65th Miss Universe | The Untouchables, the Desirables and the Noticeables

Posted by Norman on January 25, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

The six Untouchables on my list

TV5 has exclusive rights on the airing of the Preliminary Competition

Yesterday was placed as rest day for the 65th Miss Universe contestants. But it wasn’t really like that as rehearsals got underway with Runway Coach Lu Sierra doing her motivational talk and training of the girls.

Today will be the closed-door Preliminary Interviews – a nerve-wracking but much-awaited part of the competition. And setting aside first the results of the same (which will be held in secrecy), the Preliminaries will take place at the MOA Arena tomorrow night.

And what are my expectations? Just as I have mentioned before, there will be two (2) main lists on my personal judging – the Untouchables and the Desirables. I added a third – the Noticeables who will comprise the ladies who could spoil things up for the perceived strong contenders.

The six (6) ladies in the Untouchables list remain unchanged. For the purpose of the Preliminary Competition, they are the ones who are expected to deliver like thoroughbreds, and I am ranking them now as follows: Miss Thailand Chalita Suansane, Miss Brazil Raissa Santana, Miss Philippines Maxine Medina, Miss Colombia Andrea Tovar, Miss Venezuela Mariam Habach and Miss Indonesia Kezia Warouw. The rankings are there for the purpose of classifying their stand. But truthfully, the scores would be very close if I had to key in numbers. So regardless of the order by which I stated their names above, there could be different combos among the six of them on who should be #1 of #6.

The nine Desirables on my list

As we go to my Desirables category, the number suddenly jumped from six (6) to nine (9). I reviewed them more meaningfully. It would be a shame not to include every single country name on my strong expectations list because they are also showing firepower, maybe not as intense as the six (6) in the first list, but still more than enough to observe their individual presentations with eagle eyes.

I am ranking my Desirables as follows: Miss Australia Caris Tiivel, Miss Dominican Republic Sal Garcia, Miss Argentina Estefania Bernal, Miss Barbados Shannon Harris, Miss Turkey Sila Çakir, Miss Aruba Charlene Leslie, Miss Belgium Stephanie Geldhof, Miss Guatemala Virginia Argueta and Miss Puerto Rico Brenda Jimenez Azaria. It’s really up to them to either deliver or deliver very well in both swimsuit and evening gown.

The six Noticeables on my list

And how about my Noticeables? They are the ones who are ready to jump ferociously once the opportunity to shine presents itself willingly. They are still in the zone, and would do everything possible to inch their way up the ladder no matter what the odds are. I have six (6) to put here: Miss Netherlands Zoey Ivory, Miss Nicaragua Marina Jacoby, Miss Sierra Leone Hawa Kamara, Miss USA Deshauna Barber, Miss Mexico Cristal Silva and Miss Great Britain Jaime-lee Faulkner.

Honestly, I will focus on the performance of my Desirables and Noticeables during the Preliminary Competition. That should give me a good idea as to which dozen deserves the make the cut to the Top 12 for my Final Predictions which will come out Sunday morning. 😉

186 comments on “65th Miss Universe | The Untouchables, the Desirables and the Noticeables”

  1. Disclaimer: i dont like indos and thais for their manipulation (supposedly) in other pageants. But i do get the hype with kezia. Shes tall snd has strong stage presence. Not sure about the face and lower teeth protruding when she talks but shes ok. In fact shes the best miss indonesia universe by far. Although may kulang pa rin. Miss thailand has an impeccable wardrobe and her catwalk skills are excellent and i nean excellent! What i dont like is her heavy makeup. Lets not dwell on the q and as because i think max kezia and thais all have their shortcomings in this segment. Makamaxine ako of course, ang sinasabi ko lang, the hype with these 2 neighbors are justifiable.

  2. It’s okay to root for someone who is truly beautiful in every sense of the word. But to be frank, Indonesian girls before and in recent years are not really beauty queen material. They are not in the same league with the powerhouse of beauty pageants at all no matter how they try to be such. The mere thought of letting Indonesia win and place as runners up, even if their representatives are not really that beautiful and stunning, is nothing but disgusting. Don’t try to insist to make us believe that they are when obviously these ladies are still very, very far behind, They are yet to discover someone who can best represent of what we call a lady who is quintissentially beautiful. If they can do so, I would be one avid fan of her.

  3. Here’s the thing… Thailand and Indonesia only look good when they are carefully coiffed, primped, posed, outfitted, and “concepted.”

    In motion and when speaking, they are amateur in comparison to the Philippines or the Latinas. They’re just too foreign for MUO standards. They stand out, in a bad way.

    They are gorgeous women but not necessarily the best beauty queens (yet). I think they need more time to perfect their polish but 2017 is not their year. Semis for both, Top 10 for both, no to both beyond that.

  4. I want Maxine to be top 3 , placing 2nd runner up would be a great honor to experience in your native country.

    I want the winner to be either one of these four: Slovakia, Denmark, Barbados or Turkey.
    The runner-up(1st) I would prefer, if not any one of these four also, to be France or Argentina

    Mabuhay!

  7. SO PAANO NAGING UNTOUCHABLE SI INDONESIA?! i GET THE HYPE OVER THAILAND. HER BODY IS TO DIE FOR AND HER OUTFITS ARE AMAZING. BUT INDONESIA? KAHIT MAGANDA AT MAMAHALIN ANG DAMIT NIYA DI PA RIN NIYA KERI. kAHIT TINUTUKAN NA NI KURNIAWAN NG MAKE-UP LESSONS AT BINIGYAN NG BONGGANG STYLISTS HIT AND MISS PA RIN.

  8. My TOP 12 pick, pre-prelims:

    PHILIPPINES 👑
    Australia
    Puerto Rico/Turkey

    Colombia
    Venezuela

    USA
    China
    Netherland

    Canada
    Germany
    Barbados

    Not agreeing with the hype around Thailand and Indonesia. Only based my choices via videos and photos on the social media sites.

    I’m giving my 9 votes to Philippines, 1 vote to Turkey. ✌🏼

    #4M4MU

  10. Indo is not ugly but there’s also nothing extra special about her… I would place her in the top 10 for sure but that’s it. I like tito norm’s top 6 besides indo and Colombia… I would replace them with Barbados/Nicaragua and USA

  12. GUSTO NILANG MAEMPTY ANG MOA AFTER TOP 3? Then dont include Max sa top 3.
    This can happen and tv ratings will surely get affected dito sa US, The Philippines made sure to make this MU the best. So utang na loob naman sana noh! Just saying!

