Miss Universe & Mister World Coverage

Miss Universe 2007: Winner

2007-05-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

JAPAN -- Riyo Mori
20 years old // Dancer // Height: 5' 9" // Hometown: Shizuoka

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1st Runner-up...BRAZIL -- Natalia Guimaraes
2nd Runner-up...VENEZUELA -- Ly Jonaitis
3rd Runner-up...KOREA -- Honey Lee
4th Runner-up...USA -- Rachel Smith

Photo credit: Miss Universe LP, LLLP

Miss Universe 2007 - Top 5 Prediction

2007-05-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

- This year, there will only be 15 finalists with 9 being picked by preliminary judges and 6 picked by the Miss Universe Org.
- Since the judges pick only 9, I think we will see lots of favo(u)rites being snubbed, while a couple surprises could happen.

- Despite the pageant being held in Mexico, the Latinas seem like a disappointing group.
- I think we have instead strong Asian delegates as well as shining blonds (mostly from Eastern Europe).
- So I think it'll be interesting how it plays out...will Latinas outshine anyway? Will an Asian finally win it, or will they get snubbed? Can USA win against all odds? Or will a low key European take the crown?

Click photo to enlarge. Photo credit: Miss Universe LP, LLLP

1. KOREA -- Honey Lee (Han Nui Lee)

I can't help but root for her. A strong delegate from Korea is just so rare, and she is way too good to be passed up. I think having 2 Asian judges on the panel can help her chances, provided that she makes the cut. Did OK in swimsuit but great in evening gown.
Pros: refreshingly beautiful, good gown and catwalk, good preparation
Cons:
Obstacles/Hurdles: Swimsuit round, and possibly interview

2. JAPAN -- Riyo Mori

What matters the most on pageant night is how one can outshine the rest of the pack...and I think Riyo will definitely do that. I think she's good enough to make the cut, pass the swimsuit and evening gown rounds, and do well with her final question.
Pros: fashionably chic, good gowns (I hope she goes for the purple one), great catwalk with lots of energy, also seems very intelligent
Cons: not the most facially beautiful but the transformation has really helped
Obstacles/Hurdles: style similar to Kurara's (last year's 1st Runner-up)

3. USA -- Rachel Smith

If you did not get to see Miss USA 2007, you may not realize how spot on Rachel is. I actually think she has the best chances out of anyone but I put her 3rd here only because she has a big hurdle to get through.
Pros: beautiful, sexy, and intelligent rolled into one. Can tear each pageant round like no other
Cons:
Obstacles/Hurdles: Politics, politics, and politics. The Miss Universe Org. might take a lot of heat if she wins, not to mention the rowdy Mexican crowd.

4. MEXICO -- Rosa Maria Ojeda Cuen

I think this hometown girl will do well, especially with the small number of strong latinas this year. I think the interview part might be a little troublesome for her.
Pros: hometown advantage/crowd favo(u)rite, good catwalk
Cons: boring white gown, occasional odd poses/body stance
Obstacles/Hurdles: interview, Evening Gown competition

5. RUSSIA -- Tatiana Kotova

An overlooked delegate in my opinion. She's not that strong but I feel like she's good enough to slip through each round, and maybe into the Final 5.
Pros: facially beautiful, gorgeous blond hair, the sassy attitude in her catwalk, and also her um...assets
Cons: the bangs (fringe, whatever you call it) have got to go
Obstacles/Hurdles: interview

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HIT or MISS

Hit or Miss is my segment creation of the delegates who are not on my prediction list but are either:
1) strong enough that they MAY penetrate the Top 15
2) overhyped and MAY miss the cut
or 3) strong but MAY get snubbed anyway

Crowd Favo(u)rites

SPAIN -- Natalia Zabala Arroyo

A favo(u)rite among the Mexicans as well as pageant enthusiasts. Natalia did just OK in swimsuit, but her gown was unforgivable. However she's so facially beautiful that I think her only saving chance is to be one of the 6 "Trump's picks"...Verdict: MISS

PHILIPPINES -- Anna Theresa Licaros

I am ready to fend off the Filipino fans...just don't hit me too hard, okay? But I have to say I was disappointed when she won her national title. Then the transformation did wonders for hers. And then she performed quite poorly in the preliminary. The only thing she did great in is her interview so that may save her...Verdict: MISS

The Sacrificial Lamb

INDIA -- Puja Gupta

Facially beautiful but didn't do too well in the preliminary. Her answers in interview were also long-winded. And with many strong Asians this year, not everyone is gonna make the cut...Verdict: should be a hit but will probably MISS

Is Bald Really Beautiful?

