Miss Universe 2020 Review and Recap

BY admin May 28, 2021

Feature Image: Benjamin Askinas

If I had to describe the 69th edition of Miss Universe to someone in three words, I would say “full of surprises.” Before I get into why it was “full of surprises,” let me tell you a little about the Miss Universe 2020 pageant. Miss Universe 2020 took place on May 16th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Mario Lopez and Olivia Culpo hosted the show alongside expert analysts Paulina Vega (Miss Universe 2014), Demi-Leigh Tebow (Miss Universe 2017), and Cheslie Kryst (Extra Correspondent and Miss USA 2019). Pitbull was originally going to be the musical guest, but he had to backout last minute for unknown reasons. Luis Fonsi took his place.

Miss Universe 2020 was a bit different than previous editions. The selection by continents, opening statement, and the final word were all taken out. Instead of a top 16, there was a top 21, and those 21 ladies would all compete in swimsuit, but only 10 would compete in evening gown. From 10, it got cut down to 5 and those 5 ladies would then answer a question and make a final statement based on a specific topic. After the question and final statement, the 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st runners-up are announced as well as the winner. Now, let’s jump into the review and recap.

Opening Number

In my opinion, the opening number was lackluster. All of the girls danced to a number of Pitbull songs and Zozi made a few appearances. I know that Pitbull was originally supposed to perform at Miss Universe, and if Pitbull was able to make it, the opening number would have been better. It would have had a lot more energy and been more entertaining. Within the opening number, the contestants were introduced with a prerecorded closeup. I really liked the introduction of the girls because the girls introduced themselves and not someone on the production staff like they have done in previous editions. Hearing the girl’s voices adds a personal touch to the show, which I really liked.

Top 21 Announcement

Top 21: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, France, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam (Popular Vote Winner)

What the heck happened? Where was South Africa? Canada? Nepal? Romania? Venezuela? I was in disbelief to see these girls not make it into the top 21. There are two scenarios that could have happened which resulted in them not making it: (1) they did not do well in interviews or (2) the batch of girls this year was too strong and there were not enough spots for all of them. When thinking about it, I think a mixture of the two occurred.

The Miss Universe 2020 batch of contestants was one of the strongest batches that I have ever seen. Fellow pageant analysts (or whatever you want to call us) agree with me and to the point of some of the them not making hot picks because they did not have a clear idea of who was going to make it into the top 21, let alone win the whole thing.

While interviews can rattle some people and make them not perform their best, I have a really hard time believing South Africa, Romania, Canada, and Venezuela did not do well during the interviews because they are such wonderful speakers. However, part of me thinks that something must have happened – whether that was a trip-up when speaking or they did not standout amongst the rest – during the interviews because these ladies are so incredible that I do not see any other way of them not making it into the top 21.

With all of that said, I do believe that all of the girls who made it into the top 21 earned it. I followed this year’s Miss Universe pageant very closely and I saw how hard each of them worked every day while at the pageant and during their preparations for the pageant.

Swimsuit

Dance Town opened up the swimsuit round with some Latin dancing. I love dancing and watching people dance, so I thought it was a nice touch. I understand that this is not for everyone, but I liked it.

Once Dance Town performed, the ladies came out. All of the ladies were wearing capes this year, and I did not like the capes. The capes looked like a robe made out of thin fabric. Not my style. When the capes and swimsuits matched, I liked the capes more, but overall, it was not something I cared for. The swimsuits on the other hand, I really liked. The swimsuits were designed by Ema Savahl and each one of them were handmade.

My top 10 in swimsuit (in no particular order):

  1. Peru
  2. Jamaica
  3. Mexico
  4. Dominican Republic
  5. India
  6. Puerto Rico
  7. Brazil
  8. Nicaragua
  9. Thailand
  10. Costa Rica

Although Colombia, Myanmar, and France did not make it into my top 10, I just want to give them a shout-out. Laura (Miss Colombia) was fierce while being cute. She really let her personality shine, which I liked. Thuzar (Miss Myanmar) was absolutely stunning! Her walk was subtle and powerful at the same time. I am so proud of how far Amandine (Miss France) has come with her catwalk. I have followed Amandine ever since she competed at Miss France. I am not going to lie, when she won the title of Miss France, I was a bit nervous about how well she would do at Miss Universe given her catwalk was not very strong. However, Amandine worked hard on her catwalk and it showed. I was very pleased with her performance.

Top 10

Top 10: Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Thailand

As you can see from my top 10 favorites in swimsuit, 9 of my favorites made it into the top 10. I love Maria (Miss Australia) and I have loved her even before she won the Miss Universe Australia title. Like Miss France, Maria did not have the strongest catwalk out of all of the contestants, but I can tell she worked on it. Maria is intelligent, caring, vivacious, and beautiful, and for that, I understand why she made it further into the competition.

