My FINAL 15

So after web surfing and assessing each and every photo and/or videos, I have accessible at this time, I am very disappointed with so many delegates. In terms of the swimsuit competition, a majority of the girls stood out, strutting their stuff. Some girls looked like they had gained a considerable amount of weight, and some just looked like they were there because they had to be there. The evening gown segment was a different story. Some girls looked great in their gowns, some looked hideous. I can name a handful of girls that I would label on their forehead a note exclaiming "What were you thinking?" Some gowns were so bland that I could pour salt on their dresses! Some girls were very couture and sexy. Saying that, here's my take on the prelims:

North America still continues to be a strong continent. I believe that both my home girl, Canada and USA will make the semi-final cut. Crystle Stewart has proven to be consistent from her arrival in Vietnam to the present. She was my favorite for the USA crown, and she has a very good chance of becoming Miss Universe 2008. Crystle is ready to win, and I am convinced that she will place no lower than 2nd Runner Up. As for Samantha Tajik, she definitely looks like a contender. Her body and gown presentation were flawless. She’s a unique looking girl, and her attempts to be make an impact are not going to ignored.

From Central America, Mexico is my main contender. She wants to bring a 2nd victory to her country, and Elisa Najera is the perfect fit for it, unlike Rosa Maria Ojeda. Elisa is a huge fan favorite for this year’s crown, and it will not surprise me if the title goes to her. She is a very beautiful girl, very tall, great hourglass figure. She is secured in the top 15. The only other girl that wowed me in this division was Panama’s, Carolina Dementiev. Although her presentations were good, she’s going to have to fight other strong competitors for a semis spot. But she too, has the potential to have made a positive final impact.

From the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is still my frontrunner as well as Jamaica. I loved Ingrid Rivera before all the stupid surgeries that made her look like an alien cat. She won the Puerto Crown for a reason and now she just looks horrible in some shots. I will continue to support her just because of my loyalty value. I think she can penetrate the semis, and possibly make the top 10, but as far as that goes-I don't think she will make the top 5. Do you remember back in 2004 when Miss Aruba, Zizi Lee was a frontrunner for the Miss Universe crown, because she was the 1st runner up in Miss World? History may repeat itself with Puerto Rico-there is a likely chance that this could happen, but the odds are against the odds. Puerto Rico is a favorite and I really do like her (Minus all of the shitty surgery). The only downfall that Jamaica’s April Jackson has is her body is not very fit at this point of the competition. She may lose some ground here, but on the contrary, her preliminary interview should definitely impress the judges.

From Africa, South Africa and Angola are the leaders in this category. Tansey knows how to work it and she will definitely be in the semis-no doubt about it. Angola is still the most exotic delegate from Africa, but she is a little timid. Does that show confidence or just BLAH?

South America is very competitive. Venezuela's, Dayana Mendoza is whom I would classify as a top 5 frontrunner. Consistent from the get go, there is no way in hell that the MUO organization is going to ignore this amazing delegate. Dayana has been the envy of many delegates. I hear all these rumors that she was high maintenance and over dramatic, but I don’t think that’s the point of why she’s there. She’s there to win, and that’s all she cares about-if it worked for Zuleyka Rivera, then it will work here. Taliana Vargas from Colombia is a fresh and stunning competitor. She bottled up all of her energy for the prelims to make an impact and I think that she's going to smell some TV time, come Sunday night. I would say top 10-5 material, depending on what the telecast judges are looking for. She is very charismatic on stage with a lot of energy. If the judges were looking for a fresh, natural girl-then we can secure Taliana a spot in the semis.

The Asia region is coming back with many fierce competitors. India’s, Simran Kaur Mundi is a pleasant surprise. When she was first crowned I wasn't very fond of her, but the photos that followed were very impressive. She won my vote after the Close Up interviews on the Miss Universe Website. Simran is the complete package. Aside from her weird evening gown choice, she will be a semifinalist as well. From Japan, Hiroko Mima is consistent. But I’m not so sure about a back to back victory. Trying to be different is one thing, but I think her image is a little overkill. Even Riyo was more balanced. I’m not really into the “Making a statement” presentation. This is not a fashion show-it’s a pageant. And we, as pageant enthusiasts have to remember that regardless of how MUO tries to modernize its production, it will always remain a beauty pageant. Aside from her efforts, Hiroko’s beauty cannot be denied. Korea’s, Sun Lee is also another one of Ines Ligron’s Angels. Now I must say that I find Sun more appealing than I do, Hiroko. Her presentation during the Vinpearl Bikini show was very impressive, and she brought all of that energy back to the prelims, having dealt with a food poisoning. That’s dedication to win. The Philippines, Jennifer Barrientos is also a very pleasant surprise. Her swimsuit presentation was perfect. Leading up to the preliminaries, she seemed to be a little shy, but the minute I saw her on stage-I was blown away. This girl exudes a lot of class, poise and a subtle confidence that commands a presence to the audience. Finally from Australia, Laura Dundovic should be in the semis just because she has proven to be determined to win the crown. She is very consistent, her body is sickly amazing, and she is also a very intelligent woman. Can she repeat the success of Jennifer Hawkins, who happens to be on the judging panel? It’s not a far fetched prediction at all.

From Europe, the girl who impressed me the most was Claudia Moro from Spain. She worked the stage like a ramp model, and both her presentations were flawless. Without a doubt, I see her entering the semis. Belgium’s, Alizee Poulicek is another frontrunner from the European division. She has lagged a little bit, but overall her performance in the prelims, were above satisfactory, and I think she may have a spot in the semis as well. Her amazing legs should be insured!

All in all there are a number of girls I was pulling for, that made really bad decisions during the preliminaries. I was hoping that Norway and France opted to change their evening gowns. For such a beautiful girl, Mariann’s choice for a tacky white gown like that was less than adequate. She still remains to be the most beautiful face of the pageant. France’s, Laura Tanguy started to lose momentum after a couple of weeks-and she really never recovered. Dominican Republic’s, Marianne Cruz was on my list, up until the evening gown. A BIG NO! This may hurt her chances of what could've been a semi-finalist position. There are many others that I can name, but it gets tiring. Miss Universe only happens once a year and we’re always hoping for an amazing competition with delegates that all want to win. It’s odd that I had already started to hear about girls not trying anymore, because they were homesick-even before the preliminaries. I can understand how it could take a toll on a person, but why enter in the first place?

With my analysis, this is what I would like to see on July 13th:

1. VENEZUELA
2. USA
3. MEXICO
4. PUERTO RICO
5. SPAIN
6. COLOMBIA
7. SOUTH AFRICA
8. INDIA
9. CANADA
10. AUSTRALIA
11. KOREA
12. BELGIUM
13. PHILIPPINES
14. JAPAN
15. ANGOLA

In fairness, I think that all the girls who wanted it, did their best to shine. And since there’s only a top 15, the judges really have to pay attention to DETAIL of every aspect of the competition. So even if there are frontrunners on each message board-it’s up to the delegate to make an impression. If they waiver on one event, excel at another, and falter on the last one, that will determine their fate in the competition. These girls have to excel in everything they are put to the test to.

All I can say is that I hope the girls that deserve to make the cut are in, because they’ve been working at it for a long time. They’ve prepped themselves for this event and are determined to win.