TANZANIA -- Flaviana Matata

Created a huge buzz that has totally died down. There's no doubt that she's beautiful but Flaviana drew too much of a mixed reaction that it will be difficult to make the cut...Verdict: MISS

Miss Universe 2007 - Top 10 Prediction

2007-05-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Click photo to enlarge. Photo credit: Miss Universe LP, LLLP

6. ITALY -- Valentina Massi

Definitely killed the swimsuit round and also did well in the evening gown even though I don't like the bright yellow gown at all.
Pros: killer body, great catwalk
Cons: the gown (she should go for the silver one)
Obstacles/Hurdles:

7. THAILAND -- Farung Yuthithum

Has gained a lot of momentum lately.
Pros: beautiful exotic looks, height, and she has this charisma in her catwalk that's hard to explain
Cons: could use some improvement in her stance
Obstacles/Hurdles: interview

8. BOLIVIA -- Jessica Jordan Burton

Another overlooked delegate. She definitely blew everyone out of the water in both the Swimsuit and Evening gown.
Pros: killer catwalk, interview
Cons: another boring white gown
Obstacles/Hurdles: making the cut

9. SOUTH AFRICA -- Megan Coleman

Did great in Swimsuit, but just so-so in Evening gown.
Pros: good catwalk
Cons: hopefully the bright red lips are gone
Obstacles/Hurdles: making the cut, Evening gown round

10. VENEZUELA -- Ly Jonaitis

A little overhyped in my opinion but she might make it due to the Latino judges on the panel.
Pros: crowd support, good all-around
Cons: strong facial features (Fergie-esque), not too keen on the white gown either
Obstacles/Hurdles: making the cut, Evening gown

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HIT or MISS

Disappoints

PUERTO RICO -- Uma Blasini

I was definitely disappointed by this year Puerto Rico's choice. After a long streak of killer delegates, I was expecting a lot more. Not to say that she doesn't have a chance because her catwalk skill is great...Verdict: MISS

CANADA -- Inga Skaya

Canada has provided some great delegates for the past years but they seem to have gone overboard with their Eastern-European-descent phase...Verdict: MISS

The Blonds & the Europeans

SLOVAK REPUBLIC -- Lucia Senasiova

Lots of strong European blonds that it was hard to decide which ones would make it. Slovak Republic did great in both rounds and also her interview...Verdict: HIT

DENMARK -- Zaklina Sojic

Did excellent in her interview and also the Evening Gown. The gown was eye-catching...Verdict: HIT

ESTONIA -- Viktoria Azovskaja

She nailed the Swimsuit round, but not so much during the Evening gown competition. She just seems way too tall in that gown and the color wasn't flattering...Verdict: MISS

Miss Universe 2007 - Top 15 Prediction

2007-05-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

Click photo to enlarge. Photo credit: Miss Universe LP, LLLP

11. SERBIA -- Teodora Marcic

Did great in all 3 rounds, especially Evening gown.
Pros: good catwalk, gown
Cons:
Obstacles/Hurdles: making the cut

12. GREECE -- Doukissa Nomikou

A very strong delegate yet not that impressive in the preliminary. But I have a feeling she might be picked anyway.
Pros: her stunning beauty, interview
Cons: the gown
Obstacles/Hurdles: outshining others on final night

13. ANGOLA -- Micaela Reis

The only strong delegate of African descent (not counting SA) I'm afraid.
Pros: facially beautiful, great in Evening gown
Cons:
Obstacles/Hurdles: Swimsuit round, making the cut

14. PERU -- Jimena Elias

Did good on the catwalk, just OK in interview
Pros: youthfully beautiful, good catwalk
Cons: bright yellow gown
Obstacles/Hurdles: interview

15. POLAND -- Dorota Gawron

I just have a hunch that she might make the cut for some reason. I also think she did well enough to get a spot.
Pros: blond and beautiful
Cons:
Obstacles/Hurdles: interview, outshining others on final night

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HIT or MISS

Spicy Latinas

The Latinas definitely blew everyone out of the water in the Swimsuit round.