Evening Gown

All of the contestants graced the stage to Leslie Odom Jr.’s “Go Crazy.” I really liked the song used in the evening gown competition because it went well with the stage, the contestants, and their gowns. When it comes to the gowns, none of them really wowed me. I preferred the girls’ preliminary gowns over the final night gowns.

My top 5 in evening gown (in no particular order):

  1. India
  2. Brazil
  3. Mexico
  4. Peru
  5. Thailand or Costa Rica

Miss India, Miss Brazil, Miss Mexico, and Miss Peru strutted the stage like they were royalty. They knew they were queens and they were not afraid to let everyone know it. They were all regal, enchanting, and sultry. My fifth favorite was between Thailand and Costa Rica. Both gave a strong performance – their look, walk, aura, everything. I cannot choose between the two.

Top 5

Top 5: Brazil, Dominican Republic, India, Mexico, and Peru

There was and is no question that India, Brazil, Peru, and Mexico, were the stars of the evening gown competition. The fifth spot in the top 5 was up in the air for me. Thailand and Costa Rica were my next favorites for the final spot in the top 5. However, Dominican Republic took the fifth spot. Similar to Miss Australia, Kimberly (Miss Dominican Republic) is a great speaker and she did do well during the evening gown portion of the competition, so I am not mad about it.

Top 5 Q&A

First up was Mexico. Mexico’s question came from Brook Lee, which was “If you were the leader of your country, how would you have handled the COVID-19 pandemic?” Miss Mexico said that she would have shutdown the country before the pandemic hit its peak. She continued and said that there isn’t a perfect way to handle this situation, but she would have started the safety process earlier because so many people lost their lives and they didn’t deserve that.

I think the content of the message is good, but the deliver could have been a bit smoother. I understand that Andrea’s (Miss Mexico) first language is not English and that is okay. You do not have to have flawless English in order to place high in or win Miss Universe (or Miss World for that matter [I’ve been a follower and fan of Andrea since she competed in and placed 1st runner-up at Miss World 2017]). I am just nitpicking and pointing out how the deliver could have been smoother, thus making an even bigger emotional impact on the audience. Overall, it was good answer.

Next was India, and her question came from Tatyana Orozco. The question was, “Should countries lockdown due to COVID-19 despite the strain on their economies, or should they open their borders and risk a potential increase in infection rates?” Miss India said that there has to be a balance between the economy and people’s health. The government has to work with the people and create a plan that will benefit both the people – not increasing infection rates – and the economy – not letting the economy crash.

This is a very valid answer. There has to be a balance between the economy and health in order to run a successful society, especially for countries that have a lot of their economic wealth tied to international trade. Therefore, I agree with and like Adline’s (Miss India) answer.

Brazil was up next, and her question came from Sheryl Adkins-Green. The question was, “In many countries, women are still considered incapable of being world leaders. Convince these countries that their wrong.” Miss Brazil said that just because women are not currently encouraged to take up big roles like men are, it does not mean that we are incapable. Women are here for a reason and we can do a lot when given the space to. Our potential is being wasted by being tossed aside. “Take your power!”

Julia’s (Miss Brazil) answer was backed with a lot of power which made her appear more confident. She had a couple trip-ups during her answer due to trying to find the right words, but her conviction was so strong that it didn’t make one dwell over the stumbles. The message within the answer was very good. While women are starting to appear in higher roles in society, stigma is still there and that negatively affects women’s opportunities in society. I am a fan of this answer.

Dominican Republic’s question came from Christine Duffy, and that question was, “The night she won Miss Universe, Zozi Tunzi explained the importance of teaching leadership to young girls. How would you do that as Miss Universe?” Miss Dominican Republic said that she grew up with a family full of women who shaped her into who she is. With this and her non-profit group in mind, she knows that she does not need to change her pageant status (Miss DR to Miss Universe) to continue to help others.

When Kimberly (Miss Dominican Republic) answered her question, she chose to speak in Spanish and use a translator. With that being said, when it comes to understanding her answer, I went off of what the translator said. Therefore, I do not know if the translator was 100% correct (any longtime pageant fan knows that translators are known for their mishaps). With that out of the way, I am not the biggest fan of this answer. One of my pageant pet peeves is when contestants do not fully answer the question and Miss DR did that here. You can kind of grasp her intent which was to say that she will continue to keep on doing what she currently is doing, but she did not directly say that nor go into detail about what she is currently doing to teach leadership to young girls (or maybe she did and things got lost in translation).

Finally, it was Peru’s turn. Zuleyka Rivera’s question to Peru was, “What would you say to the women watching tonight who are currently experiencing sexual or domestic abuse?” Miss Peru answered by saying that she admires the strength of these women and she has been in their shoes. Due to her experience with abuse, she works to help prevent girls from experiencing what she did. Miss Peru ended her answer by telling girls to never let anyone “silence your voice.”

In my opinion, Janick (Miss Peru) had the best answer. She answered the question, incorporated a little about her story and work, and ended it by leaving everyone with a powerful message. Hats off to you, Janick.

