Miss World 2017: Head to Head Challenge Groups 1 and 2 Review

Miss World's exciting new Head to Head Challenges kicked off this week as the groups were introduced to the global audience after the draw which determined the 20 groups. For this round of competition, each contestant's introduction video followed by a question about their video from host Frankie Cena. The contestants all answer a final question which they receive before the show at the end of the segment. Voting is then opened to the public who can like a contestant's facebook page or vote for them on Mobstar or the Miss World website. The winner of each group will advance to the Miss World top 40. 

Global Beauties invited one of the United Kingdom's top beauty pageant experts, Sally-Ann Fawcett to help GB's Andre Sleigh score the first two groups and provide us with some commentary. Fawcett has been following the Miss World Pageant for more than four decades and she understand what it takes to make a good impression at this pageant. She is also the author of the hugely popular Misdemeanours books and has acted as judge at several pageants, including Miss Great Britain, Miss International UK, Miss Wales and Miss Northern Ireland. 

Let's take a look at Group 1: 

ITALY: Conny Notarstefano

Global Beauties Score: 83.5

Sally-Ann Fawcett (SAF): I thought Italy was very pretty and very eloquent. To me, she lacks that je ne sais quoi but I really did like her final question. 

GB: Italy impressed with her answers. They had depth and substance and it was a great surprise to hear her speak so well. 

ANGOLA: Judelsia Bache

Global Beauties Score: 70.0

SAF: I feel that Angola lacks the sophistication to win. She is very young but she does have a lovely smile and she is very sweet. 

GB: It's a shame that Judelsia didn't have more time to prepare. I see potential in her and I think with the right training, she could have made more of an impact. It's good to see them back though. 

AUSTRIA: Sarah Chvala

Global Beauties Score: 87.0

SAF: Austria has elegant, classic good looks and, again, she has got the European stiffness about her, which is part of her culture, but I really liked her answer. 

GB: Sarah was the surprise of the round for me. She looked beautiful and she spoke extremely well. It would be nice to see Austria place again at Miss World. I gave her the highest score in this round. 

GUADELOUPE: Audrey Berville

Global Beauties Score: 78.5

SAF: I really like Guadeloupe. She has got fabulous eyes and a beautiful smile. She is very young but she gave a very eloquent answer. I gave her the highest score in this round. 

GB: Sally's assessment of Guadeloupe caught me by surprise. While I agree with her comments about Guadeloupe's striking good looks, I didn't find her interview particularly impressive. 

GEORGIA: Keti Shekelashvili

Global Beauties Score: 70.0

SAF: Wow, fantastic cheekbones. I didn't find anything particularly special about her interview. She gave a good answer but I don't think she's going to progress much further. 

GB: I agree completely with Sally-Ann on this one! She came across as a sweet girl but it will be tough for her to beat the likes of Italy and Austria. 

Bahamas: Geena Thompson

Global Beauties Score: 76.5

SAF: She was very charismatic and probably the most articulate of the group. 

GB: Once again, I agree with Sally-Ann but I am not seeing the Miss World crown on her head. She did give some great answers, though. 

It's time for Group 2: 

ISRAEL: Rotem Rabi

Global Beauties Score: 71.0

SAF: Israel's got some real modern girl model looks. She is not classically beautiful but she's got this appealing modern look. I really like her but I didn't think her final question was that good at all. 

GB: I do agree that Rotem's looks are more on the modelesque side. I must say that I was positively surprised by her speaking skills. 

COTE D'IVOIRE: Mandjalia Gbane

Global Beauties Score: 80.0

SAF: I found her presentation video very interesting about her country but I wasn't particularly inspired by her interview or final question. 

GB: Sally-Ann's score was a surprise to me. I found Mandjalia absolutely stunning and I love her story. It's a shame, she can't speak English, but I am so impressed by what I have seen from her. She is the best delegate that her country has sent in a very long time in my opinion. 

MAURITIUS: Bessika Bucktawor

Global Beauties Score: 72.5

SAF: She was very pretty and charming but lacking sophistication to win or advance much further but she gave a good answer. 

GB: I was missing a bit more warmth from her but I do have to say that she is the best girl from Mauritius in a while. I wouldn't mind seeing Mauritius place. 

ALBANIA: Joana Grabolli

Global Beauties Score: 71.0

SAF: I wasn't inspired by her presentation video or her interview but she actually gave a very good answer to the final question. 

GB: I agree with Sally-Ann. She is very young and it showed, but she did come to life more during her final answer. 

BOLIVIA: Jasmin Pinto

Global Beauties Score: 82.5

SAF: She is probably the most classically beautiful of the group. She gave a good final question and she is a good all rounder. 

GB: Bolivia has sent a very strong girl this year. She is gorgeous and I hope she goes very far in this year's Miss World. 

ARGENTINA: Avril Marco

Global Beauties Score: 84.5

SAF: My favourite by far from this group was Argentina. She is very natural, very charming and very articulate and I think she is one of the best Argentinian candidates for some years. 

GB: Argentina was stronger than I thought, but I was more drawn to Cote d'Ivoire and Bolivia. That being said, it's about time Argentina placed again at Miss World and I would not be surprised to see her go through. 

Special thanks to Sally-Ann Fawcett

Sally-Ann Fawcett is one of the United Kingdom's best known pageant personalities. Having followed beauty pageants for more than four decades, she is a wealth of knowledge. A former contestant herself, Sally-Ann is now a regular face on many judging panels across the United Kingdom. The latest book in her Misdemeanours trilogy, Mis-3-meanours: Second Runner-Up, was released yesterday and it can ordered here: 

Buy Miss-3-Meanours on Amazon!