MY 65TH MISS UNIVERSE ROUND 2 PICKS (AFTER HEAD SHOTS)

With the buzz getting more and more intense, I am releasing my 2nd round picks for the upcoming 65th Miss Universe. This is factoring my initial pre-arrival picks then including some of the early pre-pageant activities of the ladies together with their presence and recall in social media. I also factored in how they look on the Head Shots portion of all the delegates in the Miss Universe Organization website.

1. Maxine Medina (Philippines)

- This week saw her step up and even while others don't like this headshot of hers with the flower, for me she carried it well. Fresh and super pretty, I think Maxine should be using her great facial features to her advantage. She is not in close resemblance with the any recent past winners which could bode well for her since the MUO is looking for a "new" queen. She moved up from #3 last time.

2. Raissa Santana (Brazil)

- Brazil remained consistent and this stunning and fierce portrait of hers is such a great to watch. I only have qualms with her having same generic looks everytime which could eventually bore people. But nonetheless, she remains to be one of the stronger candidate this past week enough to move her up to No.2

3. Stephanie Geldhof (Belgium)

- She seems to have lost a bit of interest after attention was given to perennial favorites during the initial week but despite her being out of the picture by a bit, she remains to be one of the finest face in this year's pageant. She needs to show more of herself to the public as she drops from No.1 from our previous list.

4. Marina Jacoby (Nicaragua)

- Marina is new on our list as there were no such buzz about her before she came to Manila but after a solid first few days in the country and a powerful headshot she suddenly became an instant contender. And I love that long neck of hers.

5. Andrea Tovar (Colombia)

- She flinched a bit from No. 2 last time. Her recent riffs with the netizens and the media has somehow raised other's eyebrows. And this headshot of hers was not what I expected. Maybe I was just expecting something more.

6. Brenda Jimenez (Puerto Rico)

- She was plain solid this week. Nothing spectacular but enough to put her steadily in No. 6 spot ahead of some other media favorites. And she simply impressed with this simple yet stunning headshot.

7. Chalita Suansane (Thailand)

- One of the early favorites, she continues to wow people in live appearances but this lackluster headshot of hers did a bit of damage on her end. Comparing to Miss Philippines who sports the same concept with flower, Chalita's version is a bit boring. She needs to get back to her "A" game.

8. Kezia Warouw (Indonesia)

- Consistency is the key to the success of Kezia and she has proved that once again this week. And if there is someone other than PH and TH to snag the crown for SouthEast Asia, then Indonesia would be a safe bet. And this pic was just stunning.

9. Mariam Habach (Venezuela)

- Also remaining on her spot, Mariam is slowly but surely preparing to move notches up. Day in and day out she is not just consistent but is regularly improving making a lot of the media and netizens take notice.

10. Caris Tiivel (Australia)

- Armed with determination and sheer chic, Caris moved up a notch into the Top 10. With good videos of her and nice interviews in the past week, she certainly gained ground with the other girls. Add to the fact that this headshot of hers is burning sexy.



11. Lizelle Esterhuizen (Namibia)

- Another one that is just going under the radar is Miss Namibia. But with shots like this she can steal attention as well but during live appearances, she needs to add more character for her to progress.

12. Hawa Kamara (Sierra Leone)

- If character and personality could win the crown then Kawa will be crowned up front. She is one of the few favorites among Filipinos and she is delivering pretty well the past days. She needs to keep that confidence and she could land a position even higher than where she is now. Up from No. 13 last time.

13. Tansu Cakir (Turkey)

- Another surprise came with Miss Turkey. No much buzz about her pre-pageant but this lady is sure one of the good lookers in the competition and this feminine shot of hers scored her some valuable points.

14. Deshauna Barber (USA)

- She may be from USA but her recent week have been inconsistent and this goes same with this headshot of hers. Her flare somehow fell down a notch but I am expecting her to fire back in the next few days.

15. Zoey Ivory (Netherlands)

- If I will choose who I think has the best face in the competition, I'd go to Netherlands. But I am unsure what is lacking for her to really shoot up to the rankings. She drops from the Top 10 this week despite this pretty pic of hers. Good but not brilliant.



 

Bubbling Under

16. Kristal Silva (Mexico) - She tumbles down after her not-so-solid performances as of late. I ranked her as 7th before and while her previous stint from Miss Earth helped her last time, it is not doing any wonder for her anymore so she needs to step up.

17. Le Hang (Vietnam) - New in this list is this Vietnamese mostly because I loved this photo of hers but outside this, she remains as silent as she is.

18. Noelia Freire (Spain) - She continues to prey as she remains steady waiting for her final move into a possible semifinals slot although for this round she drops 2 slots down.

19. Connie Jimenez (Ecuador) - Another new on my list, Connie impressed with this headshot. But an average first week here isn't enough for a possible semifinals slot.

20. Flavia Brito (Portugal) - And this girl has certainly made headway catching some ground with fellow Europeans and she did well with this face shot.