Miss Universe 2022: Brazilian goes well in preliminary – 01/12/2023 – From belt to crown

New Orleans

In the early hours of this Thursday (12), the preliminary stage of the 71st edition of Miss Universe took place in New Orleans, in the United States. This phase is considered the most important moment of the contest, as it is when the judges actually choose the finalists who will fight for the crown in the final show, which will be this Saturday (14).

The 86 candidates paraded in bikini, formal dress and traditional attire, for a jury —this time made up 100% of women— and for a very excited audience. Who decided for the women’s bench was the Thai businesswoman Anne Jakrajutatip, the transgender billionaire who bought the contest last October. Upon arriving at the theater, the businesswoman was surrounded by a large group of fans who wanted to take a picture with her.

About a third of the seats in the auditorium at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, located in the city’s financial district, were occupied by national directors of the pageants that elected this year’s contestants, as well as fans of beauty pageants and family members of the contestants. . The rest were empty.

Among the spectators were the relatives of Mia Mamede, 27, from Espírito Santo, who went to cheer for the representative of Brazil this year. Flag in hand, they were anxiously waiting for her to enter the stage. “She’s going to rock!” said one of the relatives in the group, alongside Mia’s father, mother and brother.

And then the colorful scenery came on, reminiscent of Mardi Gras (the New Orleans carnival), with a background full of lights simulating the starry universe. Afterwards, the two presenters of the night entered, one of them the Indian Harnaaz Sandhu, current Miss Universe, leading the public to make noise and show presence.

As the candidates entered, one by one, it was possible to identify a strong crowd, among others, for the Misses from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Thailand, United States, Philippines and, of course, Venezuela —the latter, the biggest winning Latin country, with seven crowns .

MISS SEASONING

In addition to the crowd, it was possible to perceive expressions of admiration and excitement when the misses made an impressive entrance on stage. Whether with a puffy dress, whose shape was transformed, or with a perfect pivot in the bikini parade, what the miss fan wants to see on stage is “lacração”.

“They love a miss who delivers performance”, commented the director of Miss Universe Brazil, Marthina Brandt, who was watching the event unfold. Despite the apparent tranquility, it was noticeable that she was anxious to see the performance of the Brazilian and her competitors.

Mia, on the other hand, demonstrated confidence and technique in her four appearances: the first in a pink beaded dress, the second in a bikini and blue capes, followed by the glittering silver ball gown with shades of pink and, finally, with the typical costume inspired by the legend of the mermaid Iara.

“Let’s see what they’re talking about,” said Marthina, opening her cell phone to check Miss Brazil’s official profiles on social networks. “The repercussions are positive”, she commented with a certain relief in her eyes.

Others also caught the attention of those present, among others: Miss Australia’s cracked belly; the Miss Bahrain look, with a silver dress and a hood covering her head; Miss Spain’s tribute to Angela Ponce, her 2018 predecessor, who is a transgender woman; the participation of Miss Ukraine, referring to the war in her country, as well as the silence of the audience at the entrances of Miss Russia, for the same reason.

Watching the show live, in person, is undoubtedly a different experience from the televised one. And following the preliminary round closely makes it possible to see the reactions of the technical jury, which, after all, is the one who will deliver the valuable names of the finalists to the artistic jury to decide who takes the crown.