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Who will win Miss International 2013?

Posted by Norman on December 16, 2013

Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: Bea Rose Santiago, Elian Herrera, Katarzyna Oracka, Miss International 2013, Nathalie den Dekker, Sigrun Eva Armansdottir.

Who will take over Miss International 2012 Ikumi Yoshimatsu and her court?

Who will join the sorority of past Miss International winners above?

Late afternoon tomorrow will be the culmination event of this year’s last major beauty pageant – Miss International 2013 – and you can catch the live stream straight from the Shinagawa Prince Hall in Tokyo using this LINK. The show will start 17:30 (Tokyo time) or 16:30 (Manila time).

But first things first, let me share with you my Top 15 predictions presented as follows:

1st Tier (#1-#5)

2nd Tier (#6-#10)

3rd Tier (#11-#15)

My choice to win Miss International 2013: Bea Rose Santiago

Trite as the phrase may sound, the Miss International 2013 crown is Bea Rose Santiago’s to lose. No reluctance. No ifs, no buts. She arrived in Tokyo, Japan with the disposition of a winner and she started claiming victory since Day 1. In addition to the progressive moves she has made in practically all pre-pageant activities, there is a palpable air of positivity in the Philippine bet owing to the glowing performance of the country in all other international beauty competitions this year.

Of course, your blogger is not a Nostradamus wannabe who will guarantee 100% accuracy in predictions. There are still the ladies who could spoil things for our rep. In fact, the four other ladies in my Top 5 are just as determined to take it all the way. For Netherlands’ Nathalie den Dekker alone, this could be her last hurrah for major pageant recognition so she is also conditioned to make a big impact in the finals. And then there is the lovely Katarzyna Oracka of Poland who rose in my rankings to become a true contender. Iceland’s Sigrun Eva Armansdottir and Venezuela’s Elian Herrera complete my magic circle. While these two stunners have slipped in my scoresheet, you cannot discount the possibility that the Mikimoto crown could also fit their heads nicely.

Two of my Top 3 (Bea Rose Santiago of the Philippines and Katarzyna Oracka of Poland) enjoy the company of these cute Japanese pre-schoolers in Tokyo.

As for the remaining ladies in my Top 15, the ladies in the 2nd tier are longshots for the win. Anyone among Puerto Rico, Spain, Slovak Republic, Korea and Sweden is capable of stealing the thunder from the front-runners. But for now, I am quite pleased with how my rankings stacked up in the end.

Let’s see who will become the 53rd titleholder of the beauty title being contested by 68 (net of withdrawals and/or no-shows) delegates from all over the world.

Once again, if you want to watch the live streaming of Miss International 2013, click HERE or the image below.

Team Bea or Team Elian?

Posted by Norman on December 11, 2013

Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: Bea Rose Santiago, Elian Herrera, Miss International 2013.

During the visit of the ladies to the Imperial Palace, Miss Philippines Bea Rose Santiago and Miss Venezuela Elian Herrera got the chance to pose for a photo and the result is shown below.

Miss Philippines Bea Rose Santiago and Miss Venezuela Elian Herrera at the Imperial Palace.

Now that you’ve seen both ladies side-by-side in broad daylight, who is more naturally attractive? I guess I’m trying to fish for the obvious answer here but truly, our Bea shines especially without the heavy make-up and all. 😉

Nobody’s perfect. Really.

Posted by Norman on December 10, 2013

Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: Elian Herrera, Miss International 2013.

Somebody fell on her knees during Press Presentation of MI2013. Know who she is?

Even the super tall ones. And even if she strictly trained with the Master.

The girl after her is a dead giveaway on who the fallen beauty is.

I’m sure you have guessed right by now. 😉

Miss International 2013 Press Presentation and Hokone Tour

Posted by Norman on December 10, 2013

Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: Bea Rose Santiago, Elian Herrera, Hokone, Miss International 2013, Tsutaya Books.

