65th Miss Universe Contestants: A Review of the 13 Finalists’ Performance

The 65^th Miss Universe is finally over. The most beautiful girl in the world has once again captured the hearts of millions of viewers all over the world. Manila, Philippines, hosted the pageant for the third time in the entire history of the pageant where the reigning queen came from. The pageant activities were generally successful as the girls traveled to various cities in the Philippines, including Batangas, Vigan and Davao. The finals night at MOA arena was great. The production was world-class and Steve Harvey, the infamous host, was once again the host of the pageant.

Nevertheless, let us take a look at the 13 girls who made the cut and review their overall performances for the night and throughout the pageant.

Top 13 Semifinalists

Peru

Her placement in the top 13 was a major surprise. She was in nobody’s radar even after the preliminary competition. Considering the number of outstanding Latinas in this batch, the spot should have gone to them. The likes of Dominican Republic and Nicaragua did a lot better, but they were left out. Nevertheless, she was a decent beauty and her swimsuit presentation was fine.

Panama

Yet another dark horse made her way into the top 13. This pageant veteran has proven that experience is indeed an asset. Having joined several pageants in the past, her expertise really showed on stage. Sadly, it seems like she is past her prime. She looked a lot better when she was younger. At 26, she didn’t look as fresh as she used to. Nevertheless, in terms of performance, she did well. Not advancing to the next round was totally understandable.

Indonesia

Despite stepping on her gown in the preliminaries, she still managed to make it to the top 13. There was a time when Indonesia did not place for consecutive years. Since 2013 though, the country has managed to sneak in the semifinalists. Sadly, for 4 consecutive years now, their girl ended the battle after the swimsuit competition. Facially, Kezia is more outstanding compared to her predecessors. She also did a great job during the swimsuit competition. Her general appeal though was a bit stale, and so she failed to advance further.

Brazil

Raissa’s failure to move forward to the next round of the competition was definitely the biggest heartbreaker of the night. Facially, she was a cut above the rest. She has also done an amazing job showcasing her body during the swimsuit competition. Many pageant experts and former Miss Universe winners had her on their list. This was definitely the biggest injustice of the night, considering that the other ebony beauties that advanced were not as facially appealing as Brazil.

 

Top 9 Finalists

USA

For a while, Deshauna was on her way to repeat her stunt at the Miss USA pageant. She was the underdog then, but her character and determination, paved the way for her to win the crown. She was definitely a threat considering her ability to express herself well. Fortunately, she ended in the evening gown competition. Her beauty is just not at par with the other girls who have advanced, or at least the other Misses USA in the past. She may be a perfect ambassador for the pageant, but the winner should be facially appealing first as this is a pageant after all. Besides, she didn’t really have remarkable performances in both swimsuit and evening gown competitions.

Canada

Lots of people were perhaps surprised with Canada’s inclusion in the top 13. Perhaps, this was about body positivity campaign again. In fact, right after being called to the top 13, she was interviewed by Ashley Graham, who has also campaigned against body shaming. Here’s the thing though about Miss Canada. She made it as 1^st runner up in Miss Supranational. When she appeared then, she was extremely fit. She is not huge now because that’s who she is, but because she got lazy. Others girls have prepared well for the pageant by exercising and eating healthy. For her to sneak in because of this whole body positivity campaign was disappointing. Facially, she is extremely pretty, and she could even be a crown contender if she only prepared for the pageant.

Mexico

Miss Universe was not Kristal’s first pageant in the Philippines. She was also a finalist in Miss Earth 2013 held in the Philippines. This pageant veteran showed confidence on stage. In both swimsuit and evening gown, she did an amazing job. Thus, it was somehow surprising to her be excluded in the top 6 and see other less deserving girls moving forward. She might be the best facially, but she has prepared well for the pageant to deserve moving forward.

 

Top 6 Finalists

Kenya

Her entry in the top 13 was perhaps the biggest shocker of the night. She was even the first to be called. African ladies are usually not doing well in Miss Universe and they rarely place. This lady had a commanding stage presence. She also looked like an African queen with her overall styling. There’s just something wrong about her nose that takes away some points in terms of beauty. She was actually doing well throughout the night especially when given the chance to speak. She also carried her evening gown with elegance. Sadly, when it was time for her to showcase her speaking prowess, she choked. Nevertheless, she has moved very far in the competition and it is something worth thankful for.