    • What? If deserving naman si Max, why not. I don’t care if ma-empty ang MOA, which is unlikely to happen kasi for sure mga 90% Pinoy ang manonood, as long as Max deserves to be on top. I don’t see any problem with that at all.

  13. Ka cheapan ang untouchables na yan! Chakaness overload

    Aruba
    Nicaragua
    France
    Turkey
    Australia or Belgium
    Philippines or Netherlands
    Argentina or Kosovo
    Kenya
    Sierra Leone
    Barbados
    Venezuela
    Colombia
    Thailand or Indonesia

  14. “Maxine,until that crown is not yet on anyone’s head, it’s still anybody’s ballgame” — Angelia Ong’s message to Maxine 😘😍

    • Honestly, Angelia Ong knows what she is talking about. Kasi she is also a Back-to-Back candidate for Miss Earth. At Philippines pa talaga ang Franchise Owner ng ME. Ang hirap ng situation ni Angelia dati, pero she MADE IT! Kaya, I think, Maxine should make Angelia’s experience an inspiration. Ang hirap din ng situation ni Maxine ngayon. Against all odds talaga ito. Ang reigning Miss Universe ay from Philippines, ang location ng pageant ay Philippines din. Pero if it is meant to be, no one can stop it. Kahit top 5 or top 3 placement lang for Maxine, happy na ako. Pero kung papalarin talaga sya that night of the coronation, she will make it!

      Again, let me quote again the quote above: “Until that crown is not yet on anyone’s head, it’s still anybody’s ballgame!”

      Kaya go lang Maxine, always remember, you are one of the most beautiful candidates in this competition. You have a beautiful and humble heart too. And that is a very important characteristic of the true Winner. 😀

    • Grabe! I love her more!! iba siya. sumusuporta sa kapwa Pinay kahit magkaiba sila ng pageant or org! bayanihan talaga basta pilipino, Go!

    • Kahit nga nung napunta na yung crown sa ulo ni Colombia, nasungkit pa din sa Pilipinas eh. Kung iyo talaga, iyo talaga.

      Go, Maxine!

  15. Peeps, blog ni sir Norman to. He is entitled to his own opinion . Ako nga kahit maitim at acidic make up ni Indonesia nasa top 12 ko my number 8 to be exact. I like her height and fellow Asian . My Miss Universe 2016 is Philippines Maxine Medina .

    • Grabe sya oh, ACIDIC MAKE UP talaga anga tawag nya sa make up ni Miss Indo. LOL 😀

  20. Loyal ako sa kanila:
    1. Philippines
    2. Malaysia
    3. Sierra Leone
    4. Bulgaria
    5. Turkey
    6. Japan

  21. Base sa obserbasyon ko ay Thailand ang may strongest presence sa Asians basta wag lang siya magsasalita.
    Kung may aagaw lang din naman ng korona kay 4M, gusto ko si Malaysia kasi super ganda nya o kaya naman ay si Sierra Leone

  22. Please only Philippines as Asian in the Top 6. No to Thailand and Indonesia. Ewan ko ba daming pinoy nag bet kay Thailand? Anong meron? Mas maraming candidates pwede niyong ipalit sa kanya no. Remember bukod kay Indo madami din kababalaghan ginawa niyang Thailand against our rep/s before. And I guess their fans are not liking/loving our bets since nakakapasok din sila sa Top.

  23. Laila, ilagay mo ito sa t-shirt at ibenta sa lahat ng sulok ng bansa:

    “basta hanggat may maipipiga pa kay Maxine susuporta ako”

    Support for your countryman NEVER falls into a grey area. Would you think twice about giving your life up for a loved one? That’s what nationalism means to me; its about ties as strong as family.

    It’s either you fall in line or shut the hell up. Pasalamat yang si Gloria Diaz at hindi siya kinaladkad papuntang Luneta para barilin. Laganap kasi ngayon na you saying anything is the way to go- that it doesn’t matter if the things you say are inaccurate, grossly wrong or hurtful. Being a former MU, Binibini and a current citizen of this country, she should have had the grace and the humility to put aside her personal opinions and simply expressed support for Maxine.

    But apparently, age has made her neither gracious nor humble…

      • What happened with Gloria Diaz and Maxine?

        I’ve read a few times from somewhere about her…

        Can someone tell me what happened. I must have missed it. If there’s a video, even better!

      • MU2017,

        Gloria Diaz kept spewing her opinions that reek of insecurity, as per usual. LAHAT naman ng naging reyna natin hindi niyan nagawan bigyan ng “supportive” comment. Para bang gusto niya the glory stops at her bagging the first Miss Universe crown for our country, eh akala mo naman ang galing nya because to be honest people outside the country were never impressed with her win. Tanong mo pa kay Lolo Osmel hahahaha.

        May interview yan pagkatapos nung interpreter issue eh. Politically incorrect daw pag tayo nanalo at dapat daw huwag na lumaban si Maxine at ipaglaban ng mga fans niya.

    • Andrew and Lai, kung totoong isa si Ms. Gloria Diaz sa mga judges, either sa closed-door interview or during finals night, hindi ba tama lang ang kanyang sagot about Maxine’s chance of getting the crown, lest she will be accused of favoring Maxine. Pero we do not know kung totoo ito o hindi kasi nga naman ang unang press release ay walang Pilipino sa panel of judges. Well, let’s all support maxine na lang. Oras de peligro na kaya huwag na tayong magcreate pa ng negative vibes around her. Hindi ito nakakatulong. Ang obserbasyon ko, tayo mismo mga Pilipino ang humihila sa kanya pababa. Kung hindi man palarin si maxine, sige kahit sino na lang huwag lang Indonesia at Columbia. We’ll give them a dose of their own medicine.

      • She had a similar negative-veined comment about Pia, di ko na maalala kung ano. And of course, she was MIA at Pia’s homecoming. And then this comment about Maxine’s chances where she contradicts herself by saying, ‘No- Maxine can’t win- but theres’a possibility..like one in a million..or something to that effect. Like WTF was that???? And she and others try to defend what she said by saying that she was simply speaking her mind.

        Which would have been fine if she were not a former MU and a former Binibini- but she is; and to have said what she said is just unacceptable.

