T'was the night before Miss Universe 2010 and the excitement is building for tomorrow's finale. The top 15 have been chosen and someone's life is about to change forever. The crowd is going to be wild at the Mandalay Bay Events Center as each cheering group gets settled in their seats.
The largest delegations this year will be split between the Mexicans and the Filipinos. Both are pageant fanatics and can sometimes get unruly. We remember the Mexican crowd at the 2006 Miss Universe in Los Angeles where they started booing Tara Conner after Miss Mexico failed to make the top 10. But the Filipinos will not be outdone this time. They will probably carry the largest banners, flags and streamers. But you know what, they deserve this moment after an 11-year drought. Venus delivered at the preliminary competition and we'll be totally surprised if she doesn't make top 15.
We made are final picks very early this year...three days before the finale. Let's take a look at our top 15.
RUSSIA - Irina Antonenko - How can you possibly miss this angelic face? Ever since Irina's photos started popping up in forums and chat rooms after being crowned Miss Russia, we knew she's got the potential to take it all. She was a bit of a sleeper in the preliminary and we were quite disappointed. She used a different evening gown than the one shown on the evening gown photo shoot. She just needs to project more if she plans to be in the top 5.
ALBANIA - Angela Martini - Angela didn't hit our radar until after her arrival in Las Vegas. She was rarely featured in any articles and press photos. But once the official swimsuit and evening gown photos were released, she immediately got our attention.
COLOMBIA - Natalia Navarro - Natalia is a very popular candidate even before the contestants arrived in Las Vegas. As one of the 6 girls chosen for the press appearance, she got an early exposure and a big favorite to win. We are still not sure about Natalia because her preliminary performance is not exactly a headliner. Her evening gown was a blah and not much spark on stage. But, we chose Natalia because of her personality and her appeal.
PHILIPPINES - Maria Venus Raj - What a way to start the decade for the Philippines! After all the controversy and hardship she endured to get her Miss Philippines crown back, she didn't disappoint the crowd during the preliminaries. She delivered and delivered big! She is definitely one of the front runners and maybe even the one to beat this year.
GUATEMALA - Jessica Scheel - We can't even begin to comprehend the fact that this stunning lady is just an alternate to compete at Miss Universe. The original Miss Guatemala had to choose between her professional dancing career and to represent her country at Miss Universe and she chose her dancing. This is why Jessica is now one of the leading Latina contenders. Everything happens for a reason and we're glad that things happened the way it did.
FRANCE - Malika Ménard - Ever since this French goddess won her title, we knew she is going to be one of the front runners. Malika is without a doubt one of the most beautiful girl this year. Like Russia, we were a bit disappointed with her performance at the preliminaries. But we think her score is probably good enough to make top 15. If she makes it, it will be a back to back for France.
MEXICO - Jimena Navarrete - She is no Elisa Najera but we think that she has the goods to be one of the top competitors in this pageant. We just wished that she wore the gown she had on during the official evening gown photo shoot. That gown would have elevated her in the rankings. Why she wore that boring red evening gown is beyond us. We feel that she is reserving that gorgeous black gown for the finals.
GREECE - Anna Prelevic - She's definitely a last minute addition to our top 15 picks. We are still not happy about the hideous gown she wore at the preliminaries but since she hit a homerun in the swimsuits and based on her interview videos, Anna probably scored enough to sneak in to the top 15. We just hope she has another evening gown tucked in one of her luggages.
IRELAND - Rozanna Purcell - This girl has been the buzz of every forum and chat rooms in the country. She has a good following and there's a very good reason for it. Aside from being gorgeous, she has the body to die for. She also photographs really well and was outstanding at the preliminaries. She just needs to excel in interviews and we think she might just nab the very first Miss Universe crown for the Emerald Isle.
U.S.A. - Rima Fakih - Here's another contestant this year wrapped up in controversies. From being the first Arab-American Miss USA to her pole dancing, to her going topless for Fadil Berisha's glamour shot. But Rima's attitude and carefree personality will be a big factor for her success at Miss Universe. She did well at preliminaries and we think she'll be one of the top contenders during the finals.
CZECH REPUBLIC - Jitka Válková - We love this girl! Even though she is one of the shorter contestants this year, we think she'll do really well. She did a honorable preliminary performance and she got lots of good reviews. We can't see her going all the way to the final 5 but she's definitely up there for the top 15.
CURACAO - Safira de Wit - Here's the biggest surprise on our list. Safira was under the radar when the contestants arrived in Las Vegas but when she hit the stage during the preliminaries, we couldn't help but be impressed with her. Many consider her chances a long shot but we're betting on her to do well.
JAMAICA - Yendi Phillipps - This is no surprise. Yendi has been our favorite from the very beginning. She's been the strongest Jamaican since Christine Straw in 2004. We believe Yendi will do better at Miss Universe than she did at Miss World. She's definitely one of the ones to watch.
VENEZUELA - Marelisa Gibson - Three in a row? We think not. As strong and beautiful as Marelisa is, we think she'll make top 15 and that's it. She doesn't have the stage presence and appeal like her two predecessors. Prove us wrong, Marelisa...prove us wrong.
URUGUAY - Stephany Ortega - This girl has been a big favorite and the dark horse on everyone's list. When Stephany walked out on stage with the pink evening gown, we just thought, "she's got it!". Like the Philippines, after a very long drought, Uruguay finally found a winner! She might just take it all tomorrow!
We actually have 20 on our list but we had to cut it down to 15. The other 5 candidates are:
PERU - Giuliana Zevallos - She definitely impressed us during the preliminaries. She has a taste for very revealing gowns and boy, did she ever showcased one during the preliminaries. Her very strong features and unconventional beauty is what is so appealing. We won't be surprise if she makes top 15.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - LaToya Woods - She is a definite contender! This is their come back year and they sure sent a good contender. Our only issue with LaToya is the lack of appeal. She also looked very matured in some of her photos and her taste in clothes is not exactly very queenly.
UKRAINE - Anna Poslavska - Anna did well at preliminaries but something is missing. We think that she has the goods but not quite there with the rest on our list.
ISRAEL - Bat-el Jobi - This girl has a killer bod! Her photos have been all over the internet and she is simply stunning! We hope that she makes top 15.
CROATIA - Lana Obad - Here's another girl that's cute and sexy but lacks the appeal. She did well at preliminaries but she's the kind of contestant that once she gets mixed with the other top contenders, she disappears.
It's hard to make predictions on who will make top 5 this year. But we'll stick to our top 5 on our Who's Hot list. We'll go with Jamaica, Uruguay, USA, Ireland and Philippines.
We are so excited to see the finals tomorrow. It will be a very interesting evening, full of surprises and good entertainment.
Good luck to all the contestants and join us tomorrow for our live updates!
