17 replies to this topic

[Dbrain2004]

This year's Miss Universe (airing so late in the year, I thought they would not hold the contest at all) will take place on Wednesday, December 19th at 8PM EST from the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. It will be hosted by that giant lisping queen, Andy Cohen, and E! Network's Giuliana Rancic. (BTW, they BETTER have a Miss Universe Special on Fashion Police following this.)

99 women from around the world will be competing (from what I understand, there were originally 105, but Egypt, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Slovenia, Turks & Caicos, and the US Virgin Islands all withdrew for unknown reasons). Here are the contestants, going by their lingerie glamshots, evening gowns, swimsuits, and my personal favorite, national costumes.

Personal thoughts:

If Angola thought they had any shot at repeating their win from last year, they probably threw it away with Angola's national costume - though I do wonder just how they're going to show it on live television.

Speaking of national costumes, Miss China has the best one by far. She looks like a walking Ming vase and is working the hell out of that dress.

Miss USA's costume looks great, for once. The Statue of Liberty is overdone, but I really like what they did with it this year.

Really, all of the East Asian's national costumes look wonderful in one way or another. I have to give a particular shoutout to Miss Malaysia, who's costume makes her look like an version of the Evil Queen in 'Snow White and the Huntsman'.

On the other side of the coin, you can really tell who didn't try:

Miss Great Britain, who looks like a female version of Captain Britain or a rejected Spice Girl.
Miss Italy AND Miss France, whose costumes are literally a white minidress with a flag in their respective colors attached to it.
Miss Ireland, who looks like a slutty cast member of Riverdance.
Miss Denmark, which... you got to see it for yourself.
Miss Guam, who has a belt made of bread rolls around her waist. No, seriously.

The judges are your usual odd mix of celebrities, which includes:

Celebrity Stylist and former bitch of Rachel Zoe, Brad Goreski
Music superstar and "The Voice" mentor, Cee-Lo Green
Rising Latin star Diego Boneta
Olympic Beach Volleyball champion Kerri Walsh-Jennings
Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto
'Noted Fashion Photographer' Nigel Barker
San Francisco Giants infielder Pablo Sandoval
Mr. Kourtney Kardashian, Scott Disick
Miss Universe 2010, Ximena Navarette

I can't imagine who would win this year, but between the Latin American countries (who must be steaming after having none of their candidates making the Top 5 last year), China (who had the contest virtually wrapped up last year until their candidate blew it in a spectacular fashion coming across as haughty and entitled during the final question), or even the U.S.A (who hasn't been much of a factor in recent contests, and who hasn't won the crown since Brook Lee in 1997), I think this is going to be one of the most competitive pageants in recent history.

ETA: Fixed National Costumes link. Thanks for pointing it out, Ohwell.

Edited by Dbrain2004, Dec 18, 2012 @ 6:12 AM.

[Ohwell]

Thanks for posting this.

For some reason the national costumes won't come up, but I find the swimsuits interesting in that quite a lot of the women are wearing rather modest one piece ones; Miss Sweden and Miss France are in two-piece high waisted grandma swimsuits.

I guess a short-haired woman will never win--heck, not even a woman with shoulder length hair. What's up with the loooooong hair? I know a lot of these women are wearing weaves and extensions but as a black woman it is rather dismaying to see so many of the African women with the long, flowing store bought hair. For that reason alone, I'm rooting for Miss St. Lucia and Miss Tanzania because they're bucking the trend.

Not looking forward to Cee-Lo drooling at the judges' table.

[IdleBrook]

I really don't like this trend of trying to pass off a bedazzled leotard attached to a skirt as an evening gown (Russia and Mexico). It feels no different from the swim suit portion of the competition. Maybe they need to implement a fabric requirement for the evening gowns.

Edited by IdleBrook, Dec 19, 2012 @ 9:23 PM.

[Ohwell]

I wonder what happened to Cee-Lo as a judge? Oh well, I don't miss him.

I thought Miss USA's gown was an ill-fitting red velvet hot mess. She looked lost in it and I don't know what she was thinking when she chose it. I also didn't like whoever wore that long/short red dress with the weird cutout at the top. Miss Venezuela looks like a Christmas tree.

Looks like they're ramming Miss USA down our throats; I don't think she should have made the final six.

[King Cat Sam]

'Tis the season, afterall, the finale contestants should have green, red and white dresses.

[Dbrain2004]

Wow. Wow, wow, wow.

Miss Philippines better call the police, because she was straight-up ROBBED.

I can't believe she didn't win, especially with that terrific answer to her final question, saying that one didn't need to speak English in order to be an international ambassador. I literally jumped up off my couch, saying "Now THAT'S a crowning moment."

Really, considering the show mentioned that the pageant was being held on the same stage where Miss USA was crowned, and Miss USA hasn't held the Miss Universe crown in 15 years up until tonight, I am convinced Miss USA was set to win the crown from the start.