Guatemala -- Alida Boer

This girl is excellent and seems well-prepared. Her performances in preliminary were top-notch. Great at interviews too. The only thing is she doesn't get too much credit for it...Verdict: should be a hit but will MISS

Colombia -- Eileen Roca Torralvo

I don't like the bangs (or fringe) on her so much that I was glad they were gone during the preliminary. But aside from that she did well in both rounds...Verdict: HIT

Paraguay -- Maria Jose Maldonado Gomez

I thought she was great pre-pageant but then she seems to have lost her spark. People also tend to overlook Paraguay for some reason. But I think she did well enough in the preliminary...Verdict: HIT

Dominican Republic -- Massiel Taveras

Another Taveras?? Some people seem to like her but I just don't see it. A little to dolled up...Verdict: MISS

Miss Universe 2007 - The Hosts & Judges

2007-05-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hosts

Mario Lopez

Best known for playing the role of A.C. Slater on the former hit sitcom Saved by the Bell. He also appeared on the American version of Dancing with the Stars 3 of which he finished in 2nd to Emmett Smith. Mario has had numerous hosting duties as well including the entertainment tabloid TV magazine Extra.

Vanessa Minnillo

Holding the title of Miss Teen USA 1998, Vanessa is best known for hosting MTV's Total Request Live and also as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. Vanessa will appear in the new sequel of Fantastic 4 (: Rise of the Silver Surfer) scheduled to be released this Summer.

Telecast Judges

Dayanara Torres - from Puerto Rico; Miss Universe 1993
James Kyson Lee - born in Korea; actor on NBC's drama series Heroes as Ando Masahashi
Lindsay Clubine - model on NBC's game show Deal or No Deal

Dave Navarro - Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist; TV personality
Nina Garcia - born in Colombia; Fashion Director for Elle magazine, Project Runway judge
Marc Bouwer - born in South Africa; fashion designer

Michelle Kwan - Chinese-American world-renowned figure skater
Tony Romo - Quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys
Mauricio Islas - Mexican telenovela and film actor
Christiane Martel - from France, now lives in Mexico; Miss Universe 1953, film actress

Preliminary Judges

Justine Pasek - from Panama; Miss Universe 2002
Adel Chabbi - French Celebrity hair stylist
Dimitris Margetas - Marketing Director for Proctor & Gamble's Prestige Products Inc.
Fred Howard - former model scout/manager for Elite Model Agency, now artist manager
Leigh Rossini - in-house publicist for Louis Licari Salons
Thuy Tran - Vietnamese-born, grew up in Hawaii; talent agent for Michele Filomeno Agency
Luis de Llano Macedo - Vice President of Televisa's Musical Programming

Miss Universe 2007 - The Set

2007-05-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

There have been talks about the unoriginality of this year's Miss Universe set as it is very similar to that of Victoria's Secret 2006 Fashion Show. Judge for yourself:

Miss Universe 2007 set:

Victoria's Secret 2006 set:

Some also have said that the set is too modern and doesn't show any culture. Well, you can stop worrying now because there will be plenty of "Mexican culture" added on to the set...and also expect lots and lots of stairs...yikes!!

Mr World 2007 - And the Winner is...

2007-03-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

Mr. Spain - Juan Garcia Postigo

Click photo to enlarge. Source: Chinese News Media

A pretty good winner. But they only had a top 12?

Mr World 2007 - Top 12

2007-03-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

Final 3
1st - Spain
2nd - Brazil
3rd - China

Final 5
- Chile
- Costa Rica

Semi-finalists
- Austria
- India
- Lebanon
- Nigeria
- Puerto Rico
- South Africa
- Ukraine

A pretty odd Top 12 in my opinion.

Mr World 2007 - Last Minute Prediction

2007-03-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Only a few hours away until we fall flat on our faces as we're proven wrong...but here's our Top 5 pick anyway:

Malta - very strong competitor and has looked incredible for the past 3 weeks
Brazil - still my personal favo(u)rite, there's absolutely no photo that he doesn't look good in
Egypt - we included him because he looks good and seems to be enjoying all the events, which the judges might see
China - not our personal favo(u)rite but being from the host country can definitely help him, we think the judges might put him through
England - another diplomatic pick but I think he's great, he also stands out because of his height

So who's your Top 5 pick?

