Miss Universe 2012 Review: Nicaragua - Romania

The 61st Miss Universe Pageant will be held on December 19 at PH Live, Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. This has not been the best year for the Miss Universe Organization as they were scrambling for the greatest part of the year to find a host for the pageant and in the end it resulted in Vegas again and the pageant being held right at the very end of year for the first time. As a result, Angola's Leila Lopes has become the longest reigning titleholder in the history of the pageant. She will crown Miss Universe 2012 at the conclusion of the event that will be shown live on NBC and Telemundo Wednesday night. The Miss Universe Organization has made the most of this year's pageant despite all the setbacks and embraced the time of the year with a holiday themed show. The great group of delegates also made up for the very long wait. A note to the Miss Universe Organization: PLEASE LOWER THE HOSTING FEE!!! You will find a host if you don't charge a fortune. We want to see the pageant in new exotic locations.
Now on to the stars of the show:

KEY:

POSSIBLE WINNER - ******
POSSIBLE TOP 5 FINALIST - *****
POSSIBLE TOP 10 SEMI-FINALIST - ****
POSSIBLE TOP 16 QUARTER FINALIST - ***
UNLIKELY TO PLACE - **
HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO PLACE - *

NICARAGUA: FARAH ESQUILAT **

I thought she gave a very competent performance during the preliminaries even though she tried a little bit too hard to be fierce at times. She has an amazing body though. She can be proud of her performance but I don’t think a placement is on the cards.

NIGERIA: ISABELLA AYUK *

Well, it was pretty much a given that Isabelle was never going to make waves in Las Vegas. She just looked out of place at this pageant.

NORWAY: SARA NICOLE ANDERSEN ***

Sara is another girl that impressed since she arrived in Las Vegas. I did not really think she would do so well at first but she really held her own. She was good on stage even though she had a horrid gown and I think she could be a potential surprise top 16 finalist. Anything more that is unimaginable.

PANAMA: STEPHANIE VANDER WERF **

Panama was prepared and gave it her all but I have seen better from her country. It seems like she has an awesome personality but I just don’t think she is strong enough to place.

PARAGUAY: EGNI ECKERT *****

Miss Paraguay was FIERCE, SEXY, and FABULOUS during the preliminaries. She was definitely one of the top performers of the night and I started to wonder if she could take it all. Then I remembered that she competed at Miss World 2010 where she could only make it to the top 16. So, given the rivalry between the two pageant, I’d say a runner-up spot is the best she could do.

PERU: NICOLE FAVERON **



When she was crowned, I really liked her. However, I’ve not been that impressed by her performance in Vegas. I mean, she’s fine but there was just nothing spectacular about the way she competed. She did choose an amazing gown though.

PHILIPPINES: JANINE TUGONON ******

I love Janine and despite the fact that many people said she was not that strong in the preliminaries, I still think she is amazing and I think she can take the crown. She started off as a favorite and then lost some ground with the fan but I think she will shine when it matters the most: the finals!!! The rumors that the Philippines will host in 2014 might give her an extra advantage. She is one to watch and she could be the next Miss Universe.

POLAND: MARCELINA ZAWADZKA *****

The blondes are very strong this year and I think Marcelina is heavily underrated. She is a classic beauty and she definitely deserves more attention. She gave two great performances in the preliminaries, and I thought she was SIZZLING in swimsuit. She could even pull an upset and become the best performing blonde on the night.

PUERTO RICO: BODINE KOEHLER ******

Has there ever been a recent year when Puerto was not one of the huge favorites?! One again, Puerto Rico is in it to win it with the stunning Bodine. She was flawless in the preliminaries and had an amazing gown and probably the best body of the group. She could become her country’s sixth Miss Universe on Wednesday. I would not be surprised if this Denise Richards clone takes it all.

ROMANIA: DELIA MONICA DUCA *

Romania rarely gets noticed and this year is no exception. Well, I did notice that she was very stiff and robotic on stage. Sadly, this girl will most definitely be left clapping.

Photos: www.missuniverse.com