Thailand

Chalita was in a lot of people’s list of potential winners. She also seemed to be a heavy favorite. Thailand campaigned hard for the whole voting process and it paid off as her entry in the top 13 was because of voting. She has one of the best bodies in the competition and she has also decided to switch gown for the finals. She donned a simple black dress similar to what the Thai queen wore in the past. During the question and answer, she also honored the king who has recently passed. For mentioning both the country’s king and queen in one night, she has already made her country proud.

Philippines

Maxine had a lot to prove in this competition. Her predecessor is the reigning queen and the pageant was hosted in the Philippines. Nevertheless, she managed to look great in both swimsuits and evening gown. She let go of that irritating twirl that she did during the preliminaries and her walk looked more polish. She also ditched the green fringe gown in exchange of a simpler red gown with sparkling bustier. She managed to look great in both rounds especially with her overall styling. It was the dreaded question and answer that really placed her on the chopping block. Considering her response to the question, it was understandable that she ended her journey in this round.

 

The Final 3

2^nd Runner Up – Colombia

Just like Maxine, there was also a lot of pressure for Andrea considering that her two predecessors did really well, winning the crown and the 1^st runner up consecutively. There were a lot of people who doubted her capability to go further in the competition. In terms of beauty, she actually is a stand out. There was just a time during the pre-pageant activities when she looked really tired and messed up. Nevertheless, she picked herself up and did well when it mattered most. Her responses to the questions in both rounds were also stellar. Although she spoke in Spanish, she spoke with command, channeling Dayana Mendoza who won in 2008. Her emotional final look walk really touched hearts. She surely felt the pressure at that point. She remained composed and calm nonetheless and her final placement was well-deserved.

1^st Runner Up – Haiti

This country has not yet received the crown in the pageant’s history. They don’t even get to enter the semifinalists often. The tallest delegate in the competition has prevailed though. She has surprised everyone for being in the final 2. No one expected her to go that far. She was not even in many people’s list. Perhaps, her towering height made her impossible to ignore. Add to that her sparkling metallic gown that was really an eye-catcher. Her biggest asset though was her gift of gab. As soon as she is given the chance to speak, she manages to do shine. Her final response about surviving the earthquake in Haiti was definitely a winning answer. The thing though is that she is just not winner material. In terms of facial beauty, she has gone very far in the competition. It was indeed true that the new Miss Universe franchise holder wants to shake things up and give importance to talented girls who can be an ambassador for the organization. Nevertheless, Miss Universe is still a beauty pageant and it was totally right that she did not win the crown.

Miss Universe 2016 – France

Many experts had her on their list, but none expected her to win it all. This was perhaps due to her inability to stand out during the pageant activities. She was usually overpowered by stronger and more aggressive delegates. However, Iris knew how to play her game well. She has proven that you don’t need to be a stand out all the time. You just have to do it when it mattered most. During the finals night, she totally owned the stage. Her styling has drastically improved. She looked more polished. She was worth a million dollars each time she appeared. In her swimsuit, she was classy. She ditched the gold gown but still had a metallic gown for the finals, where she looked totally radiant. Though she spoke French in both rounds, she answered really well. Her response about celebrating diversity sealed the deal. It would have been a travesty if after all rounds, someone else was crowned and not her. After 63 years, the crown went back to France. It also landed back to Europe after 1990 (although Russia took it in 2002 but was dethroned).

Surprise Exclusions:

Venezuela

She was on everybody’s list. She did an outstanding job during the preliminaries where she received standing ovation for her performance. If this were Miss Universe during Trump era, she could have even won. Sadly, attitude matters more than anything. It was revealed that she was really bitchy and she made some contestants cry. The organizers might have taken notice and that paved the way for her exclusion.

Nicaragua

This country is not a pageant powerhouse in Miss Universe. However, rumors were circulating that she was a heavy favorite of the organizers. This is also due to her fluency in English. She was selected in almost all major activities. Thus, for her to be left out was somewhat a major shock.

 

Australia

This country places in Miss Universe, year in and year out. Not seeing her advance was really surprising. Add to that the fact that Miss Universe is warming up to this country as they plan to host the pageant in the next 2 years. However, if we look at her overall performance though, her exclusion should have been expected.

Nevertheless, it was a great show and there was nothing scandalous this time. Congratulations to all the winners and may the new Miss Universe do well in her reign.

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