Yes .... it's game on! No more training, no more preparation, this time it's the real deal, do or done. Starting last Saturday, the contestants from 89 nations have started to arrive in Brazil and participated in several events. Each girl, of course, brings a unique story along with them. But this time I will only pick 5 of the most memorable ones as the highlights of the first few days of Miss Universe 2011!
#Story 1 : Plain Jane or Beautifully Plain?
When Miss China Zi Lin Luo arrived in Brazil, a lot of fans suddenly expressed their disappointment over her arrival pic at Morumbi Hotel, Brazil. In their opinion, she is not as impressive as she seemed in her pre-arrival pictures. The story went on into a world scale debate between her detractors and her supporters to determine whether she is truly beautiful or she is only another "Miss Photoshop-genic". But I guess, this picture, taken during the preparation before the official photo session should answer the question itself.
IMHO Zi Lin is a supermodel type. Most of the supermodels in the world are actually not facially super beautiful. They actually look rather plain in their everyday life. But like those supermodels too, Zi Lin is plain in a beautiful way. She is like a white canvas, ready to be painted. And with the right paint, or rather the right make-up, she will suddenly transforms into an amazing stunner like what you can see in the picture above. She is also undeniably elegant (partly thanks to her statuesque figure) and has a strong presence and charisma. Considering all those factors above, I believe Miss China is still one of the best competitors this year and her chance to make the final cut is still very strong.
#Story 2 : I told you Guys! I'm not anorexic!
Said Miss USA Alyssa Campanella after a lot of fans expressed their concern that this red-haired beauty seems a lot thinner in her arrival pic. The concern eventually evolved into an accusation that Alyssa followed an unhealthy diet to keep her body slim and consequently lost a significant amount of weight due to lack of nutrition (or in a shorter, simpler words, they accused her of being anorexic LOL) . In her defense regarding the accusation, Alyssa personally tweeted that contrary to the popular gossip, she actually had a healthy diet. It's just her biological metabolism is quicker than common people and therefore she burned the fat faster too. Of course, it's up to you whether to believe her story or not.
I myself believe that despite losing several pounds, Alyssa still looks as good as ever. She is the one to beat in the competition right now.
#Story 3 : From Out of Nowhere
This is actually a classic story. And it happens almost every year. A girl who was previously unnoticed suddenly becomes a favorite after fans see her presence in real life. And most of the time they eventually make the final cut, against all initial expectations. In 2009 it was Chloe Mortaud from France. In 2010 it was Jesicca Scheel from Guatemala. This year the honor goes to Miss Aruba Gillain Berry.
A lot of fans, including myself, never actually cared about her before the arrival. All we know about her is that she is a Miss Universe contestant and that she will almost certainly become one of the clappers on the final night. It's all changed after I saw her arrival picture. This girl is surely a potential dark horse. If Miss Angola Leila Lopes previously could feel relax as she is the only token black beauty this year, now she should watch out for this girl. And yes, you should too ... because this girl could bring a major upset and surprise on 12 September!
#Story 4 : The Scandalous Host
Miss Brazil Priscilla Machado started the competition right off the bat with the wrong step. Her victory on the national pageant was tainted with the publication of her naked photos in the internet. The Brazilian public are understandably angry about the scandal but they become even more angry when the Brazilian national director still allowed her to represent the host national despite the fact that the rules of the national pageant forbids its contestants to appear naked for photos published in the media. After losing the support from her own people, Priscilla added more insults towards herself, when she failed to appear at Morumbi Hotel to welcome the other contestants during the arrival, causing herself to be perceived even more in the negative way.
I personally never liked Priscilla. There are a lot other more beautiful, and more deserving, contestants at Miss Brazil 2011 pageant who can represent the host nation in a better way than she did. She may still place during the final night due to her position as the host delegate. But if only Miss Universe 2011 held in any other countries, she will be one of the clappers for sure.
#Story 5 Best Entrance .... Ever!
In the past three days, Morumbi Hotel has been poured with raining of beauties. But which one of them has the best arrival impression? Several girls, such as USA, Sweden, Costa Rica, and Aruba have impressed me in their arrival pics. But the one who gave me the most impact and therefore the winner of my personal "Best Entrance" award is no other than Miss Netherlands Kelly Weekers!
Fresh, natural, and charming ... those three words are the perfect description for Kelly. And it seems I'm not the only one impressed with the arrival of this blonde beauty. A lot of fans around the world now has started to take this Dutch girl more seriously. If she was previously only in my Top 10, after the arrival, she is now in my Top 5. Hopefully she can keep the strong presence until the next couple weeks because I would really love to see her among the last standing girls in the final (along with my 2 other personal faves, China and USA).
So the story stops here, but only for now. The bigger story still continues as more delegates arrive in Brazil and the game will only get more and more serious from now on, until the climax on 12 September! Be ready .. Guys!
For the arrival story of our very own Nadine Ames in Brazil, check out this link here!