Mr World 2007 - Final Night Preview (Dress Rehearsal)

2007-03-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Click photo to enlarge. Source: Chinese News Media

Formalwear

China and his fans

Casualwear

Beachwear

l

"Chinese warriors"

Mr World 2007 - Talent Competition

2007-03-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Lots of good performances by the guys. We have Bahamas pegged as the winner of this Fast Track event, but hey what do we know...

Click photo to enlarge. Source: Chinese News Media

Sri Lanka // Spain // Bahamas // Austria // China

Egypt // Singapore // Group

Talent - Final Presentation Preview

More photos at MrWorld.tv

Mr World 2007 - Contenders

2007-03-29T00:29:00.000-07:00

Not too much time left until the final night of Mr. World 2007. My schedule is also very tight, so I just have to post the rest of what we have briefly. There are tons and tons of photos that probably won't get posted...so sorry. BUT hours before the final event, I will post my last-minute prediction and ask for yours as well, so come back and post what you think!

Click photo to enlarge.

11.CHILE Patricio "Pato" Laguna
Patricio is actually pretty famous in his country (a B-list celebrity...possibly?). He was on El Baile en TVN, which is the Chilean version of the British 'Strictly Come Dancing' or the US 'Dancing with the Stars', or whatever it's called in your country. He got as far as 2nd place, which is bloody fantastic (hmm...we wonder who could possibly voted for him). What we really like though is the mature sexiness that he exudes (but also at times worn out). He also has one of the best bodies in the competition.

12.MACEDONIA FYRO Gjorgi Filipov
Macedonia is very attractive with unique facial features. Nice physique too. I personally like him a lot, there's this certain appeal about him. Although he's been quite under the radar so far.

13.ROMANIA Razvan Dobre
A late comer into the game but as soon as we saw these two videos, we were sold. Watch and see why: Video 1, Video 2

14.HONG KONG CHINA Francois Huynh
With the competition being in China, there's a good chance for a contestant from around that region to make the list. So we think it's a toss-up between Hong Kong and China, and we think it's an either/or situation. But Hong Kong seems a little stronger to us, even though the chance of China making it is higher.

Alt. CHINA Lejun Tony Jiang
China has a very, very good chance of cracking through the final. He gets quite a bit of solo attention from the Chinese press and Mr. World Org. itself as well.

15.Guadeloupe Siegfried Ventadour
Not many strong contestants of African descent in the competition but Guadeloupe is way above the others, so we think he has a shot. I personally like his face and his toned physique. He seems pretty confident too.

Photo credit to come soon.

Mr World 2007 - Contestants You may like

2007-03-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

Some of these are our favo(u)rites too but we had to put a limit somewhere. So we put the rest of the "strong" contestants here with no ranking (or is there...?). We thought you might like some of these.

Click photo to enlarge.

USA Travis Kraft

VENEZUELA Vito Gasparrini Dominguez

COSTA RICA Alonso Fernandez Alvarez

RUSSIA Roman Demchenko

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Johaney Albor

LEBANON Anthony Hakim

DENMARK Brian Nonbo

TURKEY Ertem Eser

Photo credit to come soon.

Mr World 2007 - Schedule of Upcoming Events

2007-03-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

22 MAR - 28 MAR: Rehearsal
29 MAR: Dress Rehearsal
30 MAR: Final Rehearsal
31 MAR: Mr. World Final event, with celebration dinner party

Random photos from events:

Click photo to enlarge.

Brazil // China, Guadaloupe & the Cranes

Egypt & Lebanon // The Tigers

Mr World 2007 - Event Updates

2007-03-26T00:52:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been an update on Mr. World Official site lately, so we're taking it into our own hands to update you!

22 MAR 07: Boat Rowing Challenge

Click photo to enlarge. Source: Chinese news media

2007-03-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

22 MAR 07: Outdoor Obstacle Course

The teams of contestants once again competed in an outdoor obstacle course on the beach. The barriers included an "electrical network" that contestants had to leap through without touching, and a "crossing the river on the same boat" course where a blind-folded contestant must carry another contestant on their back across a bamboo beam.

Click photo to enlarge. Source: Chinese news media

2007-03-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

20 MAR 07: "Blue Ribbons" and bottle gourds

Wearing blue ribbons on their necks, the contestants participated in a Buddhist-style pledge to protect the sea and the environment. They wrote their wishes and pledges on bottle gourds and signed their names on the billboard.