        Anyhow, I have complete faith in the MUO’s judging process and I believe that there are mechanisms in place to prevent obvious lopsided decisions..

  24. Naaawa talaga ko sa mga Top Picks ng Elitistang Blogger na lumaki na ang ulo.
    Balik-tanaw tayo sa 2014 Miss International ha.
    Back-to-back daw tayo sa Miss International.
    Last woman standing nya ang bff nyang si Guidotti.
    Ayun, nagkatotoo naman ang hula ng hydrocephalic blogger.
    Back-to-backstage ang eksena ni Bianca!
    Bwahahahaha

    • Lumaki na ang ulo agad, Basil? Di ba pwedeng wala nang oras na natitira sa araw-araw na coverage? I don’t even know kung saan isisingit ang tulog.

      • Ibang-iba ka na sa dating Norman way back 2011 onwards.
        Avid readers of this blog can attest to that.

    • To be fair though, what they did here is click-baiting. I’m sure they got click-throughs from fans because of this strategy. Besides Venezuela, though, there were no heavy favorites in the Top tier. So, you could argue that they were probably trying to be objective, kasi wala naman silang mapapala by pandering to smaller fanbases.

      Baka naman ang gustong mangyari dito ay i-antagonize ang Pinoy fans para dumami ang kuda sa comments. More page views din yun. Lol.

  26. HAHAHA I love MIL! “Banned na nga ako sa araneta, di pa ako manonood ng Miss Universe?” hahahaha

  27. Maxine will have Charlene’s wit sa Q&A…

    Question: Miss Philippines, Ilan na ang namatay sa EJK sa Pilipinas..

    Max: Nanlaban or hindi nanlaban?

    CHAROT!

  30. Ang Taft ng Miss Universe ngayon, lalo’t hindi na top 16 ang semi-finalists. Andami kasing dyosa…<3
    Anyway highway eto na ang Final Top 12 ko…

    Top 12 (In no particular order) + 1 (Swimsuit)
    1. Venezuela
    2. Philippines
    3. Colombia
    4. Thailand
    5. Indonesia
    6. Brazil
    7. Australia
    8. Nicaragua
    9. Kenya
    10. Mexico
    11. Great Britain
    12. Puerto Rico
    13. USA

    Top 9 + 1 (Gown)
    1. Venezuela
    2. Philippines
    3. Colombia
    4. Thailand
    5. Indonesia
    6. Brazil
    7. Australia
    8. Mexico
    9. Puerto Rico
    10. Nicaragua

    Top 6 + 1 (Q&A)
    1. Venezuela
    2. Philippines
    3. Colombia
    4. Thailand
    5. Indonesia
    6. Australia
    7. Mexico

    Top 3 + 1 (Final Look)
    1. Venezuela
    2. Philippines
    3. Mexico
    4. Indonesia

    Winners
    Miss Universe 2016 – Venezuela
    1st Runner – Up – Philippines
    2nd Runner – Up – Mexico or Indonesia

    • Parang may tupak ang overconfident na c Colombia 🙂
      Laking squatter ang bruha hihihi
      Yan ba ang maging MU2016, Kapallllll
      Libre ang mangarap hihihi

  33. Ako ay may nasagap na balita. Huwag kayong magalit sa pinakamagandang hayup sa balat ng lupa sapagkat palabas lamang pala nya yan dahil isa sya sa mga ma-aaring maging hukom sa Binibining Sansinukob… Marahil, ayaw nyang isipin ng daigdig na ang kanilang puso ay para sa ating kababayan gaya ng naganap sa Binibining Pandaigdig kung saan isa sa hukom ay mismong may-ari ng prangkisa na nagbigay daan sa hindi patas na pagkapanalo. Ang mga magiging hukom ngayon ay ang mga nakaraang Binibining Sansinukob: Lupita Jones (1991), Dayanara Torres (1993), Dayana Mendoza (2008) and Gabriela Isler (2013). Ang mga ibang marahil ay kasali sa paghuhukom: Armi Kuusela (1952), Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Porntip Bui Simon (1988), Sushmita Sen (1994), Jennifer Hawkins (2004), Riyo Mori (2007) and Olivia Culpo (2012). Mula dito ay akin ko ng masasabi na tayo ay aabot sa kahuli-hulihan ng timpalak… Dahil kahit ang puso ng ibang dayuhang hurado ay para sa ating bayan. At akin ko ding isipin na ang mga ito ang malalaki ang lamag para umabot sa huling labing-dalawa:

    Philippines
    Thailand
    Venezuela

    Brazil
    Indonesia
    USA

    Australia
    Colombia
    Aruba
    Mexico
    Puerto Rico
    Malaysia or Sierra Leonne

    *Ngayon ko lang masasabi na nasa kamay at bibig na talaga ng ating pambato ang kanyang kapalaran. Kung maipakikita nya na sya nga ang karapat-dapat sa anim na maglalaban sa huling hakbang na pahayagan ng saloobin tungkol sa mga kaganapang pandaigdigan. Pag nagawa nya yan ay wala ng makahahadlang sa hiling ng sambayanan.

    Maria Mika Maxine Medina Philippines! FTW!

    • Sabi ni chavit di sila kukuha ng hukom na pinoy, para patas sa lahat at sumasang-ayon ako sa nais nya. Pero ano ito at dalawa pa sila. Wag nmn. Kasi pagmumulan lang ito ng isyu kung si maxine ang mananalo

    • Gustuhin ko man na lahat ng hukom ay banyaga e lugi tayo pagnagkataon…. Sino kina Grabriela, Dayana, Dayanara at Lupita ang gugustuhin manalo muli ang Pinas?..

    • agree to 4M no to gloria d as one of the judges. kahit deserved ni max bbgyan lang nya ito ng low scores. on margie pwede pa. ok lang naman.

    • Ang totoong tingin kong pang-gulo sa judges e si Lupita.. Sigurado, ipipilit nya isingit si Mexico na ang slot ay para dun sa mga mas desserving like Nicaragua or France.

  35. para sa mga trainers ni Ms Medina, I’m curious how she will answer the alleged extra judicial killing sa bansa in case this will be brought up in Q&A.

    • Ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas ay may magandang hangarin sa bansa. Hanga ako sa katapangan ng mga pinuno.
      Para sa akin, masusugpo natin ang droga kung tulung-tulong ang sambayanan para sa pagkamit ng hangaring ito sa pamamagitan ng makataong pamamaraan na may pagpapahalaga sa buhay ng bawat isa.

  36. The peliminaries will either firm up our Top 12 or further confuse our list. The excitement is uncontainable! Let me digress, anyone here who has been looking for a VIP ticket for the coronation day? I have an extra ticket that i purchased when the organizers were pre-selling. It is a good seat because i got it two days before the official selling days on all SM outlets- so the available nearest seat pa sya then. Will sell it the same price i bought it. I am selling it kase my friend and i got VIP seats reserved by LCS Group- kaya mas malapit and may mga katabi akong kaibigan. For serious takers lang and those who badly want one VIP seat but could not buy anymore kase sold out na. Pls write your email address so we can communicate the meet-up. All the best to our Miss Philippines..

  37. MGA BAKLA!

    Ya’ll need to stop hatin on Tita Norms… in the years I’ve been a loyal reader, he’s always try to leave his unbiased opinion outside the door…. BUT….

    Ya’ll need to understand… he’s there seeing and interacting with the girls everyday. He probably see something about Indonesia that we don’t

    Let not forget… At the end of the day, Miss Universe is STILL a business. Politics will always be involved no matter what.

    Let’s also not forget…. that Norman is a professional blogger and blogging is his business. As neutral as he try to be, Politics will always affect Norman’s views and opinions.

    That said….. Some quick facts.
    Philippines’ population is only 100+ million
    Indonesia’s population is over 250+ million

    As much as Philippines being the “best” pageant fans, Indonesia has the numbers and views… which means MONEY! Cash, pera, kwarta, datong !

    I personally don’t believe that Norman really believes that Indonesia is a front runner in terms of beauty…. but with politics involved, we cannot deny that Indonesia IS INDEED a front runner — she has more fans which means more buzz and more views… which means more money for Miss Universe.

    And also more money for Norman.

    His website has had an influx of visits and views in the last 30 days.

    That said… Just because Norman is being neutral and maybe somewhat “promoting” another candidate… that doesn’t mean it’s his ACTUAL and personal bet.

    Money talks and Politics rules the world.

    Peace Tita Norms… not being a hater… just stating #facts

    World peace!

  39. Why Indo? She’s not a natural beauty. Sobrang made up and over processed. But as we know from his track record Tita Norm is not good at predicting winners . It will most likely be a Sushmita Sen moment … an unhyped , not so popular girl will win !

  40. Nakakaloka si Norman lolz! Tawa nalang ako. Ayan na naman si Keke namumulaklak sa IG nya alas said ng umaga.

  41. 1. I respect the blogger’s picks but I have to disagree for this year’s edition. Last year we have 2 common picks: PH and Colombia. Now, Pinas na lang ang common pick namin.

    2. I don’t find Indonesia having MU x-factor based from my observation since 1994 of following MU. The same with Thailand who copied Janice Lubina’s maid to cinderella story. I don’t want a MU winning because of “awa” story.

    3. Kindly allot one vote to reps of countries who provided moral support to our very own Pia during her unconventional crowning.

    4. To our rep, Ms Medina, I will pray for your victory. Pampanga loves you.

  42. Dont worry Maria Maxine Medina kahit marami humihila sayo pababa mga marami pa rin pinoy na naniniwala sayo tulungan ka namin, kung alam mo sa sarili mo kaya mo umakyat sa sarili mo gawin mo, wag ka papaepekto sa mga basher, maniwala ka sa sarili mo yung mga enemy mo sa crown hindi mga kandidata iba.. ingat ka sa ahas kase hindi ito usual na enemy ng horse so pagaralan mo kung paano sipain ang mga ahas sa paligid , focus ka lang lalo na sa January 30.. sana ang isuot mo gown white na marami silver or gold pang kontra yun sa malas ayon sa zodiac sign mo.. maging positive ang isip mo, kung napapansin mo mas iba attention binibigay sa kalaban mo, hayaan mo sila isipin mo na lang kaya mo lahat …

    • I agree. White gown compliments her. I think green gown is also fantastic for her. Color of the year pa naman. Baka swerte sa kanya.

      • Any saptos na ginawa SA kanya ng bragais is gold and pearls kaya duda ko sa white gown dahil Hindi swak.

  44. Hay naku, hayaan nyo na si Mommy N sa gusto nya dahil lahat ay may dahilan.
    Hindi nya puwedeng iignore ang Indonesia dahil may mga friends din sya doon.
    Remember may business din si Mommy N na dapat protektahan hihihi 🙂
    Mommy Norman kelan kaya tayo magkaroon ng grand meet and greet this year.
    Bonggang party yan.
    Emcee sina Basil at Laila.
    Duet sina Fabian at C2F.
    Mag ballet dance sina 4M at Ana
    Magic performance sina jeremi at nica, hatiin ang katawan ni nica hihihi
    Kakain ng apoy c cocoy.
    kakanta-solo c jen, jackie, jodmango, steamyhot,luiskie,will.
    Arabic dance c shk.ayesha
    C bong(hindi ako) ay tutula hihihi
    Yung iba ay choir.
    Ako ay kakain lang.
    Sponsor sa party sina Dugyot, mrs.spainhour,jack ammo, angelo reyes and friends & Co. lol
    Invited guest sina Albert K. and Keke bwihihihi

    • Lmao @ Bong ! ha ha ha ! You just crack me up – everytime may post ka, sumasakit tiyan ko sa katatawa 🙂 I love you, Bong ! You keep this blog lively and entertaining 🙂

    • Lolz Arabic dance panalo!
      Fabian and c2f lolz lolz
      Mahaba buhok ko sasabunutan lang ako ni basil.
      Best post today!

      • Receptionist ka, girl. Hihihi! Tapos, ‘wag mong papasukin si Fabbie, kunwari wala ang name niya sa list of invited guests. Char lang. Hahahaha!

      • Naku baka sabunutan ako ni Fabbie!! Bigyan ko na lang sya ng welcome drinks na may pampakalma! Hihihi

    • Shk do not dance in public . But i will just for the sake of bong.

