MISS UNIVERSE 2012 REVIEW

Another year rounds up in the life of Miss Universe and like always creates buzz among the pageant critics, whether for good or bad. This was an edition where there were atleast 15 strong competitors who could easily clinch the crown in Moscow. The event, however, culiminated with the all-time pageant superhouse, Venezuela, taking its seventh Miss Universe crown and inching closer towards having the most wins in the pageant ever. The new queen, Maria Gabriela Isler, was received with mixed reaction. Much like her crowning moment, where Molly (as she is fondly known) and here first runner-up, Spain’s Patricia Rodriguez weren’t sure as to who won. For a moment, they actually thought Spain won and Molly accepted her fate only to see Olivia Culpo approaching towards her with the crown and sash. Her disbelief turned into a crazy reaction. However the disbelief of the pageant pundits the world over turned into an incossumable negative criticism. She was branded as tranny-looking, androgynous, plastic and heavily rigged while there were a sporadic few who accepted that she won the crown by her own good terms. Anyways, Molly has an eventful and glamorous year lined up for her which I’m sure she will live up to well, in the face of heavy criticism and bashing. It is also interesting to note that the sixth Miss Universe from Venezuela – Stefania Fernandez’s win in 2009 was also met with a lot of criticsm, particularly due to Venezuela’s historic back-to-back feat and secondly due to Stefania being an underdog in the pageant toppling heavy favorites to clinch the crown. Nevertheless, Stefania proved all her bashers wrong and reigned like a true Miss Universe. Now the world is interested to see whether Venezuela can do it all over again (and considering their capability, we are forced to believe it as a possibility). The pressure is turned on for Migbellis Castellano, Miss Venezuela Universe 2014 who is already stunning.

Back to the pageant held in Moscow, the stage looked every bit aesthetically pleasing. The visually stimulated Kremlin towers in the background added its own Russian charm to the stage. The lightings, although not grand as they do in Miss USA, was cleverly utilized in the subtle manner. I loved the set-up during the swimsuit, evening gown and farewell walk rounds. The set up during the swimsuit lived up to its winter appeal, with glass walls that looked like walls of ice slabs, snow visuals and fur. The evening gown set-up was my favorite. The concept was meant to be a rustic ballroom with chairs stacked over each other, huge chandeliers and huge corroded mirrors, in which the contestants had to pose to get a glimpse of their reflection before setting out on to display their evening wear. It was all so tastefully done. Even the dancers were brilliant and complemented it well.

THE OPENING, HOSTS AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF TOP 16

The opening was a relieving surprise with the return of the national costumes (which they had stopped showcasing during this segment in 2011 and 2012). However, this time they showed the costumes in a pre-recorded split-screen with the contestants shouting their names, city and country in their cocktail dresses.

Speaking of the hosts – TV anchor, Thomas Roberts and Mel B. of the Spice Girls did an average job. Although I dig Mel B. quirkicisms, I missed the terrific duo of Andy Cohen and Guiliana Rancic. Andy Cohen who was originally slated to host the show, dropped out in protest of the discrimination in Russia against gays and the LGBT community. Thomas Roberts, also an openly gay man like Cohen, stepped in, after him.

The Top 16 announcement is always a moment of excitement considering there are so many contenders for the spot. The surprise  of the night definitely was Miss Switzerland Dominique Rinderknecht. Earlier on the pageant, she along with Miss Czech Republic gained a lot of media attention due to their short bob hair cut, which was uncanny for a pageant contestant. Originally, it seemed Czech Republic was the favorite to make the ground breaking cut as she had a more prettier face. However, during the prelims, Czech Republic’s performance was on a safer side while Switzerland had various versatile possible hairdo’s going on, which helped her penetrate throught. As much as she was the only surprise, there were many shocking exclusions however. The most shocking being Miss Israel Titi Aynaw’s exclusion which was too hard to believe as Titi had a perfect body, styling and a classy gown. Add to that, she was the first black Miss Israel ever. The factors which could have led to her exclusion could be her earlier conference  with US President Obama (disliked by Donald Trump) and the rumors surrounding her supposedly backroom bitchy attitude. Miss Italy Luna Voce was also expected to make the cut due to her pretty face and the official swimwear sponsors this year – Yamamay being from Italy. Luna could have missed it based on her one-piece swimsuit during the prelims and her gown, which drew mixed reactions. Miss Haiti Mondiana Pierre was a breath of fresh hair, with everything screaming high fashion modelesque, right from her bone frame to the styling to the gown choice. However sash factor did her in, and that was expected. Miss France Hinarani de Longeaux was also shockingly left out, as this Tahitian stunner was hyped as a pre-pageant frontrunner. Miss Poland Paulina Krupinska was also expected to make the cut due to her undeniably pretty face (she won Miss Photogenic later) and sash factor but her messy gown choice did her in.

