#5 – Opal Suchata Chuangsri (Thailand/Universe). In all likelihood, she’ll also make next year’s list, now that she’s in India for a shot at the Blue Crown. But, looking back, her stint in Mexico was already legendary, as she did her Kingdom proud and secured its second runner-up placement in a row. 

There’s a myriad of ways she could have been handled better, from being sidelined in favor of the Continental Queens to being deprived of a final walk as national titleholder. But none of that matters, now that she’s in an all-new battlefield. And there’s no use “dethroning” someone who barely even got to serve. 

There will always be risks in entering a new race with a lofty track record. More so in her case, as it was a newsworthy act of defiance which led her there. Whatever happens on May 31, she’s already a game-changer. 

#4 – Tatiana Calmell (Peru/Universe). If only they crowned her Miss International while they had a chance, then she wouldn’t have felt the need to cross over. Then again, nothing stopped  former Miss Supranational Anntonia Porsild, so yes, it’s still great that Tati did. 

No other repeater fueled as much hype as the Breña beauty, who at one point, seemed poised to follow the footsteps of Gladys Zender 67 years later. Sadly, victory proved elusive once again when she stalled in the Top 12. And, in a scenario mirroring her Tokyo stint in 2022, the Top Two once again consisted of an African and a European blonde. 

But therein came the silver lining. She was awarded the first Miss Universe-Americas title over the two Latinas who actually did make the Top Five. It was puzzling, but it was reportedly her preliminary standing which earned her that sash. That makes her shutout even more frustrating. But then, there’s thrill in seeing her traveling side by side with the eventual winner and, more notably, in that solo official visit to Bangladesh. It makes fans wonder if the Continental Queens now take precedence over the runners-up. We hope they soon define the distinction, but, for now, let’s take Tati’s recognition. She earned it.   

#3 – Rachel Gupta (India/Grand International). Honestly, she should have been her country’s second. It was in 2018 when Meenakshi Chaudhary bore the double burden of settling with 1st Runner-Up and witnessing the actual winner faint in front of her. But, on the bright side, she’s since forayed to Bollywood. Now, enter this fashion model six years later. 

Despite anticipation of another Latin year, the cameras remained transfixed with her. And, slowly but surely, she rose to the top of oddsmakers lists and seized the limelight from the pre-arrival favorites. Then came finals night, when she took the stage to the tune of Lady Gaga’s Marry the Night and, later, Lisa’s Moonlit Floor, and the deal was sealed. It was the kind of effortless victory where all she had to do was show up and everyone in the building somehow just knew. And, finally, India has conquered the Grand stage. 

Now, as her homeland faces tensions with its neighbor, fans wonder what she has to say, given the organization’s thrust to “Stop the War”. It’s much more complex than making a statement, to be honest, and security is of the essence. For now, having her as that incidental symbol of peace should be enough. 

#2 – Victoria Kjær Theilvig (Denmark/Universe). Very few found it possible, seeing how Europe’s track record had been spotty lately and Iris Mittanaere was seen as a fluke, at best. Even fewer would have suspected Denmark, a country that had to wait 39 years before placing again in 2006, slid into the background past 2007, and even missed the pageant on occasion.

Then came this marketing graduate, two years after her Top 20-placing stint in MGI. Logically, she was expected to buck the trend, but only by echoing that previous feat. It was going to be a Top 30, anyway. Surely, there would be room for her and Finland, and what thrill it was to see the Nordics surging back. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, the other one bowed out early, leaving Victoria as the last from continental Europe standing in a Latin-dominated Top 12. But, no. She wasn’t there to be a sacrificial lamb, and the Final Five was more regionally balanced. That’s when it finally dawned on viewers, regular and casual alike, that the odds were really favoring her. 

Come to think of it, Mexican stagings aren’t as Latin-favoring as one would assume. Looking back at the past four winners crowned in the host country, only Dayanara Torres hailed from the Americas, with the three other major regions represented at least once. Victoria’s win now makes her the second European crowned in Mexico, after 1989’s Angela Visser. It’s not only a deviation from recent patterns, it was also a long overdue resurgence for Scandinavia, a region that, once upon a time, held pageant supremacy. And how refreshing for it to come from Denmark, the one that had to wait until the new millennium to win any sort of major crown.

To many, it felt like the contest made sense again, and not because a white blonde emerged triumphant as conservatives would sarcastically claim, but because, at the end of the day, this should be an open battle. Other nations deserve the limelight too, and this first win was decades overdue. Moving forward, we can only anticipate more countries following suit. 

#1 – Krystyna Pyszková (Czech Republic/World). So, are we really witnessing the return of the Living Barbies? It sure seems like it. The reigning Miss Universe and Miss Earth fit the bill, and so did Miss International 2022, Jasmin Selberg from Germany. But the trend couldn’t be more apparent in Miss World, whose first two post-pandemic winners were back-to-back blondes. 

It was rumored that the Miss World loved its second Polish winner, Karolina Bielawska so much, they willingly delayed the next edition. If true, then it’s only a minor factor, since finding a host country sure took time. But, apparently, they did love her enough to stick with the prototype. As candidates were announced left and right, a Třinec-born model consistently topped pre-pageant lists, not just with her beauty but with her charity work in Tanzania. It was really just a question of where she’ll be crowned, whether in Singapore or Dubai. 

As the festival finally kicked off in New Delhi, Krystyna did not disappoint – even with her shortage of Fast Track placements and Botswana seemingly seizing the lead in that department. And, really, it might be about time we stopped treating those Challenges as lone indicators. Actual scoring still happens, and there was no way anyone could objectively score her low and much less, shut her out. 

Then came the nail-biter, where only one per region were left standing. Everyone impressed with her rhetoric, but it was the Czech who quietly blew everyone away with her well-calculated response. And, really, every time she was onscreen, it was already like looking at a queen. All she needed was the crown and that she earned. 

One thing that sets her apart from her country’s first winner, Tatana Kucharova, is that she was never Czechoslovakian. She was born six years after that country split and, more symbolically, two months after the new country first placed in Miss World, thanks to Alena Seredova. It’s a timely second win, as her country marked its 30th year of independence and is now slowly transitioning to its new name, Czechia. And, truth be told, her successor will have big high heels to fill.