The final review of Miss World 2009 is finally here. Let's take a look on parts that we adore and parts that we don't like so much.
Love It (Things We Like)
• The opening number. Featuring breathtaking performance of Umoja, a parade of 112 beautiful women and 112 flags from around the world, theand above all the glittering fireworks, the opening number of Miss World 2009 is truly captivating the audiences attention. The concept itself may not be new, as it's already used in last year edition, but we don't mind watching it again this year simply because it is simply spectacular.
• The Dance of The World. Probably our most fave segment of the night. After a long hiatus, national costume is finally back at Miss World. And adding more twist, not only the delegates parading in their costume, some of them were also given a chance to showcase the beauty of the national dance from their particular country. The whole number is just great and we really hope Miss World would keep this segment for the following years.
• The inclusion of Korea and Colombia in Top 16. These two girls are the real life example of dark horses turn front runners. They were initially not so favored like some of the early front runners. But when the crucial time came, they know how to bring their A-game, especially in the final night when they become the center attention of the world. Korea ended up ahead of the hyped Vietnam for the Queen of Asia Oceania title while Colombia outlasted some of other fave contestants to be in Final 7. Both remind us that in pageant, favoritism is not everything.
• Angela Chow. She has hosted Miss World for 7 consecutive years and usually things that last too long bound to be boring. But in the case of Angela, there is no such thing. One of her trump card is her ability to bring life and excitement to Miss World stage with her spontaneous personality. This is probably one of the reason Miss World Organization keeps her in the host positon for such a long time.
• The talent showcase. We have heard about the awesomeness of their talent but now we can watch it ourselves. For the first time ever in Miss World history, the winners of Talent Fast Track (Sierra leone, Korea, Norway, and Canada) are given a chance to perform live at the final night. Turns out these girls gave some of the most entertaining performance in the Miss World stage and we prefer them to some of the boring guest performers over the past years. Our fave of the night is no other than Sierra Leone and her unique mask dance number.
Leave It(Things We Dislike)
• The elimination format. After initially hinted that there would be a Top 20 this year, Miss World Organization decided to keep the number of semifinalists into Top 16 (supposedly Top 15 but due to the tie of Canada and Sierra Leone for Talent Fast Track there is one extra spot). With the largest number of contestants ever (112 of them) and such a competitive batch, 16 spots are simply not enough. Miss World should reconsider their elimination format and go for Top 20 instead as it will give more chance for the contestants to be included in the spotlight and reduce the possibility of wasted beauty.
• The inclusion of Japan, India, Poland, and Kazakhstan in Top 16. We can tolerate Japan and India because they entered the semifinal through Fast Track route (otherwise there is no chance for them at all). But we really don't understand the inclusion of Poland and Kazakhstan who are supposedly chosen by a panel of professional judges. Maybe the judges saw something in these girls that we don't but from the perspective of beauty, these girls are the weakest links of the Top 16 and should be replaced by other more deserving contestants.
• The exclusion of Scotland, Barbados, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica from Top 16. With only 16 spots available, and some of them are surprisingly taken by some of the undeserving contestants, there is no surprise that there will be a lot of wasted beauties this year. While it is not a big surprise, it is still a big disappointment that some of the most beautiful contestants in the competition are left out for reasons we will never know.
• The Q&A round. When Angela announced Miss World will bring back the old Q&A segment for Top 7 round, we had quite high expectation. This high expectation is quickly crushed as the questions asked are totally "no-brainer" like "What do you think of Johannesburg?" or "Why do you think you will be a good Miss World?". Miss World should start to take this Q&A more seriously like Miss Universe who has some of the most memorable questions and answers over these years.
Love It and Leave It(Things We Both Like and Dislike)
• The victory of Gibraltar and the lost of Mexico. Okay it's truly bittersweet. At one side, we are really happy to see Gibraltar wins. She is a sweet and charming beauty who seems so genuine and sincere, a quality that a Miss World should have. However we can't hide our disappointment over Mexico's lost. Mexico is a living Goddess, a flawless and celestial beauty which may only come once in a blue moon, and she would have been a great Miss World. But maybe her beauty is just too perfect, too "otherworldly", so that the judges chose a more "down to earth" beauty instead. Regardless, we wish a good luck for both girls and hope for the best for their future.
Okay guys, it's a wrap! Our final say of Miss World 2009. See you next year at Miss World 2010 in Vietnam!
