FINAL PREDICTION
Well hello everybody! The Duchess is here to sit down and talk to you a little bit about Miss International 2019 which I am actually excited about. This is the third year I am following Miss International and I feel like every year I am learning and understanding a little bit more of the pageant. I am not going to pretend that I am perfect on this pageant or understand it a 100%, because my lists would let you know that not true hahaha. But I am willing to learn and I think in a couple years I will be able to have much better results, because I do actually like this pageant a lot. And I have improved okay? I went from 6/15 with my winner clapping to having 9/15 and my winner becoming 1st Runner Up. Baby Steps. I feel like this pageant is doing very well, they have had very good pageant activities and the girls seem to having fun. I have to say that I have to commend the MIO for their outstanding treatment of Ivana during her luggage situation, not everyone does that. And I want to publicly thank Miss El Salvador and Slovakia for giving Ivana dresses so she could go to activities and proving that you can still compete while helping each other.
So it was actually difficult for me to cut from the Top 20 to the Top 15 because I like a lot of the girls. I will go straight to the point and talk about my Top 8 who for me might have a chance at the crown and my own girl because I do have to commend her in some things. I am hoping that I can continue my streak of good results in my predictions given I predicted ME, My 1st RU because MGI (we are not speaking of that) and both my candidates have placed. I am hoping for a placement for Ivana too, even a conservative one because this season is going good for us still hahaha. By the way, I realized that the last two year the winner of the pageant has been of the Top 8 so we shall see if this year we’ll have a third occurrence of that.
MISS INTERNATIONAL 2019: Uganda (Evelyn Namatovu Karonde)
I predict we will finally have an African winner in Miss International and I couldn’t be more excited because this girl is FANTASTIC. She is beautiful and her skin is stunning, soft as marble, and she just has this very elegant aura that I feel Miss International will be responsive to. She performed very beautifully in the preliminary competition and has done very well in the day to day activities. I don’t know, to me she embodies what I feel the MI brand is; and I feel that she could be what the organization is looking for. I would suggest her to go with the loose semi wavy hair she sports sometimes with her crown and a beautiful dress that makes skin POP.
1ST RUNNER-UP: Philippines (Bea Patricia Magtanong)
This is second year in a row that I put Philippines in the Top 2 given Athisa was my winner last night and I thought she would win until the moment she was called second. This year I think Pat is very good and I understand why so many people wanted to win Miss Universe, she is a pretty good candidate. She has been extremely consistent and even before getting to Japan she has shown that she has what it takes to take the plush crown. The only reason I don’t put her in the first place is because unfortunately she is coming in to fill BIG shoes. To me I ended up so in love with Athisa that I don’t see anyone who can look better for that crown than her. But I think Pat could easily give Philippines their 8th crown and tie with Venezuela because I actually think their best chances to snatch a Big 5 crown (to continue the streak) is Pat. I want her in a mid-pink or pink-orange gown with either a mid-bun or a mid-ponytail, I actually don’t love the over ornamental bun she used in her official picture. She looks good in it but her best pictures are with the styles I mentioned because it brings out her features much better. So good luck Philippines.
2ND RUNNER-UP: Venezuela (Melissa Ester Jiménez Guevara)
I know I am one of the VERY EXTREMELY few people who see how beautiful this girl is but I do not care because I love Melissa so much haha. She was my candidate for Miss Universe but as soon as I remembered that Venezuela was the reigning queen, I instantly understood why she wasn’t sent to MI. They see what I and Alvin Sebatero see, they see the possibility for a back to back and they know it’s risky. But if I am going to make a risky prediction this season is that Venezuela could pull the first back to back in MI. I will love to see her with that beautiful long black hair and some beautiful head piece but hopefully a more delicate one. And I actually want her in a golden gown or a pearlish color gown that can complement her skin tone. I really don’t think she will clap, Indonesia even broke the streak last year, and I have a feeling she could get far. But hey, maybe The Duchess is wrong but man I do love this girl so much it would hurt me not to see her up there.
