Miss Universe 2013 Review: Angola - Botswana

Miss Universe is being hosted in Russia for the very first time this year. It's nice to see Miss Universe being hosted somewhere else even though the pageant has lost a lot of it's glamor. The activities seem to be done on a shoestring budget, but they do have one of the best stages in recent years. I do hope that the Miss Universe Organization will start to rethink they way they do business. There are almost no more prizes that are really worthwhile and I think they really need to make the prize package a bit more lucrative again. I think they the organization needs to move away from the cheap thrills sleazy publicity angel and start building the image of the brand again.

As for the girls, 86 girls are competing for the 62nd Miss Universe title. I was a little disappointed by a lot of the favorites. The girls I thought would do really well didn't perform as well or made poor styling choices. Overall, I think it's a good group of girls and I think there are a group of about 30 girls who could be in contention to do really well. Now, let's take a look at the beauties vying for this year's Miss Universe title:

POSSIBLE WINNER - ******
POSSIBLE TOP 5 FINALIST - *****
POSSIBLE TOP 10 SEMI-FINALIST - ****
POSSIBLE TOP 15 QUARTER FINALIST - ***
UNLIKELY TO PLACE - **
HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO PLACE - *

ANGOLA: VAUMARA REBELO ***

To be honest, I think Vaumara would is much better suited for the Miss World Pageant. She has a really pretty face but her time in Moscow can be described as quite lackluster – just like her intro video which in which she appeared sweet but so demure. Then came the preliminaries and I was actually really very pleasantly surprised. She definitely saved the best for when it really matter and could be in contention for a top 16 spot.

ARGENTINA: BRENDA GONZALEZ ****

Brenda has one of the most stunning faces for me. I think she’s incredibly beautiful and she has a real shot at making the top 16. She gave two solid performances - I actually liked her more in gown than swimsuit. What worries me is that she does not seem to have the sparkle Latinas usually have. It was more forced than effortless! It could really go either way for her.

ARUBA: STEFANIE EVANGELISTA *

Stefanie’s facial beauty is her best asset but I think she got lost in the crowd. I would say she was much better in swimsuit than in gown. I didn’t like her gown that much. She was by no means a terrible representative for her country but I think the competition is just too tough.

AUSTRALIA: OLIVIA WELLS ****

Australia has done really well at Miss Universe recently. This year they selected a delegate that a bit different from the regular look they go for but it is kind of refreshing. I must say that I am hot and cold with her. Sometimes she blows me away and other times I’m left wanting more from her. However, if some of the other favorites fizzle, I can see her sneaking in and doing unexpectedly well like Jesinta Campbell did in 2010. Her preliminary swimsuit performance was quite underwhelming for me but then I found her great in gown. So, I’m curious to see if the judges’ love for Australia will continue.  

AUSTRIA: DORIS HOFFMAN ***

Austria is back for the first time in almost a decade and they sent a really solid competitor. Doris is one of the best blondes and if the Miss Universe Organization is interested in enticing Austria to come back again next year, then I do think that Doris could be awarded a Trump card. She would not look out of place in the top 15 but her walk is not that strong.

AZERBAIJAN: AYSEL MANAFOVA ***

This is Azerbaijan’s first time at Miss Universe and their first delegate, Aysel Manafova, is a really striking girl. Now, would I say she’s strong enough to place? I would say NO. But we can’t forget that the Miss Universe Pageant is being backed by an Azerbaijani billionaire and that means their first delegate can go much further than we anticipate. I would be disappointed if that’s the case. (I have to admit: she did do well in the preliminaries. Even though she looked quite cold. She should smile more.)

BAHAMAS: LEXI WILSON **

I expected a bit more from Lexi. She is a good looking girl but I don’t think she was very consistent. She looked amazing at times and just OK other times. Her swimsuit performance was great but I don't think that hot pink gown worked. It was too much for my eyes. I think the Bahamas will have to wait a bit more for a placement.

BELGIUM: NOEMI HAPPART **

Belgium did (unexpectedly) well at Miss World but I don’t think they will have the same luck at Miss Universe this year. Noemi has actually improved a lot throughout her year but I think she was still overshadowed by a lot of other girls here. She can be very proud of doing so well at Miss World though.

BOLIVIA: ALEXIA VIRUEZ ****

Alexia had a very long time to prepare – more than a year. And it definitely shows. I think she is a very strong competitor. For most of her reign, I was not always sure if I find her stunning or slightly strange-looking. But I think she is WAY more telegenic than photogenic. I was blown away by her introduction video and I think she looks, speaks, and acts like a Miss Universe.  I don't think I was totally blown away by her in the preliminaries but there's definitely a strong competitor. I’m Team Europe this year but a top 10 placement is not out of the question for this lovely lady.

BOTSWANA: TSOANE MACHENG *

I think she’s adorable and really well-spoken but I’m not sure if she could hold her own at competitors who have been preparing for this title for many months before she event entered. Kudos to her for making it to the pageant and representing her country well.

Photos: Miss Universe Organization