      Natwa ako dun 🙂

    • @Bong, I love the idea sweetie!Greatest performance of my life yan hahaha, bibirit talaga ako yong tipong kakabgin ko birit nina Erik Santos at Je Madela! Ang sya siguro! Wish nasa manila lang ako lol

  45. For the sake of change this year like what is happening in world politics, earth-shattering change, the MU winner must come from Europe and not Latina or Asian. My bet is:

    SLOVAKIA

    2nd choice is DENMARK

    3rd choice is (more common) FRANCE

    UPSET VICTOR , my choice is BARBADOS

    2nd choice for UPSET VICTOR is TURKEY

    I hope and wish that the night will be totally unpredictable, exciting and ultra competitive!

  46. I like your 3 categories as listed, Sir Norman ! I’m actually leaning towards Brazil, Philippines, Australia, Aruba, USA, & Thailand and I have a feeling one of them will be the next Miss Universe.
    Depending on how they fare during the preliminaries and the closed-door interviews, it’s too close to call at this point ! I am not counting out Venezuela (a perennial favorite) and Indonesia (the hype and all) to the mix. I know Sir Norman has first-hand account of how these girls are doing so far and gut feel tells me he’s 90% reasonably accurate as far as these 3 lists are concerned. I will have to name Thailand and the Philippine to be the top 2 Asian frontrunners. I’m still waiting for Maxine to make a 360 degree turnaround and wow us all during the preliminaries and the finals. I know she still has something up her sleeve that we haven’t seen yet. Keeping my fingers crossed here 🙂

    • At this point, it seems that it’s between Chalita and Maxine. Both of them are very beautiful. Chalita has a very inspiring story but I have to say that Maxine has an edge when it comes to communication skills. She’s confident without appearing cocky, and she’s muy simpática 🙂 Having said that, I wouldn’t mind seeing either of them win 🙂

      • Jen, may iba rin akong favorites, but right now, I feel that they’ll be the last two standing 🙂

      • Same here Glo ! Would love to see either one getting the crown ! Ayoko lang umasa 100% at baka ma Catriona 2.0 mode ako ha ha ha 🙂

      • Hana ko, ibig mong sabihin yung matangkad, right? Oks din sya tsaka mukhang matalino, pero mas bilib ako sa ganda ni Maxine, or Chalita 😉

      • Oo nga naman Jen, but of course nit all depends on how they’ll perform on stage so sabihin na lang natin na pampabuenas ang aking post 🙂

    • Max – if you get to read this. Please give your 110% during the preliminaries and closed-door interview. Itodo mo na lahat ng alas mo. Fierce kung fierce ang laban, and do not hold back during the interview. Do not be so conscious about your grammar as long as you are able to deliver your message across. Remember halos lahat ng front-runners, wala sa kalingkingan mo kung mag-English. Basta may laman at may sense ang sasabihin mo, you’ll get the judges’ attention. Be calm, be confident, be prayerful and if they give you the go signal to use an interpreter during the finals, do so. All the best to you, Maxine 🙂

    • @ Hana – naku ayoko na isipin yung isa kasi di naman niya talaga kasalanan. Kasi Nga naman if she wins, who gets the credit ? Kasama na siempre yung mga tumulong 🙂 oh well . . .

  47. A little birdie told me that a certain makeup artist is asking friendsto post more of keke. That little birdie told me he hired a photographer to cover keke’s activities here since the IG news blackout is really hurting. Problem is more IG admins are raising their brows for the blatant pushing of keke. While they’re rallying for their hometown girl by swallowing their pride and asking celebrities to help out – they sort of feel helpless that these pageant experts give more weight to the Indonesian. Apparently they’re still holding a grudge after sleepless nights over Catriona only to be usurped by the Indonesian who only has to stand tall while Filipino designers and glam squad clamor to pretty her up.

    • A.K. ba ang initials? Dismaya talga ako sa mga experts na ito. Nagbabayad siguro ng pabor sa frend nila A.K. sa mga libreng make-up sessions. Pero wag naman sana i-over masyado ang hyping. Alalahanin nila ang ginawa kay Catriona.

    • OMG! That is an inside scoop, Laila! So, pageantry talaga is becoming like this na? Pero I still don’t lose my faith in humanity pa ren. Na, judges shall not be influenced by any hype of a candidate. I am sure naman, since nag-change na ng ownership ang MUO, they would prefer the best candidate who is confidently beautiful in the truest sense of the word like how they saw it in Pia. Is Kezia confidently beautiful? She may be confident, but not beautiful. Is she really confident? Oh, well, bloggers who rally behind her are confident for her. That’s all.

      • Pero grabe yung mga hindut na yan gumagamit talaga ng effort para itaas c keke, ginawa nila sa ms.mundo, gagawin ni nila sa kalawakan grabe sila dami nila datung talaga training pa sa beauty queen expert. lagay ba naman na yan wala yun padulas …ano yun utang na loob puhunan..

      • Hahahaha tengene sa she is confident but not beautiful.

        Grabe naman. May ganda naman sya, in some days. At pag malayo, at malaki buhok.

    • Hana and Ana, I don’t think involved naman ang MUo dito. Kumbaga itong mga away an at hinaing internal issus lang naman. I think we get so carried away sometimes na nalilimutan natin there are 80+ other girls vying for the crown with no PR machine. As a pageant watcher and avid contributor to this blog another pageant accounts – ramdam ko lang yung tilt in favor of the Indonesian and medyo hurtful sya kase halos nasa homestretch na tayo ngayon feeling ko lang ano pa man nangyari love your own dapat peg natin. Feeling ko lang al the more na masuka suka nalang tayo sa pag promote kay maxine at itong mga pageant experts na to may hakot in terms of followers. Hindi nga ba influencers sila?

      As for the MUA, hindi ko kwe kwestyunin yan. Oo matagal na sya nag wowork dito at kaibigan nya si Maxine but at the end of the day – blood is really thicker than water.

      Ayoko naman isipin na pera pera lang to. Or for more traffic. Tayo tayo nga dito na aaway away na mag dadagdag pa na na makikisawsaw satin?

      Sakin lang kung sasampalin tayo ng linya na – I was there, I interacted with the girls she’s really nice eh anong palag natin? Kung na undermine na yung observations natin na naka upon lang sa mga bagay natin. OO NGA naman WALA nag pala tayo dun.

      Kung nice din lang naman ang labanan edi jump ship na tayo kay Guatemala na alam kong SUPER NICE. Di ko lang maintindihan talaga bakit sa Indonesian pa na unang una hindi exotic enough, hindi eloquent enough at hindi graceful enough.

