0 Beauty Pageant Minute: Miss World 2012 Finals, The Winner, Evening Gowns and the Contestant who SHOVED (VIDEO!)

And The New Miss World Is...

 The Prettiest Woman in the World: Miss World 2012, Miss China P.R. Yu Wenxia

This past weekend--on Saturday April 18th--the finals of the 62nd annual Miss World pageant took place. They were held in Ordos Inner Mongolia China. 116 contestants from all over the world competed and the final winner was crowned: Miss China P.R. Yu Wenxia (or Wen Xia Yu), who hails from Liaoning. She's 23 years old, stands 1.78 m tall (approximately 5' 10") and according to her bio, is an aspiring music teacher.

Incidentally, Yu Wenxia (above) also won the Miss World Talent Award--beating out the favorite Miss Philippines Queenierich Rehman who did beatboxing(!) as her talent. The new Miss World will now spend her year working for charitable causes, fulfilling her duties traveling around the Globe racking up her frequent flyer miles, and yes, looking GORGEOUS.

Crowning Moment: Miss World 2011 Venezuela's Ivian Sarcos, crowns the new Miss World, Yu Wenxia of China, while First Runner Up, Miss Wales Sophie Moulds (L) and Second Runner Up, Miss Australia Jessica Kahawaty (R), look on, Dongsheng Ordos Stadium Arena Ordos Inner Mongolia China

As always, there's been a great Web-o-sphere debate, discussing whether or not she had a "home field" advantage and if she was the "best" or prettiest one of the bunch . Early favorites were Miss Mexico, Miss India and Miss South Sudan--who eventually took the Miss World Top Model 2012 consolation prize (more on that, further in this post).

Miss World 2012 stage with contestants in evening gowns, Dongsheng Ordos Stadium Area, Ordos Inner Mongolia China

A lot of pageant followers (Missosologists as they are called), say that it was "fixed"--the pageant was in China, and the Ordos Inner Mongolia China organizers spent A TON (billions of dollars at some estimates) to have the international pageant in their city--so the rumor is that basically this was a "gift" to the country, the government and the Ordos city organizers. Next year, the Miss World will take place in Bali Indonesia by the way. And we still do not know where this year's Miss Universe will be.    

Miss World 2012 Opening Number--tribute to Inner Mongolian culture

The Production: Speaking of Miss Universe, the Miss World pageant--in terms of the two-hour final telecast on Saturday which was televised in the US on E! Entertainment at 8 a.m.(!) on Saturday--was a little boring for me. It lacked the excitement, "spark" and nail-biting "I-Can't-Wait-To-See-Who-Will-Win" finale. They really need some updating in terms of production and well, getting into the 21st Century in terms of putting on a show like this. The Miss Universe Org. has them beat on this one.

Confetti Queen: Miss World, Yu Wenxia of China (Center) waves as First Runner Up, Miss Wales Sophie Moulds (L) and Second Runner Up, Miss Australia Jessica Kahawaty (R), pose perfectly

Now, back to the Winner: I think Yu Wenxia, Miss China P.R. was beautiful and deserved to win. She immediately caught my attention after she modeled in the 1436 Erdos by Graeme Black Fashion Show for the Top Model Competition last week.

The future Miss World 2012, Yu Wenxia in 1436 Erdos by Graeme Black Fashion Show, Top Model Miss World 2012 Competition

She looked breathtakingly gorgeous in a halter color-blocked maxi dress with her side-slicked hair style and clean model makeup. I remember thinking to myself "there's your winner!"

My "Surprise" Omissions, Continental Queens of Beauties, and the Evening Gowns:

Left to right: Miss Ukraine Karina Zhyronkina and Miss Equatorial Guinea Jennifer Riveiro Ilende

Some surprise omissions from the Top 15 Semifinalists for me were Miss Ukraine, Miss Equatorial Guinea, Miss Colombia and Miss Venezuela. Ukraine and Equatorial Guinea (above) had two of the most BEAUTIFUL faces among the 116 contestants and...