Top 5 Final Statements

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0wj4jxwgnw

Each contestant selected a topic and they then had to discuss the topic for 30 seconds.

Mexico: Changing beauty standards

Miss Mexico talked about how stereotypes are alive in our society. Nonetheless, beauty does not just come from one’s outside appearance, but what is on the inside and what actions they do to express their inner beauty. She ended by saying that one’s level of value comes from them and not others.

Andrea (Miss Mexico) spoke in Spanish and used a translator (just an FYI). By Andrea speaking in Spanish, I saw her glow and speak effortlessly. She spoke with passion, and I loved it! When it comes to the actual message, it is not unique. While it is important to keep this message spreading throughout our society, it is nothing that we haven’t heard before. Either way, the message itself is good, positive, and worth repeating.

India: Free speech and the right to protest

Miss India spoke about the protests that we have all witnessed and pointed out the protests women have held regarding equal rights. Everyone deserves to be treated equality and to have a voice. However, “with every right comes a responsibility.” Use your right in a powerful way while using it responsibly.

Adline’s (Miss India) statement covered both of the topics (free speech and the right to protest). She spoke about the importance of protests and what they have accomplished throughout the years and how free speech is necessary to get change. She also touched on free speech as a general term. With the right of free speech comes a responsibility to not abuse it. Use your voice in a way that is positive and not in a way that is negative. Very good statement.

Brazil: Mental Health

Miss Brazil immediately voiced that the stigma in our society regarding mental health is what is keeping people from receiving the treatment they need. We need to normalize talking about and handling mental health issues because we are all human. We need to come together and help one another because when we come together, we can get through anything.

MIC DROP!! In my opinion, Julia’s (Miss Brazil) statement was perfect! I know how important mental health is, so when Julia started to grill into people’s heads that mental health has to be normalized and the stigma needs to go away, I had the biggest smile on my face. Her message was even more powerful than the words itself with the strength and seriousness in her voice and on her face. Loved it!

Dominican Republic: Global Poverty

Miss Dominican Republic mentioned how the poverty rate has increased in her country since the pandemic. With her representing the Dominican Republic, she is proud that her representation can help bring more tourism to her country. There are so many people in the world that need our help and we can help them.

Kimberly’s statement seemed unfinished. I was expecting her to finish her statement regarding tourism, but that did not come. Again, I assume that she meant that her representation would bring tourism to her country, which would help create jobs and decrease poverty rate. I think her statement would have been better if she mentioned the tourism sentence last instead of putting it in the middle of her statement. This would have made the overall flow and understandability of the statement better.

Peru: Climate Change

Miss Peru started by saying that everyone has to start making changes to positively effect our planet. Starting by simple tasks and teaching the youth so they can keep the change going. She continued and mentioned that we only live once, so now is the right time to start taking care of our planet.

Janick (Miss Peru) had a strong statement. Her voice, facial expressions, and hand movements, made her statement come alive. It made her statement feel more personal because it made you feel like you were listening to a human and not a robot. Overall, I liked both her statement and her delivery.

Results

4th runner-up: Dominican Republic – Kímberly Marie Jiménez Rodríguez

3rd runner-up: India – Adline Castelino

2nd runner-up: Peru – Janick Maceta del Castillo

1st runner-up: Brazil – Julia Gama

Winner: Mexico – Andrea Meza

I was surprised when India was announced 3rd runner-up, but I was completely shocked when Peru was announced 2nd runner-up. If I were judging, based on the Q&A and final statements, my result would be: Miss Universe – Peru, 1st runner-up – Brazil, 2nd runner-up – India, 3rd runner-up – Mexico, and 4th runner-up – Dominican Republic. Hands down, Peru had the best answer and final statement. Brazil’s final statement is what makes me put her ahead of India. Mexico had a good answer and final statement, but it did not have as much of an impact on me as Peru’s, Brazil’s, and India’s did. Dominican Republic would then round out the top 5 by placing 4th runner-up.

Even though I was shocked to see that Peru did not win, I am not mad about Mexico winning. Like I mentioned earlier, I have followed and been a fan of Andrea since she competed at Miss World. I know how well of a speaker and representative she is. Therefore, I do not have any doubt that she will be a fantastic Miss Universe.

A video of Brooke Lee was posted on Instagram explaining why Andrea (Miss Mexico) won, and she touched on what I just said above. The winner of the competition is not solely decided on her answers to the final question or her final statement. They are looking for a Miss Universe who is not only a good speaker, which Andrea is, but someone who has a big heart and will be a good representative of the Miss Universe Organization.

To end this review and recap, I want to congratulate all of the women who won their national titles and made it to the Miss Universe pageant. This is one of the biggest stages in the world and you were one of the lucky ones who got to stand on it. Big congratulations to Andrea Meza on winning the title of Miss Universe 2020! I look forward to seeing what incredible adventures you are going to embark on as our new Miss Universe. Good luck on your reign, Andrea!