Bea (2nd from right) during the Welcome Reception Party

Bea (standing, 7th from right) with the other delegates visiting Tokyo’s Tsutaya Books

Press Presentation

courtesy of missosologycoverage

Spot our Bea.

Once more, spot our Bea.

Hokone Tour

Bea with the girls.

Bea with the girls

Elian (3rd from left) towers over everyone.

The pre-pageant activities of Miss International 2013 are in full swing. With the Press Presentation over and done with, the 72 candidates went on a tour of Hokone where they had a fun-filled time.

If you would like to see more photos, visit the pageant’s Facebook page. You can also like the same. 😉

My Early Top Picks for Miss International 2013

Posted by Norman on December 10, 2013

Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: Araceli Carrilero Martinez, Bea Rose Santiago, Elian Herrera, Miss International 2013, Nathalie den Dekker, Sigrun Eva Armannsdottir.

My Nine Faves so far

Among the seventy-two (72) candidates for Miss International 2013, I short-listed nine (9) early top picks who I feel will do very well in the competition. Gut-feel dictates that there is a certain face that the Japanese organizers will favor. And I believe these ladies fit the physical requirements.

In this group, three (3) of them are practically “non-negotiables”, i.e. they are definitely front-runners for the crown – Miss Philippines Bea Rose Santiago, Miss Venezuela Elian Herrera and Miss Iceland Sigrun Eva Armannsdottir.

While my selection looks too pro-Philippines, I can’t help it because she deserves to be a top contender after reviewing the line-up. Her major spoilers are the two aforementioned, with Spain’s Araceli Carrilero Martinez and Netherlands’ Nathalie den Dekker as two other strong possibilities.

Bea with the other delegates in swimsuits.

If our bet continues with her excellent showing so far (minus the National Costume, of course) then I don’t see any reason why she would be denied a Top 5 spot with a good aim at the crown. Let’s see how she will keep it up in the coming days ahead. 😉

After Molly, will it be Elián Herrera’s turn to be jolly?

Posted by Norman on December 2, 2013

Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: Bea Rose Santiago, Blanca Aljibes, Elian Herrera, Ikumi Yoshimatsu, Miss International 2013, Miss Venezuela International 2012, Osmel Sousa.

Miss Venezuela International 2013 Elián Herrera

There is one big thorn in Bea Rose Santiago’s mission to win the country’s 5th Miss International crown. And that obstacle happens to be a 6’1″ stunner of a beauty queen-cum-sportswoman from Aragua, Venezuela.

Elián Herrera is unfazed that her country’s latest victory in Miss International was just three years ago (courtesy of Elizabeth Mosquera). I can’t even blame Osmel Sousa for feeling antsy that he missed the Mikimoto crown last year when Blanca Aljibes deserved to be in the Top 3 at the very least.

With the Miss Universe victory of Molly Isler in Moscow, what is the probability of Venezuela reigning supreme in Tokyo with Elián? Will another Latina take it all the way? Or will another Asian succeed Ikumi Yoshimatsu? Perhaps, it’s Europe’s turn for a top podium finish?

Whatever, this glamazonic bombshell will be a heavy favorite come December 17. 😉

Team Venezuela: who will make it on top?

Posted by Norman on July 15, 2013

Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: Alyz Heinrich, Elian Herrera, Maria Gabriela Isler, Miss Earth, Miss International, Miss Universe, Miss Venezuela, Osmariel Villalobos.

L-R: Elian Herrera (International), Maria Gabriela Isler (Universe) and Alyz Heinrich (Earth)

When it comes to training and preparation, these three Miss Venezuela winners are some of the most well-transformed for international competitions. They were given the luxury of time in their hands, and have come a long way since their crowning last 4th quarter of 2012.