THE SWIMSUITS

Set to the music of Panic! At the Disco performing “Miss Jackson” and “I write Sins, not Tragedies”, the top 16 set out in their swimsuits, before posing near the ice walls. For the choiceo of music, I’m try hard to dig whether this kind of music goes with the swimsuits and it reminded me of Miss USA 2008 swimsuit set to the music of Finger Eleven. Although I liked the later one, this one was question mark to me. I would prefer music like “Locomotion Batucada” during Miss Universe 2011 in Brazil, where the semifinalists could show their strut and stuff in tandem to the beat.

Oh well, first up was Costa Rica and it was not surprising to see that Fabiana Granados had a vavavoom body (she won the best in swimsuit at Miss Earth 2012 earlier). However, she was not as pretty as others in the face department, so that’s where she must have lost points.

Next up was Ukraine and one could see Olga Storozenkho was the answer to the revenge for Olesya Stefanko. Olga’s subtly sexy face and moves were enough to propel her to the next round.

Miss China Jin Ye came up and I was glad to see her in the semifinals. China is finally back on the right track sending great delegates, unlike before. Jin Ye has earned the nomenclature of the “Oriental Angelina Jolie”. Whereas I am not sure of the title, I thought Jin Ye was Jin Ye with her modelesque frame and walk. Her experessions totally screamed “ice queen.” I would have preferred her bangs on hairstyle which made her more edgier, however she had had her hair pulled back, possibly to give a slick wet swimsuit look. Sadly, it didn’t work for her enough.  

Miss Ecuador Constantza Baez was next and she was the silent killer of the night. No one noticed her bang-on body until the final night. She could pass on for an Ecuadorian Vanessa Goncalves!

Miss Great Britain Amy Willerton was next and it was such a pleasant moment to see a girl wearing the sash of Great Britain in the semifinals of Miss Universe, a thing which has never occurred before since the pageant’s inception. Although Wales, Scotland and England had their respective Miss Universe placements in different years, there was never a placement for the Union Jack until this year. And one could see why Amy Willerton made it. Her blond hair and tall frame screamed the Jennifer Hawkins of 2013! Her body was to kill for. Add to that, those sultry expressions, eyes staring at the camera and the hair flips, which were considered to be the domain of Latinas. It is indeed great to see fierce Europeans at Miss Universe who are otherwise stereotyped to be the opposite.

Miss Indonesia Whulandary Herman came in a one-piece swimsuit, which are dubbed to be a kiss of death for a contestant, as one-pieces are almost outdated now in a more liberal century. It was not surprising why she wore it. Indonesia, being a hardlined Muslim country, has a strict view on women and pooh-poohs beauty pageants, the recent being their hyped protests over the Miss World 2013 contest, originally to be held in Jakarta and later held in Bali. However, as of my personal opinion, I felt that the one-piece swimsuit this year, although not showing much skin, were more provacatively done than the others (or is it just me?). It was surprising to see that a lot wore the one-piece during the prelims. Well, as of Miss Indonesia, it was clear to see this was as far as she could go. Her opening pose was too pornish for my taste, and she wasn’t sure of her expressions, although she has a very exotic face.

Miss Venezuela Molly Isler, the eventual winner, was next and she lived up to what one would expect from a contestant from Venezuela. She had the lean body going on coupled with her professional moves and catwalk skills.

Miss Dominican Republic Yaritza Reyes was another sultry diva of the night. I totally adore her dark skin and frizzy hair. Her walk was the best walk of the pageant. She will be remembered for the sensuality she brought on stage.

