At around 7:00-8:00 (Manila time) this morning, the Preliminaries of Miss Universe 2011 will commence live from Credicard Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil. If you want to watch the whole show online, then you’d better make sure you have stable internet connection and head to Livestream where you can witness the performance of the 89 delegates in the swimsuit and evening gown rounds. The personality interviews are now over and done with so 1/3 of the scores have been logged in.

Who do I expect to perform well in the Preliminaries? Well, a lot. And I mean practically all of the contenders want to win the crown so they will definitely step up to the plate and put their best foot (and turns and poses) forward.

Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup is a favorite for the crown going into the preliminaries.

Of course, it goes without saying that the Latinas will lead the charge this year, as usual. Miss Venezuela Vanessa Goncalves, Miss Panama Sheldry Saez and Miss Nicaragua Adriana Dorn are just a few of the fiery ladies who will light up the stage and aim for high scores all around. And the Europeans won’t take the competition lightly. A string of fierce performers could come from the continent, such as Miss Spain Paula Guillo, Miss Kosovo Aferdita Dreshaj, Miss Portugal Laura Goncalvez and Miss Netherlands Kelly Weekers.

Miss Malaysia Deborah Henry is another favorite in Sao Paulo.

And then, there are the consistently performing ladies from the Caribbean like Miss Aruba Gillain Berry, Miss Puerto Rico Viviana Ortiz and Miss Bahamas Anastagia Pierre. Coming close as well are Miss Australia Scherri-Lee Biggs, Miss Angola Leila Lopes and Miss Israel Kim Edri. Lest we forget, the host delegate Priscila Machado is no wallflower. She will definitely work it out and impress everyone, not just because she is Miss Brazil.

It is also possible that ladies who made excellent turns during their personality interviews (held the past two days) will remain strong in the memory of the judges who just might award them with high grades in swimsuit and evening gown.

All in all, this is a particularly strong batch. Let’s wish them luck in the preliminaries! 😉