MISS UNIVERSE 2023: NON-FINALISTS REVIEW (CONCLUSION)

 

This year, the jewelry sponsor Mouawad and its joint venture social media advocacy group CI Talks*3, offered a major focus for the delegates' advocacies by declaring a Voice for Change special award, with 10 delegates awarded a silver prize and three of those 10 elevated to gold honors during the final telecast.  The silver awardees were announced at the end of the preliminary compatition.  Six non-finalists were given silver awards for their causes, so let's take a look of them.

*3  The company is a joint venture between Mouawad and Paweensuda Drouin, Final Five finisher at Miss Universe 2019 (and Top Eight finalist at Miss Earth 2017).

RUTH OCUMAREZ AWARD 4TH RUNNER-UP:  BRAZIL - Maria Brechane.  I don't find her as gorgeous as predecessors carrying her country's sash, but she did deliver polish onstage during the preliminary competition and am aware she has strong interview skills. This was why I included her in my "Fearful" Forecast, but well she fell a bit short as there were other ladies the selection committee deemed worthier.  She earned her award thanks to her advocacy towards deaf people.

LEBANON - Maya Aboul Hosn.  There are pageant fans and pundits who raved about her gorgeous looks and thought she would break this country's 50-year semifinal drought.  Some might wonder if there is a sponsor bias for including this lady as the members of the Mouawad family are of Lebanese origin (though they have been scattered in various corners of the world with offices in the US, UAE [Dubai], France, and Thailand), but I think her advocacy was truly worthy and relevant especially if you know the bleak  economic situation in her country.. To her credit, she also delivered a high level performance worthy of consideration, but there were indeed other choices deemed more compelling by the selection committee.

SINGAPORE - Priyanka Annuncia.  There are many fans who felt she also delivered a high level performance, though I disagree a bit as I found other performances more compelling.  Still, I could not deny her strong communication skills and her noteworthy advocacy against human trafficking, especially with her background in the police force.

UKRAINE - Angelina Usanova.  Her preliminary competition performance, in my reckoning, was a disaster--she's raw in all aspects and her coice of gown was a hot mess.  She only got elevated because of her pretty features and her advocacy, which is relevant to her country's current situation as it's mired in a protracted war with Russia and of course there is need to heal this country from the raveges of that ongoing war.

ZIMBABWE - Brooke Bruk-Jackson.  She's one of the few white holdovers in that African nation, and like LEBANON and UKRAINE, her country's situation is very relevant to her advocacy--helping women be empowered with skills / vocational training, especially relevant as the country's economy is still reeling from the hyperinflation that took place in the mid-to-late-2000s.  She also proved to be a high level contender during the preliminary competition, who may have missed the cut but was a force to reckon with.

I've already cited the 4th runner-up for the Ruth Ocumarez Award above as she got a silver award for Voice for Change.  Now, let's announce the rest of the "royal court":

RUTH OCUMAREZ AWARD, 3RD RUNNER-UP:  GUATEMALA - Michelle Cohn.  She was a revelation for me during the preliminary competition, as she showcased a buffed bod with aplomb during the swimsuit competition, and then made dramatic impact with her shiny evening gown, whose fabric is the unusual sort that shifts colors as she walked, radiating all colors of the rainbow.  And take note, this is a married mother of two.  I thought she could join COLOMBIA into the Top 20 and then make it a trifecta of Central American ladies to tie the 1955 feat, but well, perhaps there just wasn't room for her as there were a lot of ladies who stepped up their game.

RUTH OCUMAREZ AWARD, 2ND RUNNER-UP:  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Mariana Downing.  Many fans raved about this fair-complexioned beauty and believed she can duplicate the Final Five finish of her predecessors in 2020 and last year (last year, they went further to 2nd runner-up).  She seemed solid in the swimsuit round, but many were disappointed with her choice of gown, as even if it's not a fashion disaster, it lacked oomph or impact as her fellow delegates.  Could we say the gown alone was to blame?  Not sure, because then again this is a competitive batch.

There were some fans also speculating that the inclusion of Miss Universe 2021 1st runner-up Nadia Ferreira in the selection committee may have played a part, as this lady used to date Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony, who is Nadia's current beau, but I have to note that Nadia only was part of the final night and was not around during the preliminary, so she had no opportunity to mark down this lady if ever.

RUTH OCUMAREZ AWARD, 1ST RUNNER-UP:  FRANCE - Diane Leyre.  Many pageant fans and pundits, including myself, believed that this lady would not only be a shoo-in for the Top 20, but advance further to the Top 10 and maybe even make a play for the Final Five.  However, her presentation during the preliminary competition was admittedly a letdown.  First, though theoretically sporting a two-piece swimsuit from Rubin Smith should have been her best option, the design she opted for doesn't flatter her shape.  I actually liked her long-poofy-sleeved fuchsia evening gown, but I can also see that it polarizes many pageant fans.  Though interview could have been her saving grace, it may not be enough to overcome any shortcomings from the preliminary competition.

After returning from the pageant, Diane was interviewed on French talk shows about her experiences in El Salvador.  She hinted at some sabotage by makeup artists and stylists and noted that the makeup they applied didn't flatter her at all.  She also dished about the behavior of NEPAL, that if the same criteria at her national Miss France pageant was applied to Miss Universe, she would be marked down on account of her behavior.  She did conced and acknowledged shortcomings in her catwalk.