Miss Puerto Rico Monic Perez entered and it was a total downhill for this girl who was prophesized to clinch top honors at the pageant. Oh how I would give anything to revert her back to her Miss Universe Puerto Rico days styling, where she looked perfect. Monic looked emancipiated in the hair department (relatively speaking) although her body and walk were spot on. It was heartbreaking to see she was slashed from moving forward due to this.

Miss Spain Patricia Rodriguez came next and totally adore her sweet, charming face. Considering her aura, she totally seemed like she was going for that crown. Body was faultless.

Miss USA Erin Brady wasn’t sure of her expressions either and this girl, although blessed with a super pretty face, just don’t have the right curves. Shocked to see her advance but then there is the sash factor.

Former Nuestra Belleza Latina, Miss Nicaragua Nastassja Bolivar came with that hell-of-a-bang-on body. Her curves were tantalizingly great. It was sad that she lacked in the face department, which came out as harsh.

Miss Switzerland Dominique Rinderknecht followed with her unique hairstyle in a one-piece swimsuit. She was sweet and bubbly, that’s it. Her body was not cut out for the pageant and it was more on the buxom department.

Miss India Manasi Moghe has a bit of a tummy issue (which she covered up wisely with her fur sarong) and a rather timid walk. But you can’t deny that undeniably pretty face and smile that can light up any room. It was relieving to see a pretty Miss India at Miss Universe after sending some average looking contestants in a row.

Miss Brazil Jakelyne Oliveira had the whole Latina flavor going on over there. She might not possess the conventionally stunning face but she makes up for it in her bouncy walk, bubbly disposition and a vavavoom body.

Miss Philippines Ariella Arida rounds up the competition with a body that is passable to me. It was surpising how she won the round with a high score but then she had an exotic factor about her, her straight hair complemented her features and her twirls added a bonus. Ariella also had the pressure of her many fans who voted her in the semifinals, as Philippines was doing very well this year in other pageants, plus the pressure of living up to the three-year streak in the top 5 from 2010-2012. She could have also garned sympathy points due to the ravaging disaster of typhoon Haiyan that was happening back in her home country.

THE EVENING GOWNS

The evening gown competition was set to Emin’s “In another life” and “Amor”. To those who don’t know who Emin is, he is the son of the Russian billionaire, Aras Agalarov, owner of the Crocus hall, the venue and also his video of “Amor” features the outgoing Miss Universe, Olivia Culpo. His numbers were passable although I liked the sensual guitar notes during the second half.

First up was Miss Spain Patricia Rodriguez in a gown studded with white jewels and white tulle at the bottom. She looked like a true princess in it and her face just glowed on stage. Her pose in the end where she swept her hair with her hand was so perfectly done in rhythm to the camera movements (I know a lot of contestants attempt it but fail miserably.)

Philippines followed in her much criticized yellow gown. The gown was criticized for its simple design as Philippines was expected to bring their A-game. The texture of the material also looked passable. However, it was interesting to see Ariella Arida work the gown to its full potential on final night and it actually made me see the gown closely. It had this matching yellow ribbon for the bust and delicate sequins and the belled shaped for the skirt made it looked noticeable. What really complemented the dress was Ariella’s beautiful straight hair and that unique pose she gave in the end. Plus who can miss a yellow in the crowd!

I heaved a sigh when Great Britain changed from her earlier tacky white-purple floral-festival of a gown into this flaming red number interspersed with purple shades. The borderline of the bust had a great interesting detail going on and she looked like she could set the stage of fire. However, inspite of a great choice, Great Britain was snubbed out of the top five. It was not hard to see that the train of the gown was not enough (or it wasn’t the perfect length) and her over-accesorizing with that necklace (which was not needed) could have done her in.

Miss India Manasi Moghe came out in her pink gown with sequined details and fur for the bottom and I was disappointed to know that her road could end here. The gown was not enough to make a lasting statement except for her undeniably pretty face. The bottom also moved weirdly to and fro when she walked.

Miss Brazil came next in this rather unique piece. The gown was peach and had various hues of colors going on over there. It seemed she was actually going with the carnival of colors concept and it might be overdone for some tastes but I felt it worked wonderfully together on stage due to her great body shape and carriage.