      Parang kung ako yung pageant expert mahihiya ako harapin si Maxine after ko sya hindi suportahan 100% but then again this just me. It’s not like Maxine is as unpleasant as IMA.

      Masaklap pa dun mula pa sa kampo ni Maxine. I may be just be too involved or hyper observant pero I feel na si Sir Nad Bronce and si Mama Ru lang talaga naka alalay kay Maxine kahit may iba silang favorites din hindi masakit sa bangs. Eto medyo masakit eh…kada bukas mo ng IG para kang nilalakuan ng whitening product pag promote.

      • Very well said, Laila. I am there with your observations and sentiments. Now, let us do a recap:

        * Miss Grand International – Miss Indonesia won over Nicole Cordoves. Face wise, they are not both super beauty, but Nicole gave a solid performance. Indonesia was hyped and won, but there were a lot of protests saying she was not deserving. In short, politics and money played there.

        * Miss International – Miss Indonesia placed second runner up and Kylie won the title. We all knew that Miss Indonesia won’t win because, facially, she was not beautiful. She was over hyped though, but that did not influence the MIO. Well, politics and money did not play there, but Indonesia bashed Kylie to death as if their representative was a goddess.

        * Miss World – Miss Indonesia placed second-runner up, a little higher than the very crown-worthy and deserving Catriona Gray. Filipinos cried because of the injustice to Catriona for not giving her the crown, but a lot of fans cried injustice for placing Indonesia higher than Catriona. Everyone knows the story why, and so we rest our case.

        * Miss Universe – let’s watch out what are gonna happen. TRUST, the Miss Universe Organization will only transfer the crown to a girl who is confidently BEAUTIFUL.

      • Laila I agree with Nad and Mama Ru. I think Jonas is trying to avoid playing favorites to Max since you know conflict of interest as he is in the committee. So chill lang sya but Jonas posts stuff with Max naman.

        About the pageant expert, i think that since he is an “official media partner” he needs to play safe as well to avoid conflict of interest so he cannot outright push Max all the time. As far as his picks, that’s when we can debate and argue the intent of his selections.

        When I heard A&Q trained Indo, it definitely raised one eyebrow since we know that we are the host country this year. It made me question why at this time? I think they might have seen something we don’t which could affect their future business so I guess jump in on the opportunity.

        I do hope that if Max doesn’t end up winning, I want someone surprising. I don’t mind Thailand but maybe Iceland or Kenya. We might as well give the crown to another nation that might need it more than us.

        But wow what a scoop!!!! I can’t believe that this MUA is really pushing this bet, huh. I wonder why?????

      • @Lonewulf – Mama Jonas Gaffud already gave an explanation on that. Albert Kurniawan, AnQ’s resident make-up artist, had asked Jonas Gaffud to at least meet Kezia and provide his assessment on, and feedback to, Kezia. Jonas gave a call as a token of appreciation to Albert’s free involvement to his AnQ. But, Jonas clarified that it was not a training similar to what AnQ did to Maxine. Hence, Jonas might have advised Kezia to undergo an artificial tanning process which is a trademark of AnQ to some of its former candidates.

    • Hell no to Indonesia! Not facially beautiful at all. We don’t need experts to tell us that someone is beautiful and is worthy of being a BEAUTY queen – emphasis intended. untouchable? You are way overestimating her Tito Norms. I may not be 100% sure that 4M deserves a back to back victory, but if there’s justice in this world, just say no to Indonesia.

      • Papayag ba naman tayo gisahin sa sarili natin mantika tandaan nyo yung mga hindut kung lumait sa pilipinas wagas hindi lang mga filipina beauty queen buong pilipinas nilalait nila..

    • Naku – so hot of a scoop ang chika mo, Lai ! So intriguing huh ! Hmmm . . . kawawa naman yung mga candidates na wala man lang magandang PR machine 😦

    • Laila business is business. Itong mga Tao na ito eh kumakapit pera ang usapan. Sino ba ang tatangi sa opportunity? Once in a lifetime Lang yan. Pag ka tapos nito. Gutom na naman sila.

      • @Ivan, dahil sa pagamit ng phrase na “business is business” maraming company or tao ang lumubog. Pwede ka naman mag-business na walang masagasaan. Fair kung fair, deserving kung deserving, hindi yun pinagpipilitan.

    • Lai grabe radar mo dami mo chicka! I like you being straight forward never afraid telling the truth! keep supporting our Maxine bago iba Maxine muna… wag natin kakalimutan yung mga panlalait ng mga kapit bahay sa ating reyna.. bakit tayo susuko nasa atin lahat ng alas para itaas si maria maxine medina Philippines!!!

      • Mole basta hanggat may maipipiga pa kay Maxine susuporta ako. Kahit may iba akon paborito at tinutulungan like Malaysia or Vietnam na humingi ng tulong gora ako without forgetting na ang priority at ipinupuyat ko manok natin. Maxine is far from perfect. I’m not blind – kaya ko mag manage ng expectations ko. Kaya ko intindihin mga statements ni Gloria Diaz without being offended but that will not stop me from helping Maxine secure a spot.

  48. The word untouchables for me makes me think of ‘dalit’- India’s lowest caste…it would be quite the supreme irony if one of Norman’s top 6 literally becomes untouched by the MUO and out of the top 12 altogether. It happened last year and it’s likely to happen again..

    Most Likely:
    -Colombia; just loathe her lol, but bias aside, she came with the most expectations and completely underwhelmed. And that milky knots incident wasn’t trivial at all, but speaks tellingly of her character. IMG may embrace plus-sized women but will never abide with nasty diva c_nts
    -Venezuela; has had amazing PR since she arrived, but is she really what the MUO is looking for?

    Likely:
    -Indonesia; the sum of her parts doesn’t add up to an appealing whole. Fan adulation aside, she has been the weakest Indonesian rep since 2011

    Least Likely:
    -Thailand; she has this charming lightness about her, but interviews suggest that she could bomb out of the prelim interviews

    Unlikely:
    -Philippines; host country; hasn’t had a misstep since Day one. Has been holding her own in a quiet, regal way. Again, judges in the closed door interviews will only see a non-native English speaker struggling a bit with fluency, but interviews have proven she has substantial opinions regardless.
    -Brazil; could win it all just with that hair! (to correct that mistake with Jamaica in MU 2014)

    • Agree with your comment on Indo against previous reps. Kay Whulandary pa lang, ang layo-layo netong present rep. Pero favorite ko pa din yung nakalaban ni MJ.

