Miss World 2013 Review: Samoa to South Sudan

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

SAMOA: PENINA PAEU *

This is the first time since 1988 that Samoa competed at Miss World and it was great to see them back. Penina was my favorite for her national title and she was a good delegate to make their comeback. Even though she was not as strong as I initially thought, I still think she did a commendable job. I hope this franchise goes from strength to strength.

SCOTLAND: JAMEY BOWERS **

Jamey has an uncanny resemblance to former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. I am glad she finally won the Miss Scotland title and it was great to see her compete at Miss World. I thought she would get more attention from the judges. She got a top 20 placement in the Sports and Fitness challenge but other than that she did not feature much so I don’t think Scotland will be in the top 20 this year. She is really beautiful though.

ST. KITTS AND NEVIS: TREVICIA ADAMS *

Trevicia is really well-spoken and bubbly. I was quite impressed by her introduction video before the pageant. She is much better than I anticipated. I hope she really enjoyed her Miss World experience and that she will return to her country with loads of fond memories.

SERBIA: ALEKSANDRA DOKNIC *

Last year’s Serbian delegate was absolutely stunning and not even she could give her country a breakthrough placement. Aleksandra won’t either. Her photoshopped photos were slightly deceiving and she did not always look equally stunning in candids. I do think she’s attractive so she was a worthy representative for her country.

SEYCHELLES: AGNES EMMANUEL *

Agnes actually improved a lot since her crowning but she could not manage to get the same level of attention as her predecessor. She represented her nation proudly and did a commendable job.

SINGAPORE: MARIA-ANNA ZENIERIS *

Representing your country at an international event like Miss World at the age of 18 is no easy task. Maria-Anna did it with great and class though. That is something to be proud of.

SLOVAKIA: KAROLINA CHOMISTEKOVA ***

I actually believed for months that Slovakia could have a huge breakthrough year at Miss World and be one of the top 10 competitors. When I saw photos of Karolina just before her departure, I was a bit disappointed. I felt she could have worked harder on her grooming and styling. She had months to do so but the girls don’t always get the guidance they need. She did quite well on the challenge events actually and featured in Sports and Fitness, Talent, and Beach Fashion. She could be a surprise in the top 20.

SLOVENIA: MAJA COTIC *

Maja is cute and she seems sweet but she pretty much went unnoticed at Miss World. Her Miss World fanpage was almost never updated either. They are going to take their preparation and participation much more seriously if they ever want to get noticed.

SOUTH AFRICA: MARILYN RAMOS ***

This one is bittersweet. I feel that Marilyn showed up Miss World super well-prepared, looking her best and most radiant ever. I always thought she was much more of a Miss World girl than a Miss Universe girl. She really gave more than 100% to come to this pageant as her best self AND SHE DID! She looked absolutely amazing during the opening ceremony and just sparkled on that stage. Her vibrance and radiance did not go unnoticed by pageant fans that night. This continued throughout the pageant - not only was her outer beauty evident but also her inner beauty and many girls commented on what a lovely and genuine girl she is. Plus she had the best BWAP project a South African has ever had at this pageant. But she got ignored in event after event by the Miss World judges and it must have been quite challenging for her yet she remained optimistic and did not give up hope. Marilyn, if you are reading this, I sincerely feel that you looked amazing and I think you have all the qualities of a real Miss World. I am really proud of the way you represented yourself, your family, and South Africa. I am very proud of you for staying true to yourself and being an amazing delegate for South Africa. You ARE a true beauty with a purpose.

Special thanks to Edwin Toledo

On a side note: this will probably fall on death ears but maybe it’s time for the Miss South Africa Organization to sever their ties with Miss World. I think having one pageant is just too challenging – the Miss World Organisation will never really be happy with that. Last year South Africa chose Miss Universe in favor of Miss World and it seems like this year they are paying the price for it. I didn’t even really see many photos of Marilyn – most of the girls at least got a few “official” photos. The only time she was really recognized was when she took part in the fan dance and when her gift made money for the Beauty With A Purpose fund. Miss World and Miss Universe are going very separate directions. You pretty much have three options: 1) separate the pageant and choose two delegates 2) call on a meeting with MWO to try and sort out all the issues of the past 3) give up this franchise. I would of course prefer 1 and 2.

SOUTH SUDAN: MANUELA MATONG ***

Just like her predecessor, Atong DeMache, Manuela has captured the hearts of many fans. Her skin tone is just amazing and she exudes grace and elegance. I don’t think she has the same star power as the lovely Atong but she could give her country reason to smile yet again after placing in Beach Fashion and Top Model. I’m hoping to see a Miss World from this country soon.

Photos: Miss World Organisation