Click photo to enlarge. Source: Chinese news media

2007-03-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

18 MAR 07: Raft Building Challenge

The teams (Hawks, Cranes, Dragons, Tigers) were given bamboo sticks, ropes and a block of polystyrene to build a seaworthy raft in less than 40 minutes. No instructions were given what so ever. Teams then launched their rafts in the sea with 2 representatives. The Dragons with Romania and Ukraine as their representatives, came up with a superior design for their raft and won.

Click photo to enlarge. Source: Chinese news media

The teams:
Cranes

Tigers

Hawks

Dragons

2007-03-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

17 MAR 07: Beach Fashion Show

Contestants took the catwalk next to the South China Sea to model in 3 rounds: summer beach wear, colourful and traditional Hainan shirts and shorts, and casual evening wear. They also had a BBQ dinner, and a display of fireworks. Italy and Lebanon got to show off their Chinese cooking skills to the guests and contestants, while Philippines received a cocktail maker set for his victory in the Cocktail Challenge.

Click to enlarge. Source: Chinese news media

Malta // Greece // Brazil // Netherlands // Turkey

Poland // Spain // Germany & Greece // Poland // Italy

Spain & Sri Lanka // Austria & Bahamas // China & Colombia

For details and pictures of past events, visit Mr. World Official Site

Mr. World 2007 - Strong Contenders

2007-03-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Line

6.England Warren Harvey
24 // 6'7" tall (200 cm) // Fitness instructor, body builder // Final year student in Business Management // Sports: basketball, golf, football, bodybuilding, wrestling // Impersonations: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Homer Simpson, Austin Power // Ambition: career in TV entertainment // Speaks English

With Mr.World being British-owned, we'd be silly not to include England but that's not the only reason why he should do well. Warren has an incredible body, a good face, and at 6'7" he's really hard to miss (not to mention his mesmerizing accent).

7.Mexico Jorge Aceves Villalpando
22 // Has 7 brothers // High school student (?) // Hopes: share his country's culture with other contestants, have an integrated life and become a great father // Believes: spiritual life is just as important as physical appearance, emphasis on his studies // Loves his country so much that he wants to travel it widely to learn about his land & its peole // Sports: football // Speaks Spanish, English

Mexico has gained some attention in the competition but what we like about him is his looks and how he presents himself. He manages to always look good, although a little old for his age.

Photo credit to come soon.

2007-03-25T00:53:00.000-07:00

Added (25 MAR 07): Philippines pictures & photo credit

8.Philippines Emmanuel "Bhobby" Mago
26 // Has 9 siblings // Started playing basketball in secondary school, became a varsity player in high school // Competed in National Games, other commercial leagues // Earned Athlete of the Year // Goal: show the world the wonderful traits, talents of Filipinos

One of the most handsome and exotic faces in the competition. I was glad he won the national competition but I was disappointed by his subpar physique. We hope that during the months he had before heading to China, he'd been hitting the gym.

9.Malta David Camenzuli
20 // Father: Maltese, Mother: Swedish // Footballer & Model // Master of languages // Studied in Australia before joining Italian Serie A soccer club AC Sampdoria for 4 years // Also represented Malta at international football tournament // Ambition: become a supermodel // Likes to read, listen to music // Speaks English, Italian, Swedish, French

A rare species in this competition: blonde. Malta is a professional football (or soccer) player for the Pieta Hotspurs F.C., who has been getting a lot of attention in the competition as of late.

10.South Africa Dieter Voigt
28 // From Mossel Bay // Sports Coach, Model // Coaches 7 Graders at Mikro Primary // Sports: Athletics, running, hurdles // Believes: the youth of South Africa holds the key to the future & he's a part of the new generation that'll change the world in a positive way // Speaks Afrikaans, English

Nice face, nice body. He's very athletic as well. Dieter finished third in Men Health's Look 2005 (South African version), a modeling and adventure/endurance competition, as seen in the last 9 photos.

Photo credit: All - mrworld.tv; Philippines - OPMB Worldwide; Malta - Focus Models, Mr World Malta; South Africa - Men's Health SA, Topcomodels

New Photos - Mr. World 2007

2007-03-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

Added (24 MAR 07):

Brazil
Egypt
Puerto Rico

Have pictures you think should be posted? Send them to juror.no12@yahoo.com.

Mister World 2007

2007-03-12T02:44:00.001-07:00

The British-owned Mister World competition is about to take place in Sanya, China on March 31, 2007.