Left to right: Miss Colombia Barbara Turbay and Miss Venezuela Gabriella Ferrari

Colombia and Venezuela were "Pageant Perfect" according to many pageant followers and some even thought Miss Colombia was a strong favorite to actually win. I loved Colombia's royal purple-colored strapless fitted-to-mermaid shaped satin gown with crystal underbust detail designed by Sergio Perez (top left). It fit her PERFECTLY and looked expensive and very well made.

I also liked Venezuela's ivory with gold gown. It featured a completely sequined torso that then "exploded" into a feathered mermaid bottom. It was designed by Miss Venezuela Pageant Designer King, Gionni Straccia. As always, Venezuela ALWAYS brings on the Pageant Gown COUTURE when it comes to their international beauty ambassadors.

Continental Queens--(Left to right) AFRICA: Miss South Sudan Atong Demach; EUROPE: Miss Wales Sophie Moulds; Miss World 2012; CARIBBEAN: Miss Jamaica Deanna Robbins; AMERICAS: Miss Brazil Mariana Notarangelo

The Good Gowns:

Ivian Sarcos Miss World 2011 from Venezuela wore a UBER fitted (she could barely walk, bless her heart!) mermaid sequined lace applique embroidered ivory gown designed by Venezuelan designer Hugo Espina. She looked SUPERHUMAN and taller than anyone within 100 feet of her! Incredible. Gown Score: 9.9

Miss China P.R.: The eventual Miss World wore a Cobalt Blue beaded fit-and-flare gown with a satin bow at the waist and shoulder covering detail. It was a very "Pageant Safe" gown--there was no HOOCHIE slit (thank goodness!) , no crazy "She Looks Like Big Bird from Sesame Street" silhouette, nor did she choose a gown that looked too costume-y. Score: 8.9

India and Mexico: Semifinalists Miss India Vanya Mishra and Miss Mexico Mariana Berumen wore two of the most outstanding evening gowns in Saturday night's pageant.  
Miss India's was a gold with black concoction that was fitted at the torso then merged with a blush-colored flowy long skirt. Score: 8.9
Miss Mexico's gown was Sofia Vergara Va-Va Boom WOW! She really looked perfect from head to toe and almost competed with last year's Miss World (in that mermaid-shaped white gown) in the "Who Stands Out More On Stage" top prize. I think it's a tie! Score for Miss Mexico's Gown: 10

Wales and Australia

Miss Wales Sophie Moulds (L) was the First Runner Up (and yes, in case nude photos of Miss China P.R. are discovered...she will be the new Miss World). Sophie wore a baby blue gown that was (again) fitted at the torso and past the hips and then exploded into a multi-tiered ruffled bottom half. There was a cute bow at the center front bust topping it all off. It was sweet, appropriate but lacked drama and the "Wow" factor shown by Mexico's gown, for example. It was fives steps from being too "Prom". Score: 8.4
Miss Australia Jennifer Kahawaty's (R) gown was great! Loved the deep purple color, it looked great against her olive skin, dark hair and exotic looks...

The gown was created by Melbourne Australia fashion house Belluccio. They're known for outfitting top pageant girls Down Under and are famous for their applique-filled, Swarovski-encrusted gowns. Jennifer's had intricate embroidery woven into the bust and high-hips, gathered cinched waist and gathered chiffon full skirt with a "hidden" slit. Score: 9.5

Miss South Sudan Atong Demach won the Top Model Award and was a favorite to win. Unfortunately, at the Finals on Saturday Night, she wore a not-so-high fashion canary yellow taffeta high-low gown that looked too "1986 Pageant Betty". It looked like a dress one finds in any Prom/Pageant boutique from here to Poughkeepsie:

I would have preferred to have seen her a FIERCE gown that had references to a Givenchy/McQueen runway knockoff. Something like what Miss Naomi Campbell wore at the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony. A boy can only wish...

Speaking of Not The Best of Gowns...

Miss Hungary and Miss Netherlands: Miss Hungary Tamara Cserhati's (L) gown--so sweet and perfect for my 14 year old niece. And Miss Netherlands Nathalie den Dekker's (R) gown-- a complete WASTE of white tulle; a Tutu NOT!