I thought the results of the MU '06 pageant were bad enough, but this result may have just turned me off the show for good.

[shopgirl406]

I am so disappointed they cut the parade of nations in the national costumes. That's the best part of this show. Please, bring it back!!! I really enjoyed Miss France and also Miss Philippines - but, that's the way it goes.

[superpole2000]

Lots of attractive women, but I think they chose one of the less spectacular women as the winner. Oh well. I'm sure there was plenty of incentive to make Miss USA a contender/winner.

[Alexa]

Definitely agree that USA was being pushed for the win....they kept making it all dramatic and exciting (snark) when she moved forward as if they were doing her a favor. And her dress and her question certainly did not earn her a win.... Phillipines was completely robbed, and Trump made the US look bad yet again. Did you notice that this year there were fewer foreign judges? The ones that were lived in the US for the most part.... typically in other years the judging panel was a bit more diverse.

Anyway with the great group of contestants, this was not the year USA should have won, IMO.

[chickieloveknit]

If it's possible to be outraged over such a stupid thing as this contest....than count me outraged!

Miss Philippines better call the police, because she was straight-up ROBBED.

I am convinced Miss USA was set to win the crown from the start.

I am right there with you. All I can say is: RIGGED! USA looked like a low-rent J-Lo. And considering J-Lo, that's saying a lot (or not saying much?)! I'd like to ask her some intimate questions about The Donald because that's the only way she's wearing that crown this morning.

[Ohwell]

I agree with others who say this contest was rigged and Miss Philippines was ROBBED!

Ever since Donald Trump took over the Miss USA/Miss Universe franchise, it's been nothing but a low-class, cheap-looking beauty contest. I used to look forward to seeing it in the past, but not so much anymore. And as I said before, the short-haired women need not apply.

[absolutqt]

Miss Venezuela looks like a Christmas tree.

LOL!! Christmas tree or not, I LOVED her look. I thought she had it in the bag until she spoke, poor girl. She should've used the interpreter instead of attempting her answer in English.

[King Cat Sam]

LOL!! Christmas tree or not, I LOVED her look. I thought she had it in the bag until she spoke, poor girl. She should've used the interpreter instead of attempting her answer in English.

It seemed like she just strung all the dozen or so english words she knew into one sentence.

[Ketzel]

Really, considering the show mentioned that the pageant was being held on the same stage where Miss USA was crowned, and Miss USA hasn't held the Miss Universe crown in 15 years up until tonight, I am convinced Miss USA was set to win the crown from the start.

I was slower to figure it out - until after she was announced as the winner and last year's winner went to put the crown on Miss USA's head. All along, I'd been wondering, who created that hideous hairdo?? Then suddenly, there's the wrap-around crown on her head, fitting so neatly around that monstrous up-do bunzilla she was sporting. "Good Lord!" I thought. "It's as if she KNEW she'd have to get that thing anchored FAST, so she could do her victory walk with it firmly in place."

Also, once the two banners covered nearly all of her massively exposed chest, that long-sleeved, gigantic red velvet gown went from "daring" to prudish in an instant. Not that that wasn't a relief - I thought the evening wear was,for the most part, astoundingly vulgar. Ah well, the Trumpification of the pageant continues, but hopefully not for much longer. So is this winner Miss Universe 2012 for another week and a half? Or does she get to be Miss Universe in 2013 also?

[JudyObscure]

I wanted the Christmas tree girl! I love emerald green and she was just so, so pretty.

I wish they would just cut the question part, altogether. It's not Miss America, there's no talent or academic achievement needed and the prize isn't a scholarship. Miss USA/Miss Universe is a straight up beauty contest so why pretend otherwise? For all we know the other 93 girls were rocket scientists who got cut because they had thick ankles so don't kid us that this one question really matters.

I do like to hear them talk a little but they could just ask them to tell their most embarrassing moment or something cute like that, no need to suddenly expect great wisdom from 19 year old girls who probably haven't eaten in days.

[Ohwell]

I do like to hear them talk a little but they could just ask them to tell their most embarrassing moment or something cute like that, no need to suddenly expect great wisdom from 19 year old girls who probably haven't eaten in days.

Agreed, lol. No need to tax their brains (not that they're not intelligent) after they've starved themselves, and especially after having to prance around on those godawful, hideous platform shoes. I actually had my hands over my eyes watching them trying to walk down the stairs, fearing that some poor girl would snap both her ankles.

I thought Christmas tree girl was pretty and I liked her personality, and I was rooting for her behind Miss Philippines.

[popcorn]

I'm the opposite. I preferred when the interview questions were part of the main event, and then they all had to answer the same question at the end. It's now a two hour show with ten minutes of "competition".

[RL1]

Just remember. This competition has been Trumped!