WINNER, RUTH COUMAREZ AWARD:  MEXICO - Melissa Flores.  I pegged her as a Final Five finisher, especially based on her track record as Miss Earth-Fire (equivalent to 4th place) back in 2018.  I did not find much fault with her preliminary competition performance--sure the one-piece low-cut swimuit she sported didn't flatter her shape that much, but then I thought it wouldn't be taken against her as several other top contenders also had to deal with that issue.  I find no fault with her choice of evenign gown and even thought its design is a gown highlight. So many pageant fans and pundits still believed she would make the cut, but well, she ended up winning the dubious honor of the Ruth Ocumarez Award (and yes, many fans agree with me as she was accorded the "official" El Tocuyo Award.

One non-finalist got a highlight during the final as she was one of the gold winners for Voice for Change.  Admittedly this was only like a 10-second annuncement, but a spotlight is a spotlight...

GOLD WINNER, VOICE FOR CHANGE:  ANGOLA - Ana Barbara Coimbra.  She mae a standout impression in El Salvador by styling her hair into an Afro, and was a great performer onstage during the preliminary competition.  It's just that there were three other Africans who impressed the selection committee and could not allocate specae for her, that is why she missed the cut.  At least, her far-reaching project to address infant mortality, child malnutrition, food security, and poor education system in her country was her ticket to gain a spotlight, and we salute her for her very worthy project.

COMING UP:  THE MAIN MISS UNIVERSE REVIEW

MISS UNIVERSE 2023: NON-FINALISTS REVIEW (PART 3)

LATVIA -  Kate Alexeeva.  She's the second oldest delegate in this batch as she was on the verge of turning 30 when she competed.  She has a lean and buffed frame and is attractive, but she obviously was not as polished and refined as other contenders out there, and hence did not make a standout impression.

MALAYSIA - Serena Lee.  Supposedly, the new franchise holder for INDONESIA is also the new franchise holder for this country until the scandal at the former country cassed the franchise to this country to revert back to the former franchise holder, which then crowned this overachiever (based on her academic credentials like a law degree in the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom) to compete here.  She seems to be a polished contender, but sadly, the 53-year-drought from its sole semifinalist placement contunues.

MALTA - Lila Portelli.  She exudes the vibe of a 1950s/1960s voluptuous leading lady in a neorealist  Italian film of that era.  It's not quite a look that works in this era, and this lady is not that polished onstage, so this country has yet to witness a breakthrough in this pageant.

MAURITIUS - Tatiaba Beauharnais.  Like CAYMAN ISLANDS she liked to let her curly hair loose, and she has enough stage polish to make a positive impression.  However, her facial features are not as charismatic as others out there, so like MALTA, the long-awaited breakthrough has yet to materialize.

MONGOLIA - Namuuzui Batmagnai.  She's another member of the P.A.T.I.S. crew.

MYANMAR - Amara Bo.  I thought she would have enough fans rallying around her to win the popular vote, that was why I included her in the Top 20 of my "Fearful" Forecast, but there was a side of me that was glad she didn't because she only delivered a P.A.T.I.S.-level performance, at best, in my reckoning.  I underestimated how motivated the fans from a major powerhouse country that even if the delegate would've easily made the cut on her own merit, she ended up garnering the popular vote slot (alongside a whole slew of other awards).

NETHERLANDS - Rikkie Kollé.  She garnered heavy press because she's transgender.  She actually delivered a strong performance during the preliminary, but she was overshadowed by another transgender delegate so that one got the breakthrough slot instead of her.

NIGERIA - Ugochi Ihezue.  She is another member of the P.A.T.I.S. crew, as she was clearly overshadowed by at least three stellar contenders from her continent.

NORWAY - Julie Tollefsen.  She's attractive with a lean figure but she doesn't quite have the polish and charisma of several of her peers, so she ended up an also-ran.

PANAMA - Natasha Vargas.  In most years this country would've been a fierce contender among the "P" contingent and probably one of the (if not THE) strongest contenders from the Central American region.  However this year, albeit she is a solid competitor, she only delivered at the P.A.T.I.S. level while her other Central American peers delivered stellar performances.

PARAGUAY - Elicena Andrada.  She is noted for her passion for the arts, but otherwise she delivered only at a P.A.T.I.S. level.

POLAND - Angelika Jurkowianec.  She's a great-looking blonde with reasonably polished stage skills, but she was hampered by lack of resources as she paraded in an off-the-rack blue gown during the evening gown segment of the preliminary competition, and perhaps she might also be a typical modern Miss Universe European who could not make serious inroads in interview and hence she missed the cut.

RUSSIA - Margarita Golubeva.  She garnered heavy fan buzz during the early part of her stay in El Salvador as many raved about her gorgeous looks and charisma--some might argue she's one of the five prettiest ladies in this batch.  It came to the point that she was considered as having an inside track to the Top 20.  But then during the preliminary competition, many criticized that her performance seemed a tad overbaked, with exaggerated movements onstage, and felt other contenders delivered more finesse, and that may have ultimately hampered her possible Top 20 prospects.

SAINT LUCIA - Earlyca Frederick.  We have to salute her for doing her best and making a standout impression with her very short haircut, but she hasn't quite achieved the polish that many of her peers had and hence she was clearly overshadowed.

SLOVAKIA - Kinga Puhová.  She's an attractive blonde that has a trim enough figure that obviously lacked resources to make that much needed impact.

SWITZERLAND - Lorena Santen.  She's attractive, but didn't quite have the charisma and polish to make a standout impression.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - Faith Gillezeau.  She's another member of the P.A.T.I.S. crew, though we have to salute her for her national costume as she walked wonderfully on stilts (apparently this is already an almost de rigeur requirement for most current pageant contestants both male and female to have this element in their national costumes).

VIETNAM - Quỳnh Hoa Bùi.  She actually competed at a high level, but not quite compelling enough with the presence of PHILIPPINES and THAILAND hogging the spotlight for this region.

COMING UP:  SPECIAL AWARD WINNERS and the RUTH OCUMAREZ AWARDEES