the most exciting day of the year has finally come, miss earth 2017 is upon us , and the new heroine who will be the champion and protector of mother earth will be chosen in a few hours. this will be the biggest , record breaking show with wide tv coverage as well as social media coverage from all over the world. truly miss earth is the biggest, most awaited and definitely the most relevant pageant on planet earth.
here are my top 16 semifinalists based on three categories form and figure , beauty of face and poise, intelligence and environmental knowledge. i scored the girls based on how they performed and on the criteria, not based on who is hyped or being mentioned as the favorites by different sites.notice how some that were ignored mainly by pageant fans made top 16 and some big favorites not included in the list due to underperfomance in one or two categories. 1. russia - lada akimova 9.733
2.venezuela - ninoska vasquez 9.633
3.australia - nina robertson 9.333
4.usa - andreia gibau 9.333
5. thailand - paweensuda drouin 9.3
6.philippines - karen ibasco - 9.267
7.poland -dominka szymanska 9.267
8.ecuador - lessie giler 9.233
9.serbia - marija nikic 9.233
10.switzerland - sarah laura peyrel 9.200
11.bosnia and herzegovina - jelena karagic 9.167
12.colombia - juliana franco 9.167
13.argentina - fiorela hengemuhler
14.netherlands - faith landman 9.067
15.puerto rico - karla victoria aponte 9.067
16. vietnam - ha thu 9.067
it was a very close fight for the top with tonga ,ukraine austria scoring 9.033 , then angola ,england and malta 9.0. notice argentina sneaking in at number 13, surprise, but she performed really well in all three categories ,with very high score on facial beauty. russia definitely is a shocker, she topped my scoresheet, she is strong in all departments, with a baby doll charm that really draws you in. notice how huge favorites netherlands and puerto rico barely made top 16. netherlands was saved by her face and puerto rico saved by her intelligence! panama choked in the interview hence her no inclusion.
the all important second preliminary judging happened last october 25 for beauty of face and poise which comprised of a whopping 45% of the criteria to select the top 16 semifinalists who will be announced at the pageant finals on november 4th at the mall of asia arena.in the light of miss earth going fully transparent for 2017, it was livestreamed to the public where miss earth fans got to see the girls in their most natural state , barely any make up and devoid of any accessories. they were required to wear white to pastel colored outfit, haired pulled away or back from the face , lip gloss, transluscent powder and eyebrow liner were allowed this year. previous years was totally bare faced , this year since it was broadcast, the miss earth comittee decided to alllow these little enhancements for the girls.this is the only pageant where the girls are judged not fully made up , another innovation miss earth can claim as an original concept and never copied from any other pageant.
watch the livestream video and see for yourself this momentuous event , where for the first time beauty pageant candidates are seen in their most natural face, something you will never see in other pageants.
now for the top 16 girls who scored highest on my tally sheet! 1. bosnia and herzegovina - jelena karagic 9.9
2.australia - nina robertson 9.8
3. russia - lada akimova 9.8
4.poland - dominika szymanska 9.7
5. netherlands - faith landman 9.6
6. serbia - marija nikic 9.6
7.thailand - paweensuda drouin 9.5
8.argentina - fiorela hengemuhler 9.4
10.switzerland - sarah laura peyrel 9.4
11. venezuela - ninoska vasquez 9.4
12. korea - hanna lee 9.3
13. colombia - juliana franco 9.2
14. ecuador - lessie giler 9.2
15. ukraine - diana mironenko
16. israel - elian qupty 9.1
watch out for russia, this girl maybe the biggest surprise of 2017, as i was tallying my three preliminary event scores, she surprisingly is the top scorer. she consistently had high scores in all three categories, while a lot of the frontrunners scored low in at least one category, so dont say i didnt warn you, russia might get its first miss earth crown courtesy of lada akimova.
there is no question , miss earth has the best and most diverse activities, thats an estblished fact that no other pageant can beat miss earth activities. it is jampacked with the most culturally eye opening, fun, real and impactful activities that benefits the communities they visit. here is their visit to dauin, negros oriental at the el dorado resort, even the rains did not stop the girls from experiencing the marine sanctuary that is the pride of negros oriental. they also witnessed the dance festival where they appreciated he unique cultural exprience of what a fiesta is and how it is celebrated in the philippines.
miss earth being a pageant of innovations is never afraid to explore new territories, this time they discovered some hidden gems in zamboanga sibugay that until now no one really has heard of.the miss earth candidates went island hopping, toured mangrove forests and even toured some beautiful caves that really impressed the ladies. also they went around the towns and were welcomed them like luminaries and tasted the delicious filipino food everywhere they went.after this visit, the miss earth heaads will help the local government of zamboanga sibugay to promote it into an ecotourism destination , as the carousel bosses were very impressed at the beauty of the place as well as its tourism potential!
pililia rizal offered some cool and beautiful mountain scenery to the miss earth delegates. the ladies also learned about the renewable sources of energy they are using to help stop global warming.they also got to learn about recycling used materials and upcycling it into beautiful crafts than can be a good source of livelihood by the villagers.
echague ,isabela offered an experience that the miss earth candidates will never forget for a long time. the ladies toured several towns in isabela, and everywhere they go they were showered with love , affection,gifts,dances, celebrations and so many smiles. they were treated like how a president of another country gets treated when they visit, total VIP treatment. resorts wear and talent competition was also held here and witnessed by thousands of people. its like the whole town came out and watched the show. after everything , stunning fireworks display was witnessed by the girls as an honor to them for their visi. i tell you, you are the luckiest girl if you get the chance to compete at miss earth pageant.
group 1 ladies had the resorts wear competition in pamapnga hosted by the laus group of companies. it was a successful show and the ladies enjoyed the world class facilites as well as the environmental acivities the ladies partook in, during their time in pamapanga.
now for some tidbits, continental judging is officially scrapped for miss earth 2017. best news ever as i have always thought that judging was not the best and it makes miss earth look biased when in fact no bias or manipulaion of results happens. it was the continetal judging that makes the results looked questionable in the past, miss earth remains as the fairest most integral pageant as the winners are determined by their performance and the scores of the judges, no politics, no manipulation, no under the table dealings. miss earth 2017 will be the best edition of the pageant, it will be a night of music,talent, beauty, pomp ,dancing and full of the pageantry that pageants are supposed to be. the girls for the first time will be seen throughout the show, unlike in previous years where they are only seen at the beginning of the pageant and at the end, unless you make top 16. this year, the exposure of the girls will be maximized which is always a good thing.james deakin will be the sole host of the pageant, but there will be vtr pretaped segments featuring the miss earth queens from previous years hosting it.the stage will be very big, way bigger and more majestic than miss philippines earth stage.it will be an epic show, and as tita lorraine said" keep holding on " this ride will be an exciting one!
