Miss World 2017 Head to Head Challenge Groups 9 and 10 Review
The 9th and 10th groups were the first two groups to film their Head to Head Challenges in Sanya and this also means that we are halfway through this round of competition. In actual fact, we could also have seen the next Miss World speaking to us already, but who knows... the competition is hard to predict this year and there are still several more favourites coming up soon.
Returning to help us score Round 9 is the Queen of 'Miss-Demeanours', the UK's lovely Sally-Ann Fawcett while Puerto Rico's Master of Miss World Knowledge, Edwin Toledo, is also back for Round 10. They joined GB's Andre Sleigh in scoring the girls' presentations, beauty, poise, charisma and answers.
It's time to meet the ladies in Group 9:
INDIA: Manushi Chhillar
Global Beauties Score: 90.50
GB: Do I think Manushi is the most beautiful or the most well-spoken Miss India in recent years? Probably not... but what I do feel is that she the most complete contestant they have sent in a while. She ticks all the boxes - she's beautiful, charming, charismatic, articulate and sweet. I'm going to say she's a crown contender/
Sally-Ann Fawcett (SAF): She is everything an Indian Miss World finalist should be. She's beautiful, she's articulate, she's intelligent. She's got the whole package. It could well be India's year again. Who knows?!
BULGARIA: Veronika Stefanova
Global Beauties Score: 72.50
GB: She's better than I thought... prettier and she she has toned down her look to try and make it a bit less sexy and a tad 'sweeter'. Though I still don't think she fits the Miss World mould, I thought she did better than expected.
SAF: Bulgaria is beautiful and she has got a very good platform, tackling eating disorders, which is a very timely cause to support as well.
GREECE: Maria Psilou
Global Beauties Score: 67.50
GB: Miss Greece has certainly been interesting and entertaining to follow, but she definitely does not scream Miss World. I do think she answered her question well though.
SAF: She's got a good face and a lovely smile, but I think she's missing that special quality to be Miss World though.
ECUADOR: Romina Zeballos
Global Beauties Score: 78.50
GB: I was a bit disappointed because she wasn't as strong as her pre-pageant photos suggested she would be. Though I think she did a good job in this round, I didn't find her particularly memorable.
SAF: I really liked her. She's not one of the front-runners but she probably gave one of the best final answers of them all. Very eloquent, very good-looking. I think she will do very well in the final.
EL SALVADOR: Fatima Cuellar
Global Beauties Score: 88.00
GB: Regardless of what happens, I think she is one of the best delegates I have ever seen from her country - at any pageant! She is really pretty and she seems intelligent, sweet and sincere. I am rooting for her to do well. It's about time El Salvador get their first placement at Miss World.
SAF: She is the best candidate that El Salvador has probably ever sent and her doe-eyed look and charm will give them their best placement for years.
FINLAND: Adriana Gerxhalija
Global Beauties Score: 81.00
GB: I was a bit disappointed because I had high hopes for Adriana, but her styling did nothing to highlight her beauty. I still think she came across as sweet, sincere and charming though.
SAF: She's very articulate, beautiful and very intelligent. Her promo video was great. I just feel that in the flesh there's something that doesn't quite sit right with me. I hope I'm wrong though, because I would really like to see Finland doing well again.
We have hit the halfway mark with the ladies from Group 10:
ARUBA: Anouk Eman
Global Beauties Score: 82.50
GB: What a lovely surprise! I loved her introduction video and she seemed very sweet. She's got a great story, which she was able to convey in an honest and sincere way. She's really well-spoken. I was impressed.
Edwin Toledo: She spoke well and looked confident. She delivered more than I expected. She truly deserves kudos for the way she has handled her health condition. Quite inspirational. Very engaging and charming. Strong contestant.
LAOS: Tonkham Phonchanhueang
Global Beauties Score: 60.00
GB: It's Laos' first time being on the Miss World stage and Tonkham was the lucky one selected to represent her country at this year's competition. She is cute but quite raw and this group turned out to be more competitive than I thought it would be. She tried her best to show that she can communicate in English but I struggled to understand what she was saying. I saw more charisma when she spoke in her mother tongue.
ET: Welcome Laos! It always great to see new nations joining Miss World. Regarding her interview, I felt she needed to speak in her native language. It was very difficult to understand what she said during her first answer. I'm glad she switched language for her final answer since it helped her confidence.
GHANA: Afua Asieduwaa Akrofi
Global Beauties Score: 87.50
GB: I keep repeating myself but the African girls are STRONG! Afua is beautiful and bubbly. She seems very driven too and I hope she makes it to the top 40 at the very least!
ET: Stunning girl. My favorite of this group. She delivered her answers with confidence although she came off sometimes a bit rehearsed. Africa this year has such a strong group of contestants and Ghana is definitely one of them.
HUNGARY: Virág Koroknya
Global Beauties Score: 65.00
GB: In terms of beauty, I do think she's one of the nice surprises. She also seems sweet and sincere but I don't think she was strong enough.
ET: She's very pretty but felt very stoic and it looked like she was saying something she memorized which certainly did not help.
NETHERLANDS: Philisantha van Deure
Global Beauties Score: 76.50
GB: She's more telegenic than photogenic and I think she is extremely bright and well-spoken. This group was filled with great communicators and she is certainly one of them. She handled it like a pro.
ET: I miss the Netherlands contestants sent by Kim Kotter which were always outstanding. I commend Philisantha for being eloquent, smart and answering very well. She has charm and she gave a strong final answer.
INDONESIA: Achintya Holte Nilsen
Global Beauties Score: 92.00
GB: Achintya is not conventionally pretty but there is something very uniquely beautiful about her. She is also very intelligent and well-spoken and handled this challenge with ease. If she does well, I sincerely hope it's in her own right, without her national director sitting on the panel of judges.
ET: She exuded serenity and intelligence in her answers and was very confident. I really liked her. She certainly looks better on video than on photos. I loved her final answer. I'm expecting her to continue Indonesia's good streak in Miss World.