63rd Miss Universe Pageant

6th Official Hot Picks

1. India
2. Colombia
3. Spain
4. Venezuela
5. Jamaica

India tops our 6th Official Hotpicks, which is also our first hot picks after all the delegates have finally arrived in Doral, Florida. When Noyonita Lodh was crowned as Miss Diva Universe 2014, many have anticipated that she will be a force to reckon with in the Miss Universe pageant.  Armed with a team that has been very supportive and determined to bring the 3rd Miss Universe crown for India, Noyonita has been doing well since her arrival in Doral.  She is said to be one of those who is easy to get along with, and is very friendly to the staff and fellow delegates.  Add to that is the fact that she is very photogenic even in candid shots and selfies.  Colombia‘s Paulina Vega is in 2nd place, and we cannot deny how extremely exposed she has been these past few days.  Her jaw dropping glam photos at the Miss Universe website were the first to sprout like mushrooms, which gave us some speculations that she is the “favored one”.  But, we really can’t make such a conclusion this early in the game.  Indeed, Paulina is prepared and polished.  It’s been more than a year since she was crowned as Miss Colombia and the long wait has been over.    She is in Doral to leave a mark!  In 3rd Place is Miss Spain, Desire Cordero, who showed up with vivacity and sophistication that is normally expected for a Spanish delegate.  Watch out for her in the coming weeks.  Next in line is Venezuela, who is being represented by the youthful and bubbly Migbelis Castellanos.  We wonder how she is handling the pressure of winning another back-to-back for Venezuela, but it seems that she is least affected by it.  Her two co-winners at the Miss Venezuela 2013 pageant failed to make a mark in their respective pageant.  In fact, the Miss Tierra Venezuela 2013 winner, Stephanie Ysabel de Zorzi decided not to compete in Manila for the Miss Earth crown.  With that being said, this leaves Migbelis with less pressure to perform as good as her batchmates and it shows.  Completing our Top 5 is the very beautiful short-haired Kanci Fennell of Jamaica!  Speaking of someone who is truly confident in her own skin – and hair – that’s Kanci!  While lots of girls are very dependent on hairstyle in order to look glamorous, that does not seem to be a major issue for Kanci who never fails to amaze us with her stunning presence and impeccable projections.

6. USA
7. Curacao
8. Philippines
9. Guyana
10. Brazil

Going on to our 6th placer, the host delegate Nia Sanchez of the USA, is still on the run!  The presence of a strong Latino community in USA may give Nia a more “at home” feel, and being the first Hispanic girl to represent USA since Susie Castillo in 2003, we can expect a massive support for her in the coming days.  Curacao is still standing strong at 7th place.  Laurien Angelista is extremely photogenic and is definitely a head turner.  Following her at 8th Place  is Mary Jean Lastimosa, who is representing the Philippines.  Her country is dubbed by the MUO themselves as the biggest supporter of Miss Universe, and it is remarkable to see the undying support of Filipinos towards MJ, who arrived with a bang in Doral!  Her styling and wardrobe seem to be different from predecessors, and the curves are to die for!   A small South American country, Guyana, is in 9th place.  Niketa Barker was in the Top 5 in the previous hot picks.  Although she dropped a few places down, it does not mean that she is in danger of losing her steam.  She is considered by many as the best looking ebony beauty this year, so she must capitalize on that all the time, and never to lose her confidence.  And in 10th Place is Melissa Gurgel of Brazil.  It’s interesting to note that Brazil has placed in the Top 5 for three straight years, and they played host in 2011.  Melissa is probably the most fresh looking Miss Brazil that we have seen in recent years, so if her predecessors could place high in the pageant, why can’t she?

11. Ukraine
12. Costa Rica
13. Russia
14. Dominican Republic
15. Serbia

Ukraine came as one of the most anticipated delegates this year, and although a few were disappointed with her arrival photos, we believe that she will eventually adapt with the warm Doral weather and will stay strong leading to the crown. Costa Rica is also expected to do well, and her photos seem to be impressive enough, although we are expecting more from her.  Russia, with her jet black straight hair looks like royalty, although she sometimes would come a bit too strong in still photos.  Dominican Republic has an Italian ancestry, and with a weak delegate from Italy this year, maybe it is for Kimberly Castillo to make up for that, considering that Italian swimsuit maker Yamamay is back as a sponsor!  In to wrap up our Top 15, is Serbia.  We must note that Andjelka has improved a lot since her Miss Earth stint a couple of years ago, so we hope to see her do well at Miss Universe.

BUBBLING UP….

16. Australia
17. Ecuador
18. Austria
19. Lebanon
20. Albania