  49. I just chanced upon this excerpt of Maria Isabel Lopez’s interview on Abante newspaper, written by Jojo Gabinete. Itong si Maribel Lopez ay mas may wisdom pang magsalita, and I find her witty at all times. Kabogerang babaeng bakla pa s’ya. Lol.

    “There’s nothing wrong if Maxine gets one but if you can get away with it without getting one, that’s better,” ang opinyon ni Isabel tungkol sa isyu ng paggamit ni Maxine ng interpreter. “Well, sabi nga ni Gloria, it’s one in a million chance. That’s a very realistic point of view kasi alam mo naman ang pageants, parang lotto ‘yan. “Kahit sabihin mo na ang ganda-ganda ng candidate natin, puwede ka pa rin na hindi mag-place kasi it all depends on the set of judges.

    “So being the host country, alam na natin na lagi nilang binibigyan ng puwesto, kung host country ka, parang nasa Top 10 ka lang kasi host country, ‘di ba? “Huwag naman nating sabihin na ‘O kaya lang naman nila ginawang ano ‘yan dahil host country tayo.’ No, Maxine naman is deserving to be in that Top 10,” ang mahaba na sagot ni Isabel nang tanungin tungkol sa tsansa ni Maxine na magkaroon ng puwesto sa 65th Miss Universe.

    At any rate, tiniyak ni Isabel na manonood siya ng grand coronation ng Miss Universe sa Mall of Asia Arena sa darating na Lunes. “Manonood ako kasi banned na nga ako sa Araneta Coliseum, hindi pa ako manonood sa Miss Universe?” ang sabi ni Isabel na matagal nang may feud kay Mrs. Stella Marquez de Araneta, ang founder ng Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. Sa kabila ng hindi nila pagkakaunawaan ni Mrs. Araneta, tumatanaw si Isabel ng malaking utang na loob sa BPCI. “Ako I have no regrets sa life ko. If I will have a second life, I would always want to be a beauty queen kasi I owe it a lot to my title. “‘Yung mga na-achieve ko in my life, I owe it to the beauty title, no matter what how painful the experiences are, I owe it to Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. “I became a better actress. I became a better person. I became a better artist so I would still want a title…” ani ng isa sa mga pinaka-witty at mata¬lino na beauty queen na produkto ng Bb. Pilipinas.

  50. Lelez nasa IG na naman nya. Asked if he will attend puteri hindi pa daw nya alam. May posibilidad pala yaan nyo na.

    • ‘Yaan na natin, Lai. Basta tayo, we believe on Maxine. We are following Miss Universe, at halos sinusuyod natin ang mga pageant sites. We check each candidate’s pictures almost everyday, at alam natin ang mga tidbits sa patimpalak. So, kung hindi man tayo nakakasalamuha ng mga candidate, we still have the gut feel who are gonna place and who are not. Maraming nagsasabi that Kezia is not stunning. Siguro naman may universal taste tayo kumpara sa iilang nagsasabi na maganda si Kezia.

      Ngayon, kung mag-judge si Tito Norms sa Puteri kasama si Pawee at ilang taga-KF. Kanya-kanyang conclusion na lang. Hihihi!

      • Ay, hindi ko na-watch ‘yan! Hihihihi! Ano pa ang scoop sa MU? Talagang panggulat ang mga nasasagap mo, mare.

  52. OMG I can’t believe that people here are accusing the blogger to have been bribed just because he favors Kezia.

  53. I’m ok with Norman’s predictions/opiniions. The blog is gaining viewership so he’s putting on his neutral hat and assessing as much as he can by instinct and through informed observation. He may personally root for Maxine, but he has to give credit to the girls who deserve them. Lahat naman tayo may opinyon and we’re not always correct, so oks lang. One thing that unifies us all is excitement for the main pageant. The person destined to win will win:-)

  54. Malaysia Malaysia Malaysia.
    Di man lang siya nakasama sa listahan?
    Pansin nga din siya ni USA2015

  55. Is there livestreaming of the Prelims tomorrow? OMG it’s so close… Wala bang teaser ng prelims gown ni 4M? So anxious to see it. There is no leak at all!!!

      • I voted for Malaysia and Singapore yesterday but I don’t want tp waste any votes anymore I wanna focus my 10 votes to Maxine. She deserve all the help and prayers from us

      • Tenten, Philippines pa rin syemepre. But if I have to help I’ll give it to Malaysia, she deserves it. At quiet lang sila.

  56. Philippines is the only untouchable! Charrr! Indonesia is noticeable because of her height, fans, outfits (gaganda in fairness), at A&Q training. I do not think that Norman personally roots for Keke. He is just doing his job so mga vaks wag mahihighblood.

    • Business connections 4M = politics, Charette lang.
      I don’t mind kahit #1 pa ni Mommy N c Keke.
      Ang Judge pa rin ang masusunod sa huli.
      Yung mga judges naman ay may sariling mata at pang-amoy kung saan ang masarap na luto ,,..Charette lang hihihi

      • Ayoko ng Indonesian food ha at sobrang anghang.
        Puede pa ang Thailand Cuisine kc internationally accepted ang Thai food.
        Reminder again: Keke is Ms Vietnam 2015, and Tovar is Miss PR 2013 in Russia.
        Daming magaganda at matataas na education credentials ang itinumba ni Pia last year at gagawin din yan ni Maxine this year 🙂

      • bong700 gusto ko yung chicken satay from Thailand. Sarap ng peanut sauce na parang Pinas pa din. hihi

      • Last year’s most intelligent contestant was Miss France. Ayon sa comment ni Roselyn Sanchez, nasabi daw ni Lu Sierra na during the preliminary interview, sinagot daw na walang poknat ni Flora Coquerel ang tanong ng judges. Pero, pinakain s’ya ng alikabok ni Pia. ‘Yun lang.

      • I remember Ana. I really thought that France was so close to edging Pia since she was very calm even during the Top 5 but I believe she sorta stumbled with her thoughts. It only proves that you can be super smart and be overwhelmed by nerves. Maxine just needs to keep her cool and not overthink when she answers.