Miss Portugal and Miss Thailand: Mother of the Bride (Miss Portugal Melanie Vicente--L) meet the Crazy Drunk Aunt from Boca (Miss Thailand Vanessa Herrmann--R)

Miss Cote D'Ivoire Helene-Valerie Djouka (far left): the National Parade of Nations called and they want their costume back; Miss Finland Sabrina Sarkka (in pink) is Barbie on a Budget; and Miss Guadeloupe Brigitte Golabkan (in blue) is just a Can-Can Hot Mess. What do these girls think? Where are their Gay Best Friends? Do they not read Vogue? Or see the Awards Red Carpet shows or watch me on the after-the-awards red carpet shows? It frustrates me to no end...

And before I forget--The PUSHY Beauty Queen:

Bi*** MOVE!!!! Miss Malawi shoves Miss New Zealand out of the way

There was a "Mini Pageant ESCANDALO" in the beginning of Saturday's Miss World Finals (it wouldn't be a beauty pageant without a little bit of a scandal)--As the 116 contestants from all over the world were being introduced--one by one--a pesky and PUSHY Miss Malawi Susan Mtegha (above right) SHOVED poor Miss New Zealand Collette Lochore out of the way so she could get her "2 seconds of camera-time fame" (it seems Miss New Zealand was on the wrong mark or was taking a second too long holding her pose). In case you missed it, someone captured it on YouTube for our enjoyment (and discomfort):

Miss New Zealand Gets Pushed by Miss Malawi at Miss World 2012 Finals--Watch the Video Below:

Congrats to the new Miss World and I hope you never get to stand next to Miss Malawi during your one year reign!!!
 

Crowning of Miss World 2012 and Top Three Announcement--VIDEO:

0 Pageant Minute: Miss World 2012--World Fashion Designer Award Competition--The "Oh Dear"!!!

Beauty Pageant Evening Gown "Oh Dear"!

Where Is Miss Mongolia On This List? Keep Reading...

If you're an avid pageant-watcher (and if you are reading this, you probably are), you know that the 62nd Annual Miss World contest is happening in Ordos Inner Mongolia China and the Final Live Telecast will take place in a couple of weeks on August 18th.

Well kids, it's here--my Nick "Oh Dear, What was SHE Thinking?" List of Gowns from last week's Miss World 2012 "World Fashion Designer Award Competition. In the last post here on my little ol' blog, I talked about some of my favorites in the bunch. So, now...let's get to the CHA CHA, too-high SLITS, Is-This-a-National-Costume-or-an-Evening Gown?, "Big Bird" inspired Feathered MESSES:

Cha Cha Queens:

Miss Costa Rica Silvana Sanchez: No, no and NO! (I think that is UNIVERSAL in every language). I want to put a big banana-and-pineaple Carmen Miranda turban atop her head to just finish this ensemble off. That's what she is missing. Score: 4.5 (out of 10 in case you are wondering)

Miss Bosnia and Herzegovina Fikreta Husic: Havana Cuba, here I come!! Or is it Rio?? Remove those tacky hem-piped ruffles on that over-the-shoulder capelet and change those 1988 pumps, and then, maybe then, we can discuss...Score: 5.0

Miss Serbia Bojana Lecic: OK, first off: she's GORGEOUS. But this gown. Who. Puts. WIRING on the hem of a ruffled high-low gown like this? She's not a Circus Clown from Cirque du Soleil! And then, what is hanging off her shoulder? It's called EDIT! How do you say "Poor Thang" in Serbian? Score: 4.9

Miss Bulgaria Gabriela Vasileva: Little PEACH Bo Peep Stripper Fab. That's what I would call this dress. Last year's Miss World, Ivian Sarcos of Venezuela, won in something that was (somewhat) similar to this, so she probably felt "Hey, I want something like this" and told her designer to create it. Bad idea. The oversized earrings and stripper platform heels did not help. Score: 5.5

The HOOCHIE Awards Go To:

Paris and Snookie: Miss Kazakhstan and Miss Belgium

First, let's begin with Miss Kazakhstan Evgeniya Kleshina (left pic above). This red lace and feathered mermaid-style gown with silver bust cups is a HOOCHIE fab. It's NOT the Las Vegas AVN Porn Awards huney, it's MISS WORLD! Those platform heels SLAY me. So tacky. Score: 4.5

Miss Belgium Laura Beyne: I'm sure Laura is a sweet girl but why did she think Snookie from Jersey Shore was an Evening Gown Muse?  I cannot say more. Score: 4.9

She Didn't Even Try Award Miss Slovakia Kristina Krajcirova: Poly-satin strapless gathered gown with badly-constructed rippling hem.This is a gown one would see at a prom-and-bridal shop, for 75% off. Score: 4.5

  

Too Muchey Award Miss Honduras Jennifer Valle: Let's just throw everything AND the kitchen sink...into a gown. Can you just imagine if this ended up on the Project Runway catwalk in front of Michael Kors and Nina Garcia? Or on an award show red carpet? Plain and simple, it's CHONCHEE! (Latino for TACKY!). Score: 4.9

Feathered Messes:

Guadeloupe and El Salvador

Miss Guadeloupe Brigitte Golabkhan (left): is so beautiful I can't even breathe. However, she chooses to wear this black and magenta satin and feathered concoction of a gown to the Miss World "World Fashion Designer Award" Competition last week, and well, her beauty stock for me, just went down. Score: 5.2

Miss El Salvador Maria Luisa Vicuna (right): Too much lace, too many feathers, and then the mermaid shape. She was trying for a Beyonce-at-the-Met and well, she achieved a gown in a San Salvador Drag Show. Score: 5.0

The Bahamas and Ukraine

Miss Bahamas Daronique Young (left): I give her points for the "I'm a Mermaid Princess" look. She does look kinda HOT in this two piece ensemble. But, isn't this more of a costume than an evening gown? How many peacocks did it take to make this gown? Score: 6.0

Miss Ukraine Karina Zhyronkina (right): Let me begin by saying that she is STUNNING! She should either win Miss World 2012 or at least be on the Final podium (it's like the Pageant Olympics!). But this gown. There's something both beautiful (the sequin detail looks expensive and I like the black and blue color combination) but...the feather applique and side cut-outs on the torso, it all adds to a dress one would see atop a Gay Pride float. Score: 7.0

Rosette Queens: Indonesia and Uganda

Miss Indonesia Ines Putri Tjiptadi Chandra: If this gown was placed in front of Michael Kors on Project Runway, he'd say she looked like she was POOPING feathered rosettes. Score: 4.8

Miss Uganda Phiona Bissu:  Awww, bless her little heart. Miss Uganda's gown reminds me of those dresses that are made entirely of toilet paper... I really wish there was something more I could say. Score: 4.5

National Costume Awards:

Miss Kenya Shamim Nabil: OK, maybe I am confused. I know that the Miss World "World Fashion Designer Award" is about highlighting the fashion design talent of the contestant's nations. So...is this also the National Parade of Nations Costume Parade? Can it be too redundant for a "Miss Kenya" to be wearing animal print safari as an evening gown? I think even the safari tourists would run away from this. Score: 5.0

Miss Cote d'Ivoire Helene-Valerie Djouka: Because she looks so darn cute, I am giving her points. Otherwise, on any one else, this still would be a pseudo-costume mess of an orange dress. And is that an iridescent poly organza overlay?? NOOOO!!!! Score: 6.4

And My Favorite of the Group:

Miss Mongolia Bayaarma Huselbaatar: I don't even know where to begin with this one. But I'll try. Bayaarma gets MAJAH "Nick Points" in the "Bringing Out Your Inner Drag Queen" part of working a runway catwalk. This gown/costume is rather FAB in a kooky way. The headdress is very John Galliano for Dior "Tutankhamen" Collection from back in the day.  
For ALL of this, I give her my Score of 8.0. It's a MESS but a mess that makes a gay man smile.