3RD RUNNER-UP: Indonesia (Jolene Marie Cholock-Rotinsulu)
Hm. I most admit I find myself conflicted about Indonesia because I remember being a big fan of her in the beginning when she was crowned. But I don’t know, I don’t love how she has been looking in candids lately and I truly don’t like her styling since she arrived. She has really fierce photographs with fantastic hair-makeup combos but for some reason she has decided to go with… kind of a boring look. I still think she will place tho because she has performed very well and I am still hoping that she will pull a 180 in terms of styling on final night. So I am hopeful but I don’t know, I was ready to crown this girl for months and now I’m like… meh. Hoping for her to get me excited on finals and perhaps a nice red gown, that color does wonders for her.
4TH RUNNER UP: Mexico (Andrea Isabel Sid Toscano Ramírez)
Can we appreciate how far Andrea Toscano has come in terms of styling, choices and maturity this last year? It’s almost crazy to think this is the girl who started the Latinageddon last year in Miss Universe, the one who talked so openly about how little she cared for Thai food and walked in the preliminary competition with… a um not so great gown. I have to say that when MXU announced her for Miss International I was so worried that the organization would remember her for her Miss U stint but I have to say she is the embodiment of second chances. She learned from her mistakes, didn’t repeat them and learnt from them at the same time that she improved on the things she needed to. And I think her participation has been so much better than her participation last year, she seems to just get it much better this time. I don’t necessarily think she should win BUT I do think her participation has been one of her best, and if she can get through the speech she could get a little crown. Some people are worried about the speech because Andrea… is not known for her English BUT I am hoping in this year she improved in that area too. But we shall see.
6TH PLACE: Canada (Megha Sandhu)
Now besides Venezuela, THIS is my sentimental favorite and I am STILL salty that she wasn’t sent to Miss Universe. What can I say? She is beautiful, she performs well on stage, she is an educated woman, she is beautiful, she has a great personality, she has good comm skills and she is beautiful. But I do admit that perhaps she faded a bit into the background lately, I still hold hope that she will be in that Top 5 and hopefully get that first Canadian crown. And I hope one day I see her in the Miss Universe stage because I think she could do wonders there, so I think it is safe to say that along with Melissa they are The Duchess’ personal choices.
7TH PLACE: Colombia (María Alejandra Vengoechea Cárcamo)
This is another girl who can get a mini crown because she is truly a beautiful girl specially with her hair up, where you can see those beautiful features. She is perfect choice for Miss International by her country and have had a pretty good 2 years in pageantry. I am hoping for her hair to be up for the pageant and honestly, I just really wish to see how she will perform. I do not think she will win though, nor do I think necessarily she should with women like Uganda and Philippines trying for the crown. I think a runner placement would be more than fine.
8TH PLACE: Costa Rica (Tamara Dal Maso)
Two words: Pleasant Surprise.
9TH PLACE: Puerto Rico (Ivana Carolina Irizarry Garcia)
I cannot believe I am writing these words but Ivana might actually place in this year’s Miss International and I don’t know how to reach to that. Let me say first and foremost, I do not think Ivana is neither in the right pageant nor is she my choice for the crown. To me she has an aura that its very Miss Gwand or Trump-Era Miss Universe and I actually mean this in a good way. But I do have to commend her in adapting herself pretty well to Miss International and performing veeeery well these past couple of weeks. She has been a TROOPER with her luggage being stuck on another hemisphere and not even having her national costume with her. I think everyone by now knows my feelings on Ivana but I do have to applaud her for shutting me up a little giving a pretty good performance. I wouldn’t take it as far as some of my compatriots on fb groups that are saying she could be a Top 5, specially with her comm skills, but I do think she should be Top 15. Now our mistake last year, the biggest, was giving our girl such a bad and disconnected styling; I do not understand why that was the choice. SO I am hoping she looks somewhere close to how she looked in MUPR 2019, to me that was her peak in pageantry.
10TH PLACE: Romania (Andreea Maria Coman)
11TH PLACE: Panama (Betzaida Elizabeth Rodríguez)
12TH PLACE: Hong Kong (Kaye Cheung)
13TH PLACE: UK (Harriotte Lane)
14TH PLACE: Japan (Tomomi Okada Sevaldsen)
15TH PLACE: India (Simrithi Haresh Bathija)