Thailand recently has grown as a power house nation in Miss Earth contest. They have made Top 16 in 2008 and Top 8 in 2004 and 2007, but no Top 4 placement yet. This year could be the first time Thailand made it to Top 4 as they send possibly their best delegate ever to this contest. Rujinan Panseethum is a classic Asian beauty blessed with a nearly perfect face and pearly white skin. Her arrival in Philippines is up to an amazing start. Aside from the fact that she has, undeniably, one of the best (if not the best) face in the bunch, Rujinan manages to appear so lively, bubbly, and charming in her arrival photos, which makes us love her even more. Don’t be surprised to see her wearing one of the elemental crowns in the final night. Best contestant from Asia so far.
Philippines won the grand prize last year and with another strong contestant this year, we can’t help but ask the one million question, “Will it be a back to back victory for Miss Earth just like in Miss Universe?”. Sandra Seifert has been quite a sensation even before she was crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2009. She was the most popular choice to win Binibining Pilipinas 2009 pageant in March, but when her “daring” photo for a men’s magazine in 2007 resurfaced, she was disqualified two days before the final night. Sandra’s strongest feature is, without a doubt, her biracial German Filipino beauty. She has the best face for Asian delegates this year, but at this moment we only ranked her second below Thailand for one reason, inconsistency. While her photo above is really mesmerizing, there are some others where she appears a bit “manly”.
After their infamous delegate for Miss Universe 2009, we initially predicted a cloudy grim forecast for Turks & Caicos. But Alison Capron has proved that there’s still sunshine (and hope) for beauty in this island nation. Alison is our ultimate darkhorse choice this year. We predict her as this year’s pleasant surprise for Top 18 or even Top 12. A living black Barbie just like runner up Miriam Odemba last year, she is, by a comfortable miles, the best black beauty this year. The only thing that may hinder her from making the Top 18 is the fact that Turks & Caicos is not your token “sash factor” nation. However, the fact that some other non “sash factor” nations have made it in previous Miss Earth editions, gives us the hope that this exotic lady will not be overlooked by the judges.
What makes beauty an interesting thing is the fact that it comes in many colors, shapes, and forms, and Korea is the finest example of it. Park Ye Ju maybe not as stunning as some of the front runners this year but it doesn’t stop her from impressing us. Ye Ju’s modern and chic persona, which reflected best by her unique choice of personal style, makes her very noticeable among all this beautiful ladies. Her vibrant smile along with her sophisticated hair cut are a good combination to help her stealing the attention of the public and more importanly, the judges.
There must be something magical with the water (or the surgeon) in Venezuela as this nation keeps producing stunning beauty queens. Their delegate this time, Jessica Barboza is certainly no exception. Jessica is an epitome of a true Venezuelan beauty. With perfect hair, perfect face, and perfect body, she is a strong contender not only for Miss Earth crown, but also some other subsidiary awards like Miss Photogenic, Best in Long Gown, and Best in Swimsuit. However, she needs to bring some personality as well and not relies too much on her beauty alone, as being too perfect sometimes makes you too safe and suddenly you end up being boring. If Jessica can work it and combine her perfect beauty with perfect personality, she would become the one to beat this year!
If you ever try to look for the meaning of the term “living doll”, you should just look at Cuba. Another strong contender for the crown, Jamillette Gaxiola is a unique beauty with a pair of beautiful crystal eyes and flawless porcelain skin. She is probably one of the most hyped pre pageant contestant this year and quickly became a popular bet to win the crown. Her favoritism, however, was challenged by some people who were skeptical about her true beauty as most of her fashion photos were photoshopped to enhance her beauty. Her arrival photo is the one that we wait for the most as we are totally curious to find out if Jamillette is only a Miss Photoshop. In the end, the wait really pays off as Jamillette proves to us that she is indeed as beautiful as her fashion photos in person. Best contestant from Caribbean so far.
As a former Top 15 semifinalist of a Trump owned pageant, you can expect a strong performance from USA. Their exotic delegate this year, Amy Diaz is the fourth former Miss USA contestant selected to represent that nation in Miss Earth pageant. The three other girls who competed before her (Amanda Kimmell in 2005, Amanda Pennekamp in 2006, and Jana Murrell in 2008) all made the Top 16 and we predict Amy will follow the step of her three predecessors, or even further, a Top 4 placement. With a combination of exotic look and hot body, she is more than ready to rock the competition!
We always love Eastern European beauty because they always exude the charming aura of ancient mystery and classic elegance at the same time. There are a lot stunning Eastern European beauties to watch out this year, but the one that we love most is Czech Republic. The stunning Tereza Budkova has top model label written all over her and you can actually imagine her walking in a runway for a Paris or Milan fashion show. The only problem for her is that Miss Earth currently seems to still prefer the traditional beauty queen to the modern top model type.Regardless, we still expect to see Tereza in Top 18.
There are also some other girls who capture our attentions during the arrivals. These bubbling up girls are ...
Slovak Republic
Italy
Martinique
and Georgia
So which ones of these impressive girls make our hot list? Stay tune for our first Miss Earth 2009 Leaderboard coming up this weekend!
Photos courtesy of OPMB and PSG
