First up, I have written this post for so long but dun wanna upload it. Now that I have made up my mind, it's time to upload it. I promise to be more prompt in the future.
Yes!! Great results and great show!! Jennifer is just stunning and her runner-ups are deserving as well! I feel sad that Louisa cannot make it into the top 5 although it is not surprising given that the candidates this year are so stunning. I enjoyed the show this year.. there are more rounds of cat-walk and photoshoots showcasting the girls' beauty. At the same time, the cat-walk rounds are not tacky as well, there's a evening gown presentation (though the red gloves look so terrible); a national costume presentation; a swimsuit parade. The stage is quite good as well. There is a longer runway and it looks modern.
Review of the Contestants
Champion: (14) Jennifer Coosemans (Vancouver)
She is just stunning and is the clear standout of the whole group, although the rest of them are pretty as well. I'm glad that the judges looked pass her bad Chinese and crown her. My only complaint is that her smile is not as natural as she use to look. This made her look a bit tired but still she is gorgeous.
1st Runner-up: (9) Mary Chan (New York)
She is one of my top shots and I am happy that she is in the top 3. In my opinion, I would be happier if Tiana would be 1st Runner-up but her personality and bubbly friendliness does help propelling her to the top. Thus, I am satisfied with her placement.
2nd Runner-Up: (12) Tiana Luan (Sydney)
She was gorgeous throughout the night but she does seem a bit nervous. However, this does not stop her from being eloquent and speaking so well. My only critique of her performance would be her talent. While I appreciate that she tried her best singing a Cantonese song, her talent would have been much stronger if she performed sth else, e.g. perhaps learning a dance. But overall, I am reli satisfied with the top 3
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Top 5: (2) Mint Kongraphan (Bangkok); (4) Sophia Wu (Nanjing)
Personally I do think both of them deserved their placements as both of them are reli cute and stand out of the crowd with their heights.
As for Mint, I love her national costume. It resembles the evening gown Olivia Jordan wore in Miss Universe, although Mint's was a red one. Honestly, if she had a better talent, she would have overtaken New York and place in the top 3. An advice for future Bangkok contenders is to look at what their predecessor performed in 1998 - Singing a Chinese song and pairing it with traditional Thai dances. This would definitely impress the judges and the crowd.
As for Sophia, she performs great in general because she had been quite eloquent in the question-and- answer rounds. Coupled with her height and cuteness, she definitely has an edge over Louisa.
The Rest
(1) Maggie Zhang (Auckland)
She performed alright.. in a less competitive year.. she might be shine as she does seems to have a nice personality and is quite eloquent.
(3) Louisa Mak (Hong Kong)
First off, Louisa is by no means a disgrace as she is indeed pretty and it can be seen that she tried her best. In a less competitive (and less tall) year, she would definitely be included in the Top 5. My concern with Louisa's performance is that she tried too hard at times, as can be seen in her exaggerated movements on stage. Other than that, she did sound a bit blunt in her answers, She definitely need to learn more from other Miss Hong Kong such as Grace Chan on how to speak in a more natural and generous manner if she wants to flare well in the industry.
(5) Janice Choong (KL)
Reli a disappointment. Notwithstanding the poor make-up by TVB which made her look less attractive than usual, I expected more from KL in terms of eloquence.
(I cannot find a pic of her at all)
(7) Helen Chan (Melbourne)
Again, in a less competitive year, she would have advanced. She has the friendly and chatty aura of Sarah Song but less eloquent.
(8) Karinne Legare (Montreal)
She is gorgeous but for some reason, she is not a favourite as she looks too foreign. Should she be in another year, she would have gone into top 5 at least. I like her performance anyway.
(11) Sherry Wang (Johannesburg)
She is pretty but she is too demure to make an impact.
