Graphics by Kenneth Von B. Villa [@kennethvonbrandino]
While the Miss Earth candidates are enjoying the welcoming atmosphere of Ho Chi Minh City, pageant analysts are now trying to peer on their crystal balls and look for the “anointed” one. There are a lot of stunners this year but Miss Earth is more than just beauty. It is also about brains and genuine concern for Mother Earth.
So far, Miss Puerto Rico Victoria Arocho is the one to beat displaying both stunning beauty and a sharp intellect. No wonder she is the current favorite and thus tops in this week sIf she will win, she will be the second from her country to clinch the crown.
Miss Netherlands Noa Claus is also in a strong position to bring home the bacon. She’s got elegance and finesse. While Dutch beauty queens are yet to win the Miss Earth crown, the Netherlands had a good run at the pageant. They never missed the semis berth since 2017!
Miss Philippines Yllana Aduana is also a shoo-in for the crown. It is just a shame that Miss Earth has been labelled as extremely biased to Filipinas. Yllana is truly a beauty to reckon with and any suspicion of bias could be assuaged by the fact that Vietnam is the host this year.
Miss Albania Drita Ziri has been the talk of beauty analysts since it was announced that she will compete at Miss Earth. Albanian candidates are stunners but they usually come short when it matters. Miss Earth fans are hopeful that Drita will deliver when it truly matters.
Rounding up the Top 5 is Miss Colombia Luz Adriana Lopez. It is sometimes frustrating to know that Colombia is yet to win the Miss Earth crown. They have sent excellent candidates but they somehow falter in the crucial stages of the competition. A lot of beauty analysts are pointing out the language barrier and sometimes the mistranslation of answer as the culprit to Colombia’s woes at Miss Earth.
Who is your favorite at Miss Earth this year? Here’s the complete list of the Miss Earth 2023 First Hot Picks:
1. Puerto Rico – Victoria Arocho
2. Netherlands – Noa Claus
3. Philippines – Yllana Aduana
4. Albania – Drita Ziri
5. Colombia – Luz Adriana Lopez
6. Brazil – Morgana Carlos
7. Thailand – Cora Bliault
8. Portugal – Carlota Lobo
9. Poland – Ewa Jakubiec
10. Ukraine – Anastasia Feier
11. Indonesia – Cindy Inanto
12. Vietnam – Do Thi Lan Anh
13. Zimbabwe – Courtney Jongwe
14. Venezuela – Jhosskaren Carrizo
15. USA – Danielle Mullins
16. Belarus – Karyna Kisialiova
17. Russia – Daria Lukonkina
18. Malaysia – Nadira Isaac
19. Myanmar – Soung Hnin San
20. South Africa – Belinde Schreuder