      • Alam mo 4M, sa QnA, it’s a matter of luck pa rin. Hindi por que smart ang candidate, she can quickly answer whatever question may be asked to her. It’s about the nerves. Kung super smart nga ang candidate, pero inunahan naman ng kaba, then nag-choke, bam, kiss goodbye to the crown!

        It’s a matter of preparing a candidate pa rin for the QnA, on how to whether the nerves, answer the question despite distractions from the audience, etc. And per Maxine, she was trained in Dale Carnegie of those points. Plus, Atty. Nad Bronce trained her with the usual pageant questions, and there was also an English teacher who taught her of basic English. In short, Maxine is prepared. Kaya nagtataka ako why a lot of people expect less of Maxine. Hindi na lang suportahan ang kandidata natin. Kaloka.

      • @Ana Winter, tumpak! It is the nerves and luck. So looking forward to how Maxine will handle the Q and A. I’m still hoping for the best.

      • Me too, Hana Ko. Kung si Maxine nga, tiwala sa kakayahan niya, why can’t we? S’ya ang higit na nakakaalam. While we might see her commit grammar lapses in her press interviews, com’on, that’s not the parameter! It’s the meat, the content… What I am sure about of Maxine now, given her Aces & Queens training, is that she will nail the swimsuit and evening gown competition. That is where she is going to peak.

    • Keke’s designer stuff is not even hers. LOL. Pinahiram lang sa kanya ng socialite friend nya.

      Si Mariam parin ako when it comes to fashion sense and designer stuff. She came from a rich family to begin with but she doesn’t shove to her fans that she has all these luxurious designer stuff, she carries them subtlety well damn good, and with FINESSE.

  57. Thai I can take, malakas sex appeal. But Indo, common.. ???
    Look at her glamshot, ni walang connection sa camera.
    Maxine, Barbados and Australia have the best glamshots for me.

    Tito Norms, you usually speaks why you like a certain candidate. You kinda owe your avid reasons an explaination why you have been pushing Keshia too much.

    Anu ba kasi yung nakikita mo sa kanya na di namin nakikita? Ako kasi puro overly done contour ang nakikita ko.

    I think majority of your readers would like to know whats happening in and out and to know exactly how maxine is fairing in the competition. And less Indonesia..
    And

  58. I would switch either Thailand or Indonesia with Australia as one of the untouchables. Clearly, Indonesia is a favorite because she’s trained by A&Q and hyped by her fans (Indo and non-Indo). My only thing against Indonesia is their playing dirty just to win (i.e. other pageants).

  59. Indonesia, ang kandidatang IPINAGPIPILITAN.

    Actually ang 2016 pageant season lang nanyari na laging IPINAGPIPILITAN ang kahit na sinong miss indonesia. Produkto ng hype. Hindi ba nag iisip ang mga pageant fans lalo na sa miss universe na dapat TOTAL PACKAGE ang criteria sa pagpili? hindi lang aura-aura, kung hindi yung laman ng kukote. Parang hindi nila nakita kung ano yung nakita ng MUO kay Pia.

    Itong mga pageant fans na ito, they are too quick to hype and proclaim a candidate by mere looking at their photoshopped pictures.

    • I am not supporting Kezia but how did you know she has no brains? She is an engineer for cying out loud. If your definition of brains is communications skills you are totally mistaken dear…

      • dear, exactly your point. Pia Wurtzbach communication skills was RELENTLESS and UNSTOPPABLE like a raging bull during her series of interview last year. I will say no more.

      • Arichie Santos, theres a lot of people who are good at communication and still dumb and I’m not referring to Pia. You said Kezia has no brains. Where is your proof? Take a chill pill sista.

    • To be honest between Maxine and Kezia, I think Kezia is light years smarter than Maxine. Sorry I like the beauty of Maxine but there is something in the way she talks that reminds me of those campus beauties who always scores very very low in quizzes

      • Jeremi, beauty pageant naman kasi ang sinalihan ni keke, hindi Quiz Bee 😛

  60. Well that is your opinion Aoki but majority of the bloggers like Kezia and Chalita so there must be something about them. To be honest among the Asians, it’s Chalita, Indonesia then Maxine. That’s for me though.

  61. I have the same list of “untouchables” but I would put Indonesia as 3rd, Maxine 4th and last one is Venezuela because she is too arabic for me

  62. Ms Indonesia, an untouchable? Seriously?
    Just to review what Laila said before, this girl is all hype by her rabid fans, and I dont see the sparkle in her. Her walk is not fierce, she only knows one pose for her pictorials, tapos she has no conviction when she speaks. And please ease up on the tanning and contact lenses girl. Wala yata syang identity kasi she copies a lot of the former queens.

    To quote laila again, stop shoving her down our throats Sir Norman, geez. All she has are those rabid fans of hers na grabe din mangbash ng ibang mga nationalities. Please lang, the only time I would even consider Indonesia as an upcoming powerhouse is if they move past the swimsuit round which they have not the past 3 years.

    Sorry po ha, but she might end up like vietnam last year na super hype ng mga fans pero clapper din ang ending.

    P.S. Thailand is leading when it comes to online votes sa Asians, and truth be told I cant stand her as well.

    • I do respect your sentiments, Aoki. It’s just that spending time with them the past two weeks has been eye-opening in many aspects. I ranked her 6th in my Untouchables list because she deserves to be there. Actually, all six of them are in a league of their own in terms of attending to all the minute details of their pageant participation. They move and play the game with clockwork precision. If either Kezia or Chalita fail to deliver in the Preliminary Competition, then it will have put all their painstaking preparations to waste. Same with Maxine, Mariam, Andrea T and Raissa. The Top 6 spots are theirs to lose at this point.

      • Norms, is the list based just on your personal interactions with the girls or did you talk to your inner circles pageant friends aficionados?

      • Tama! Magbabago pagtingin sa isang tao kapag nakakasalamuha mo siya.
        Yung Malaysia po ang ganda ganda din. Sa kanya ako pinaka-attracted.
        Ano kayang kulang sa kanya?

    • well said , kung asian ulit mananalo siempre Philippines! kung hindi man c maxine possible brazil or costa rica they are really beautiful super ready c Venezuela pero I feel she will placed runners up.. opinion ko lang po yan not in general that I want to push for everybody’s taste…

      • Although I’m rooting for Maxine, I think Costa Rica will end up winning. She’s not one of my untouchables though.

Comments are closed.