Miss World 2013 Review: Latvia to Mexico

Miss World 2013 will be crowned on September 28 at the Nusa Dua Convention Center in Bali. This is the first time that a Miss World Pageant will be crowned in South East Asia and Indonesia was always seen as a brave, if not risky choice by the Miss World Organisation. The final was supposed to take place close to Jakarta but demonstrations and threats by hardline extremists forced the government of Indonesia to make the decision that the pageant will stay in Bali. The organizers basically had two weeks to relocate the final rounds to Bali. It’s rather disappointing to say the least and we feel extremely sorry for the friends, family, and fans who already booked flights and hotels to Jakarta. This should never have happened – they should have stuck with Bali in the first place or never even considered Indonesia as a host.

Even though the pageant is now scheduled to take place in Bali which is far more liberal, the threats from the extremists continue. It’s disappointing that these extremists don’t really take a look to see that the Miss World Organisation does a lot of good in this world. There is far greater evil in this world. Now, we really hope that the local organizers are extremely prepared to ensure that nothing terrible happens. 

On a positive side, stunning Bali provided a gorgeous backdrop for the 127 lovely ladies competing to be this year’s Miss World. It’s so hard to choose the top contenders this year because there are so many stunning ladies competing. We just hope that the results are fair and that the most deserving beauties make it to the final 20. Politics, propaganda, and business decision take a lot of credibility away from pageant – so may the BEST girl win. Now for my comments – I always try to keep it as nice as possible and would definitely not like to offend any girl or their family. This is a competition though, so I have to also keep my comments fair.

****** Miss World 2013 crown contender
***** Top 5 contender/Continental Title Contender
**** Potential top 10 semi-finalist
*** Likely to be a top 20 semi-finalist
** Could miss the cut or be a surprise in the top 20
* Very likely to miss the cut

LATVIA: EVA DROMSKA *

I feel bad to say this but my first reaction was: “Is Latvia still competing?” I don’t mean it in a bad way but between 127 girls, a few are bound to get lost in the crowd. Especially at Miss World, which is so hard to follow especially due to lack of quality photos! The fact that the girls don’t wear sashes makes the ones who are not heavily favored just random faces in a crown. Unfortunately Eva did not make much of an impression on me then. I do hope that her Miss World experience was a good one though.

LEBANON: KAREN GHRAWI **

Now here’s a girl you got to admire. Karen was crowned Miss Lebanon and basically had only 24 hours to get ready and hop on a place to Indonesia. She must be exhausted. But it’s not showing. She seems to be having an amazing time and represented her country really well.

LESOTHO: MAMAHLAPE CAROLINE MATSOSO *

Representing your country at a major international event like Miss World is a massive responsibility and also an achievement at the same time. I hope Mamahlape had a wonderful time represent her mountain kingdom and she will return to her native Lesotho with wonderful memories and stories to share!

LITHUANIA: RUTA ELZBIETA MAZUREVICIUTE **

I saw quite a few photos of the always radiant Miss Lithuania. She is quite pretty but this is a very competitive year. I think she gave a credible performance but I am not expecting a top 20 placement for her.

MACEDONIA FYRO: KRISTINA SPASENOSKA *

Being at the Miss World Pageant is a once in a lifetime experience. There are so many memories made, friendships formed, shared smiles and sorrow, not to mention being part of a global television spectacular. Kristina had all of that and I hope she will treasure this experience forever.

MALAYSIA: MELINDER BHULLAR ***

Melinder is one of the most stunning representatives her country has sent in recent years. I actually get glimpses of Aishwarya Rai when I look at her. The Asian group is, unfortunately, so super competitive this year and her height (or lack thereof) might count against her. She could sneak into the top 20 or be totally left out. It would be a shame though if she is left out as she is absolutely stunning!

MALTA: DONNA BORG *

Donna was one of the first delegates to arrive in Indonesia for Miss World. She was another one of the delegates who is better than I anticipated. She didn’t really feature in the challenge events, so I think her chances are not looking that great.

MARTINIQUE: JULIE LEBRASSEUR **

I actually find Julie pretty stunning and I’m definitely a fan of her exotic beauty. She was my favorite to win her national title and I’m glad she had the opportunity to represent her country at this pageant. I was pretty happy that she made the cut in Beach Fashion and she’ll be able to go home with those bragging rights. I get the feeling that we won’t see her in the top 20 (unfortunately).

MAURITIUS: NATHALIE LESAGE *

Nathalie gave a commendable performance but as always it seems like Mauritius has gone unnoticed. I did enjoy her unique catwalk at Top Model. I am pretty sure she will not place but she is one of the better winners Mauritius has chosen recently.

MEXICO: MARILYN CHAGOYA ***

Now we all suspected that Marilyn would be a hit or miss at Miss World. She has very strong, modelesque features and it really was a toss-up: placing really high or not making much of an impact. Sadly, the latter seems to be the case. I know she gave her all to fight for the title but the Miss World judges have very particular tastes.

Photos: Miss World Organisation