The format of Mr. World is still unknown. The only thing we know so far is that there will be the Fast Track events (similar to Miss World) where winners from each category automatically make the semi-final. Talent, Sports, and Iron Man are the categories this year.

Some of the contestants don't really have extensive profiles, so we can only judge from what I know. And with much contemplation and consideration, these are the 5 front runners we've picked...with more contenders to come.
_________________________________________________
Click on thumbnails to enlarge the pics. I've had so many glitches so my apology if things don't look right on your browser.

Added (24 MAR 2007): Correction on Egypt's name

Front Runners

1.BRAZIL Lucas Gil
22 // Model, nutritionist // Works with teenagers and single mothers in a social program(me) // Sports: soccer, working out, jiu-jitsu // Enjoys music, reading, dancing // Talent: Forro dance // Speaks Portugese

Lucas is perfeito! He has this youthful, hunky looks to him and his body is well proportioned with a good mass on him. He also has this captivating charm that I like. The down side is that Brazil already won back in 2003, which was the last time Mister World was being held. As much as I think it shouldn't matter, it always does. So we'll see if Lucas can pull the impossible with a back-to-back win for Brazil.

Lucas competed in Mister Ecologia Brasil 2004 and won the title. He was 20 back then. Nice national costume, Lucas.

And here is my favorite picture of Lucas. Nothing like Mister Brazil World getting his teeth done!

2.SPAIN Juan Garcia Postigo
25 // Model, actor, event host // Well-travelled // Hobbies: fishing, football, water skiing, cooking // Ambition: working in television as an actor, entertainment presenter // Speaks Spanish, Italian, English

Ahh...everyone's favo(u)rite. I think he looks very handsome but he kinda lacks that hunkiness that the others have. I think if the judges are looking for a mature winner, Juan could definitely be it. I think his charm will also help his chances.

3.AUSTRALIA Harley von Moger
21 // From Geelong, Victoria // 3rd year Engineering/Commerce at Deakin University // Named Geelong's Bachelor of the Year 2006 // Ambition: become a multi-linguist, travel the world, help the poor & needed, write a book // Interests: running, cycling, motorcycling, soccer, rock climbing, healthy & active lifestyle, movies, fashion

This guy is so...pretty. He also has one of the best physiques in the competition. I personally would have put him in 2nd if not for the fact that he could be seen as the young-amateur-college-boy type. But I definitely think he has a lot of potential to win. He's also very athletic.

4.EGYPT Omar Emad
24 // Born in Cairo, raised in USA // Computer Graphics graduate // Sports: swimming, football, basketball, volleyball, horse riding // Dance specialties: Arabic, Latin, Hip hop // Speaks English, Arabic, French // Interested in cultures and challenges

With the original Mr. Egypt dropping out due to the ever-so-popular "personal reason" (I received a tip that his dad is having a surgery), we now have Omar Emad as the replacement who I think is 10 times better (OK maybe 5). He was the 5th Runner-up in Mr. Egypt 2006 (6th place?!?). From the limited amount of pics I've seen, this part-time model, UCLA graduate has a good shot at winning. He's got the hunky looks, great physique, intelligence AND he's good at sports--which is a big focus, so he should do well.

5.PUERTO RICO Ariel "Romeo" Quinones
25 // From Salinas, Puerto Rico // Bachelor's degree in Management // Sports: javelin, weight lifting // Won gold for javelin at the Central American Games // Ambition: become a coach and successful businessman // Works with young people with distress/low self-esteem through sports training // Speaks Spanish, English

I must say that I was torn picking someone for the 5th spot. Romeo's facial features are very angular and strong that I think you'll either really like him or.....you don't. But I think his face is sexy, dark, and mysterious, and he has a good body too.

Another pointer for Romeo is that he definitely has the experience. He competed in Manhunt International 2005 and placed 4th runner-up. He also competed in another competition called International Male Model back in 2002 where he won a couple awards--Photogenic & Best Body. He's also very good on the runway from what I hear. So I think he has a shot but I'm not so sure if he can win this one though.

Photo credit: All - mrworld.tv; Brazil - grau10.net, Miss Brasil Mundo; Spain - Miss-Espana, GettyImages; Australia - Titomedia; Egypt - Miss Egypt Online

Miss Universe 2006

2006-06-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the new Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera Mendosa and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for their 5th win.