#10) Maria Fernanda Aristizábal (Colombia/UNIVERSE). She may have lost her shot to Laura Olascuaga due to 2020’s national license shift, but all roads still led her to the Universe. Call it fate or divine timing, but it’s a thrill to … Continue reading My 100 Favorite International Candidates from 2022 (The Top Ten)
#20) Hannah Arnold (Philippines/INTERNATIONAL). In a Miss International edition that ignored virtually all of Asia, this Fil-Aussie took one for the team in the Top 15. In that respect, she remained a frontrunner. And it was still well worth her … Continue reading My 100 Favorite International Candidates from 2022 (#20-#11)
#35) Esther Oluwatosin Ajayi (Nigeria/EARTH). It’s strange how the most-awarded African doesn’t always top her continent in Miss Earth (Abena Appiah, anyone?). Whatever the case, this stylish showstopper was an easy Top 12 pick. And looking at her freshly appointed … Continue reading My 100 Favorite International Candidates from 2022 (#35-#21)
#50 – Evanjelin Elchmanar (United Kingdom/INTERNATIONAL). In a way, Sri Lanka should be relishing a back-to-back Miss International placement, because of this actress’ lineage. Apart from breaking the Top 15, she also won Best in Swimsuit in the recent edition. … Continue reading My 100 Favorite International Candidates from 2022 (#50-#36)
#65 – Rosemary Ling (Hong Kong/INTERNATIONAL). Had this content creator advanced, it would have been a commemorative feat, considering it’s been 25 years since that Brexit. Alas, the powers-that-be couldn’t afford a back-to-back placement for the SAR. At least Miss … Continue reading My 100 Favorite International Candidates of 2022 (#65-#51)
#80) Maxine Formosa Grupetta (Malta/UNIVERSE). As of this writing, her island nation now has the most Miss Universe appearances without a single placement – a distinction it inherited from The Bahamas in 2021. While the status quo remains, this model … Continue reading My 100 Favorite International Candidates from 2022 (#80-#66)
Grand Slam Pageants, Alpha Pageants, The Big 4 (or 5 or 6)… Many terms have been coined for the major global pageants. Just as diverse are the opinions as to which ones are qualified. For me, it’s more straightforward: these … Continue reading My 100 Favorite International Candidates from 2022 (#100-#81)
PALAWAN – Louise Joy Gallardo. This model missed the National Costume competition in Leyte but is, thankfully, still very much in the game. While not a heavy frontrunner, she’s this year’s most competitive MIMAROPA bet and was among the Preliminary Evening … Continue reading Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Candidate Round-Up, Part 3 (Palawan to Zambales)
CEBU CITY – Dianne Padillo. In this contest’s existence thus far, it’s this sash that proved to hold most weight. And lest we forget, it’s this city which earned the system its best Miss Universe placement to date. To be blunt, however, this is … Continue reading Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Candidate Round-Up, Part 2 (Cebu City to Occidental Mindoro)
AGUSAN DEL NORTE – Jannarie Zarzoso. This accounting technology graduate from Cabadbaran has an inspiring back story as she’s been battling psoriasis for the past five years and now advocates for Filipinos suffering the same disease. As it stands, her debuting province seems … Continue reading Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Candidate Round-Up, Part 1 (Agusan del Norte to Cavite)
As if fans can’t emphasize it enough, a sad turn of events preceded this year’s Miss Universe Philippines pageant. Celeste Cortesi missed the cut last January, thus halting the country’s longest ever Miss Universe placement streak. While we somehow had an inkling that a blip … Continue reading Miss Universe Philippines 2023: A Prelude
The region stands a hefty chance at regaining the title this year, with at least five contenders within striking distance. Even if the contest ran with just this group, many favorites will still be left out. That’s the Americas for … Continue reading 71st Miss Universe Candidate Round-Up: Americas
Four out of this contest’s first 10 winners may have been from Europe, but only nine more were crowned in the decades that followed. That even counts Russia‘s dethroned 2002 titleholder, Oxana Fedorova. Since the abolition of the short-lived continental … Continue reading 71st Miss Universe Candidate Round-Up: Europe
Over the last decade, half of the royal roster had been from this group, with Pinays and South Africans tag-teaming in short intervals. Last year also marked India‘s return to supremacy in first-time host Israel, which curiously opted to skip … Continue reading 71st Miss Universe Candidate Round-Up: Asia and Africa
In an unprecedented turn of events, the 70th edition of the Miss World pageant, originally slated to take place at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 16, was postponed indefinitely after 17 delegates and … Continue reading 70th Miss World Top 30 – 15 Who Made It and 15 Who Should
GROUP 13 – Belgium, Colombia, Curaçao, Finland, Ireland, Rwanda RWANDA – Naomie Nishimwe. This mental health advocate is another compelling speaker, though she didn’t give the same striking impression in her Head-to-Head challenge as she did in her introduction. Too … Continue reading Miss World 2021: The Candidate Round-Up (Groups 13-16)
GROUP 9 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Moldova, Vietnam, Wales WALES – Olivia Harris. This 19-year-old hotel spa worker may be the least buzzed UK entry so far, but she does register as a teen Jennifer Hawkins*. She also … Continue reading Miss World 2021: The Candidate Round-Up (Groups 9-12)
GROUP 5 – Angola, Bolivia, Japan, Sweden, Ukraine, Venezuela ANGOLA – Ruth Carlos. This human resources student channeled hints of Naomi Campbell in the Miss World Fashion Show, so she might been a close shot at the Top Model finals. … Continue reading Miss World 2021: The Candidate Round-Up (Groups 5-8)
GROUP 1 – Bahamas, Malaysia, Nepal, Peru, Portugal, United States PERU – Paula Montes. Coming first in a field of almost a hundred is bound to have its drawbacks, but this 25-year-old did exude sincerity and warmth in her answers. … Continue reading Miss World 2021: The Candidate Round-Up (Groups 1-4)
THE LONG SHOTS – They’re by no means weak contestants, but in yet another competitive year, these are the contestants who didn’t receive as much buzz as they should. Armenia, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, China, Ecuador, Germany, Hungary, … Continue reading 70th Miss Universe: My Final Pre-Pageant Tally
Planet Chuckie 