Just consider Elian Herrera alone. This glamazonic stunner, who stands at an enviable 6″1′, is all set to take the Miss International stage by storm. Gone are the days when she would still be conscious about her vertical advantage. With her luscious skin tone and dusky appeal, she can literally look down at all her fellow candidates (possibly in Japan still) and show that she has what it takes to wrest her country’s Mikomoto-encrusted crown for the nth time.

And how about Miss Earth-bound Alyz Heinrich? She was one of my top picks during the national finals last year, and I’m just too happy she nailed one of the titles. Her height (barely 5’7″) may pale in comparison to the two others, but her gorgeous face is more than enough to make heads turn and stay transfixed in her vibrant aura. If the contest stays put in Manila, I bet she will be a constant favorite for the top spot, even possibly bettering her compatriot Osmariel Villalobos’s Miss Water placement.

And who doesn’t know Maria Gabriela Isler? Osmel Sousa must have stayed on her case longer than the rest. After all, her upcoming stint in Moscow is one event every Venezuelan will watch with unbridled excitement. Never mind that the host city is expected to be more keen on one of their continental own to take it all the way, she will still raise the bar, step up to the plate and hurdle all obstacles along the way to insure her spot in the November 9 big event.

So who is your bet to take a grand slam (I still include ME regardless of what happened) win among the three? 😉

The Miss Venezuela 2012-13 Winners are here!

Posted by Norman on August 31, 2012

Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: Alyz Henrich, Elian Herrera, Ivanna Vale, Maria Gabriela Isler, Maria Julia Alvarez, Miss Universe 2013, Miss Venezuela 2012, Osmel Sousa.

Maria Gabriela Isler being crowned by last year's Irene Esser.

Miss Venezuela Universe 2012-13 Maria Gabriela Isler of Guarico

(L-R) Miss Venezuela International Elian Herrera of Aragua ,Miss Venezuela Earth Alyz Henrich of Falcon, 1st RU Ivanna Vale of Tachira and 2nd RU Maria Julia Alvarez of Yaracuy

The Top 3 (L-R) Elian Herrera, International; Maria Gabriela Isler, Universe and Alyz Henrich, Earth.

I must say that I totally messed up with my predictions for Miss Venezuela 2012. Except for hitting Alyz Henrich of Falcon on target for Miss Venezuela Earth, the four other Top 5 placements were way off my radar. I never imagined Maria Gabriela Isler snatching the Miss Venezuela Universe crown. As for Elian Herrera, I know that her enviable height will be a big factor, but I never pegged her for Miss Venezuela International, let alone the Top 10.

And just as I blogged yesterday, only three ladies were crowned since the Miss Venezuela World has already been removed. Julia Morley must be grinning ear-to-ear that she has gotten her way.

Anyways, I have a feeling Maria Gabriela Isler will do a Vanessa Goncalvez and become a totally new version of her physical self in time for Miss Universe 2013. Osmel Sousa will make sure of that. Wanna bet? 🙂

So here’s the honor roll:

Miss Venezuela Universe – Maria Gabriela Isler (Guarico)
Miss Venezuela International – Elian Herrera (Aragua)
Miss Venezuela Earth – Alyz Henrich (Falcon)
1st Runner-Up – Ivanna Vale (Tachira)
2nd Runner-Up – Maria Julia Alvarez (Yaracuy)

😉

3 out of 4 Miss Venezuela winners last year have not been fielded to their respective international beauty competitions yet, but the pool of successors for their titles have already been officially presented. The 24 delegates of Miss Venezuela 2012-2013 are ready and able to show the rest of the world how well ahead they are in terms of churning out the most beautiful batch of contenders for the national crowns.

Once again, the eventual winners of this edition will have practically one full year to prepare for their overseas pageants given the timetable of Osmel Sousa’s organization. And that augurs well in terms of training and further ‘improvements’. This early, I am eyeing six wannabes for serious consideration because of their glowing potentials. They are:

Miss Zulia – Noedy Olivares

courtesy of CanalMiss Venezuela