Miss USA had a statement making red number with embroidered designs on a nude gown with liquid-beading for the midsection of the skirt. Erin looked great in it but it wasn’t hard to see that she didn’t advance later as the design was a Sherri Hill concept (they are associated with the Miss Universe Organization), so it wasn’t a dramatic moment plus the scores were average for the top 5, so it is clear that Erin lost in the swimsuit department.

Miss Ukraine Olga Storezenkho followed totally reminding one of Olesya Stefanko’s performance in 2011 with the sensual white number. This time the gown had a bejeweled neckpiece. I loved Olesya’s elegant and calculated moves and turns and I was disappointed that she missed the cut to Ecuador’s inclusion. My only qualm was that she should have kept her hair down.

Miss Ecuador followed in a gown that if it wasn’t for Jeannie Mai’s commentary, I wouldn’t have noticed it closely. It definitely clicked the slot of gown for the season with its mint color, sparkles and fur. I felt that the feathers on her skirt should have been more in volume.

Miss Venezuela came next and went with a full-sleeves gown of a white number with intricate designs running on it and was definitely a better choice from her heavily-beaded prelim dress. This would have been a forgettable number if not for the fact that she co-designed it and that her carriage was impeccable.

Finally, Miss Dominican Republic rounds up the round which definitely had eyes popped out for her risqué piece. It was a white gown with sheer see-through material for the middle section with gold disc details on it. It was more on the revealing side, perhaps that’s why the judges diminished her marks. Other than that, adored the fact that she carried it with utmost confidence and carriage making a bold statement.

After the gown round, they had the showcasing of the Yamamay bejeweled swimsuit of million dollar worth on Olivia Culpo. For me, it just looked like another version of the swimsuits worn by contestants earlier that night except for the jewels. Olivia was okayish in it with all the fur coverings and I felt Gabriela Isler later looked better in it.

THE TOP FIVE

Expected Venezuela, Spain, Brazil to make it. Philippines was a head-scratcher with that gown but she made her fans glad by advancing and living up to the pressure of continuing the Philippines streak into Miss Universe top five since 2010. The surprise was Ecuador, in whose place I was expecting Ukraine or Dominican Republic to make it. Onto the question and answer round, Ecuador was first up. She was asked what would happen to the world if we could no longer use the internet. She acknowledged the advantages and disadvantages of it, one disadvantage being families growing apart due to the online world. I thought the answer was safe but it directly didn’t suffice the query as would the other contestants later. Brazil was next and she was asked for her opinion of places where women are not allowed to travel or drive cars. She replied by saying that women have achieved their independence but still there are problems. She calls for an open mind as women nowadays are also homemakers as well as workers and hence they are capable of everything. I felt it was a well-given answer. Spain was asked about the most significant thing we can do to elect more women to political offices around the world. Spain said that in order to select a good woman, she should possess the necessary qualities: discipline, adaptation and responding. It was a good answer but there should have been more to it. Next was Philippines who was asked what could be done for the lack of jobs for young people starting their careers. She responded by stressing the importance of education in our lives which can be a ticket to a better future and is her primary advocacy. Philippines answered the question really well. Venezuela came next and was asked what was her biggest fear and how she overcomes it. Instead of naming her fear, Venezuela went on by saying that fears are nothing negative and that we should overcome it which will help us in being stronger persons. Once we are stronger, we can face any challenge. Again it didn’t suffice the query like others, but nonetheless was an impacting message. I guess Venezuela’s confidence delivering it earned her brownie points. Later, there was much debate on Philippines being snubbed as her answer was delivered in English unlike the rest of the four finalists. Then, Philippines’ themselves had stated earlier last year through Janine Tugonon that to be a Miss Universe, one shouldn’t know how to speak a specific language. Perhaps that solves the issue. However Ariella Arida’s placement should have been a notch better, but she had to settle for an underwhelming third runner-up position, after Brazil’s announcement as fourth runner-up. Ecuador achieved its best placement in the form of second runner-up. For a moment, everyone thought Spain had it as they never won a Miss Universe crown since Amparo Munoz, but then Venezuela took the crown for the seventh time in history, making it close to USA, who reigns with eight crowns so far.