attractive, but not enough to be in serious contention for the Top 24.

COTE D'IVOIRE - Yasmine Wognin.  She's a slender lady who is reasonably polished, but her best prospects for advancing would be if she won the Supra-Fan vote, as she's one of the 10 finalists.

COMING UP:  CROATIA to GIBRALTAR