| 08.21.10 | Friday
Thoughts on the Preliminaries
The prelims were held at the Mandalay Bay Events Theater last night from 7 to 9:30 PM. The show picked up quite fast, starting with the evening gown segment and ending with the swimsuit portion. Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez co-hosted the event, but she didn't speak much and served more like a decoration; however, she looked stunning on stage. The event failed to attract more people; the theater was not even half-full (hopefully, the finals will draw a huge crowd). The stage looked small and not as colorful or interesting as the stages of the pageants held outside the U.S. There was no one, true standout among the contestants. The girls wore lavender swimsuit by Dar Be Dar; only two girls opted for one-piece (Indonesia and Sri Lanka). The gown choices reflected the girls' individual taste and personality - from Miss France's impressive high end creation by Zuhair Murad, to Miss China's knee-length, long-sleeved spring-roll number that she could have bought from Chinatown during her stopover in the Big Apple. Good or bad, high end or low end, wedgies or no wedgies, the prelims are the most important event in Miss Universe!
Here are the contestants that pleased us (Rafa and Hector) in their preliminary performance:
Albania - awesome body and catwalk, elegant gown
Australia - great figure and projection but her gown was very simple and common
Bahamas - a winning smile, a fit body, and a sparkling Gionni Straccia silver gown
Brazil - a well-proportioned figure, but her gown doesn't complement her figure
Canada - excellent stage projection and catwalk, but gown didn't have any wow factor
Colombia - her gown is beautiful and complements her figure, and she truly shone on stage
Dominican Republic - excellent top model catwalk, beautiful gown, but not the most beautiful representative from her country
France - she wore the most beautiful gown; phenomenal figure, but her catwalk was somewhat too fast
Guatemala - this girl surprised us with a great catwalk and fit body, reminds us a bit of actress Salma Hayek.
Haiti - she may not be the face that Miss Universe is looking for, but this girl knows how to deliver! A very strong contender for the crown.
Ireland - perfection in all aspects of the competition
Japan - wore the most fashion-forward gown, good catwalk
Mexico - perfect stage projection, but wore a safe and cheap-looking gown; also her hair was badly styled
New Zealand - beautiful face, good catwalk and projection, beautiful gown; it's great to see a worthwhile candidate from kiwi country after decades of mediocre performance
Philippines - the strongest - and the best - candidate from her country since Miriam Quiambao in 1999; the best - and fiercest - catwalk of the evening, spectacular gown by designer Alfredo BarrazaWhether you saw the prelims live or online, do you agree or disagree with our comments? Share with us your thoughts in the CB Facebook page.
Puerto Rico - surprised us with a daring new hairstyle and a luminous silver gown. She and Miss Philippines are the only two girls that presented an image that conforms to the actual tendencies of fashion; excellent stage projection.
Tanzania - the fiercest and the best delegate from Africa; she could very well equal or surpass the feat of her compatriot Flaviana Matata from 2007
Trinidad & Tobago - the most glamorous and sophisticated delegate; hard body and elegant stage projection
USA - although she looked a little less energetic, USA's mermaid gown and the unusual orange-red color complimented her sexy figure and complexion.
Venezuela - she might have projected herself a bit like Denise Quiñones (who won Miss Universe 2001), but she surely knew how to wow the crowd with her effervescent personality and star qualities.
Surprises:
El Salvador - very sexy catwalk, phenomenal figure, but rather short of stature
Ghana - a true Nubian princess, great figure and good stage projection
Israel - cute, angelical face; charming stage projection
South Africa - beautiful face, amazing catwalk and well-chosen evening gown
Panama - the biggest surprise of the evening; outstanding overall performance
Disappointments:
Russia - has the most beautiful face, but her stage projection and choice of gown left nothing to be desired
Jamaica - pageant patty, forgettable gown
Slovak Republic - pageant patty, boring gown
Ukraine - looks like every girl's mother and her gown looked more like a bridesmaid's
Kosovo - Marigona Dragusha gone bad. Sorry, Fadil!
PHOTOS BY CRITICAL BEAUTY
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