Miss Universe 2015 Review: Czech Republic - Indonesia

The 64th Miss Universe will be crowned on December 20 at the Axis Theater at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. This is the first edition under the ownership of WME/IMG and the pageant is being shown on FOX for the first time. 80 delegate from around the world will vie for the chance of being crowned Miss Universe 2014 by outgoing queen Paulina Vega from Colombia.
After following the events in Vegas for the last couple of weeks, here are my thoughts:

****** Potential winner of Miss Universe 
***** Potential top 5 finalist 
**** Potential top 10 semi-finalist 
*** Potential top 15 quarter-finalist
**   Unlikely to place 
*     Highly unlikely to place 

Czech Republic: Nikol Svantnerova *

The Czech Republic usually makes an impact at least one pageant every year. There are so many beautiful girls in this country. This year, I think the strongest girl at Ceska Miss won the Miss Ceska Earth title and she made it to the top 16 at Miss Earth 2015.  I find the Nikol and World girl attractive, but not exactly semi-finalist material.

PRELIMINARIES: Not the best I have seen from Czech Republic. 

Denmark: Cecilie Wellemberg ***

I must admit that I was not that impressed with Cecilie when she won her national title, but she showed up in Vegas looking sizzling hot. I think I had her in the 30 to 40 range at first, but now I won’t be surprised if she reaches the top 15. She’s just on fire.

PRELIMINARIES: Hmmm... not the best walk but lovely. 

Dominican Republic: Clarissa Molina ****

I think she has everything it takes to do well in this competition. She has the looks, the height and the stage presence. But somehow I feel there is something missing. I could see her going all the way to the top 10 though.

PRELIMINARIES: Very strong on stage. 

Ecuador: Francesca Cipriani **

Francesca was my favorite to win the Miss Ecuador Pageant. I like her and I think she is very pretty, but she’s not really a standout in this group in my opinion. The field is just too strong this year.

PRELIMINARIES: Lovely but this is a strong group. 

El Salvador: Fatima Rivas **

Fatima is actually cuter than I thought she was, but one again, this is such a strong group that it might not be good enough just to be beautiful. You will need more than that to stand out.

PRELIMINARIES: Not strong enough. 

Finland: Rosa-Maria Rytti ***

I’m so impressed. In recent years, we have not really seen much from Finland. But Rosa-Maria obviously put a lot of effort into her training and it is quite evident that she has given it all and must be applauded for that. She almost demonstrated a sort of fire that Latinas usually have. If she gets lucky, she could grab a top 15 spot.

PRELIMINARIES: She gave it her all. 

France: Flora Coquerel ******

It’s time for redemption for the gorgeous, tall and elegant Flora. She was one of the hugest favorites at Miss World last year and even topped the first leaderboard when the interview scores were announced, but then dropped out of the top 25, probably because she missed parts of the pageant and could not take part in the all the challenge events. Now she’s got a second shot and she’s been looking impeccable at Miss Universe. Will she end up as the runner-up like a lot of former Miss World contestants in recent years (Think 2009 and 2010).

PRELIMINARIES: I was not as blown away as I thought I would be, but she is very strong. 

Gabon: Ornella Obone *

Gabon has such lovely ladies and they actually had a runner-up who would have been competitive at Miss Universe. They chose Ornella and all I can think of is that it must be because she is based in the USA and they wouldn’t need a visa… or they are trying to cut costs.

PRELIMINARIES: Not strong enough. 

Georgia: Janet Kerdikoshvili ***

Awww… my sentimental favorite. Janet is a stunner who I really wanted to see do well at Miss World 2011, but she struggled there, mostly because she only had a few days to prepare. This time around she is older and more experienced. I still find her stunning and I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will do well at Miss Universe. She is a bit inconsistent though at time and her styling is not always the greatest. I do also wish for less pouting and more smiling. But other than that: I adore her!

PRELIMINARIES: She is so gorgeous. But I had issues with her styling. Still want her to do well. 

Germany: Sarah-Lorraine Riek **

Sarah-Lorraine is an attractive young women who actually has a shot at making the cute. In a less competitive year, she would have been a shoe-in, but this year the field is strong. Still, she was my favorite to take the title in Germany and I am glad the judges chose her to compete at Miss Universe 2015.

PRELIMINARIES: She was good. 

Ghana: Hilda Akua *

Ghana had a stunner who competed, but I think they wasted a fantastic chance. The African group is not super strong this year and I have no confidence in Hilda’s chances.

PRELIMINARIES: Not strong. 

Great Britain: Nena France ****

I love this girl and I think it’s so refreshing to see Great Britain being represented by someone of her caliber. I wanted Nena to win Miss England a couple of years ago, but I actually think she is more suited to the Miss Universe stage. I’m hoping that she, at least, survives the first cut.

PRELIMINARIES: A breath of fresh air. 

Greece: Michaela Fotiadi *

Some beauties were bound to disappear in the crowd in this group, so sadly I have not really paid much attention to Miss Greece.

PRELIMINARIES: Looked good in swimsuit, but not a fan of her gown presentation. 

Guatemala: Fabiola Jeimmy Aburto *

Guatemala has sent much stronger delegates in the past and they have failed to place. So I guess Fabiola will just have to go home with lots of memories and new friends from around the world.

PRELIMINARIES: Not strong. 

Guyana: Shauna Ramdyhan *

In recent years, Guyana has sent a few girls who got some positive buzz, but unfortunately this is not one of their stronger years. Shauna looks better than I once thought, but she’s just not strong enough.

PRELIMINARIES: Better than I though. 

Haiti: Lisa Drouillard ***

Lisa competed at Miss Teen USA and I can see that her experience has helped her here. She’s actually pretty cute and caught my eye a few times. Will that be enough to place? Probably not, but she has done well.

PRELIMINARIES: One of the loveliest surprises of the night. 

Honduras: Iroshka Elvir *

In terms of sheer beauty, Iroshka is probably one of the weakest links of the batch. I hope she had a great time in Vegas though.

PRELIMINARIES: Not strong. 

Hungary: Nikoletta Nagy *

This year I am quite disappointed with Hungary’s entry. I don’t think Nikoletta is as strong as most of the other girls in the group

PRELIMINARIES: Not strong. 

India: Urvashi Rautela ***

Urvashi came to this pageant with a goal in mind: to make an impact and win the Miss Universe title. As polarizing as her approach might be, you can’t admit that she has gone full Latina in her approach. She is already a Bollywood star and has a huge following in her country, so I guess it was easy to come as a glamour diva. Personally, I do feel that she is not is gorgeous as several others in the group, but I am not going to deny that she’s very strong.

PRELIMINARIES: She demands attention but I don't love her as much as the last two girls from India. 

Indonesia: Anindya Putri ****

I love this girl. I think she’s so fresh and at the same time such a sultry beauty. Indonesia has been sending good delegates to Miss Universe for quite a few years and I hope she gets the recognition that she deserves. This is such a good year for Miss Universe!

PRELIMINARIES: I like her a lot but I think her styling was kind of off. 

Photos courtesy of Miss Universe Organization!