Miss India Nicole Faria wins Miss Earth 2010

After two consecutive 1st Runner Up placement in 2006 & 2007, India has finally won its first Miss Earth crown when its delegate Nicole Faria took the Miss Earth 2010 title last night, December 4, in Nha
Trang, Vietnam.

20-year-old Nicole was actually the top favorite of most of the pageant's followers including Mykiru and she obviously didn't
disappoint.

She also bagged the Best in Talent Award, becoming the 2nd "Talent" awardee of Miss Earth to end up as crownholder. The first was the dethroned Miss Earth 2002 Dzejla Glavovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nicole Faria is also the 2nd Asian to win Miss Earth, after Philippines' Karla Paula Henry only 2 years ago.

Last night's Final Q&A was so exciting because all questions to the Top 7 finalists were "recycled", questions which were already asked in the previous editions of Miss Earth. That was probably to bring out the environmental message of "RECYCLING", though "re-use" was the more appropriate term 'coz they used the same and exact questions from the past.

Miss India's final question was: "Which has more significance in your life: sunrise or sunset?", also the question that made Dzejla Glavovic won in 2002.

The Official Results of Miss Earth 2010:

MISS EARTH 2010: India, Nicole Faria (2nd from left)

MISS EARTH-AIR 2010: Ecuador, Jennifer Pazmiño (1st from left)

MISS EARTH-WATER 2010: Thailand, Watsaporn Wattanakoon (2nd from right)

MISS EARTH-FIRE 2010: Puerto Rico, Yeidy Bosques (1st from right)


TOP 7 FINALISTS:
Japan, Marina Kishira
South Africa, Nondyebo Dzingwa
Venezuela, Mariángela Bonanni


TOP 14 SEMI-FINALISTS:
Czech Republic, Carmen Justová
Italy, Ilenia Arnolfo
Russia, Viktoria Shchukina
Ukraine, Valentina Zhytnyk
USA, Danielle Bounds
Vietnam, Lưu Thị Diễm Hương


SPECIAL AWARDS
Best in Swimsuit -
Vietnam, Lưu Thị Diễm Hương
Best in Long Gown - Ecuador, Jennifer Pazmiño
Best in National Costume - Japan, Marina Kishira
Miss Talent - India, Nicole Faria
Miss Photogenic - Thailand, Watsaporn Wattanakoon
Miss Friendship - Guatemala, Sue Ellen Castañeda
Best in Aodai - Serbia, Tijana Rakic


With the exclusion of Philippines from the Top 14 and Vietnam being out of the Top 7 (though she deserved a much higher placement), Miss Earth has proven this year that it doesn't favor anybody unlike in the 2 major pageants held a month ago when the host delegates were secured with a very high placement during the finals.

It was actually the most satisfying results ever of Miss Earth.

Mykiru's prediction list correctly guessed the Top 2 winners as well as 11 of the official Top 14 semi-finalists.

Except for Ukraine, who only ranks 42nd on Mykiru's list, all of the final Top 14 were among Mykiru's Top 30 faves.

Photos courtesy of Carousel / VnExpress.net

Miss Earth 2010 Results Predictions: India, Ecuador, Vietnam & Venezuela in the Top 4

The 10th Miss Earth (2010) pageant is happening in 5 hours at the Vinpearl Nhatrang in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam.

Eighty-four (84) lovely candidates are competing for the Miss Earth 2010 title. Who will she be?

This year's batch of Miss Earth beauties is actually the best in 10 years, but it's actually not hard to pick who the best candidates are.

Four candidates really stood out since the pageant started early November and they are the candidates from Ecuador, India, Venezuela and Vietnam. Any of these 4 ladies could be the Miss Earth 2010 titleholder tonight.

But since this is Miss Earth pageant, which sometimes produces the most surprising winner, it's actually anybody's game.

Take for example Miss Earth 2007 Jessica Trisko from Canada and last year's Miss Earth 2009 Larissa Ramos from Brazil. They were not the huge favorites but they ended up as winner.

But If I were to ask, I would love to see India winning Miss Earth 2010. The country may not have been so successful this year in other major beauty pageants, but hopefully in Miss Earth, India will succeed to end on top.

And also, Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International titleholders this 2010 are all from the Americas. Can we expect Miss Earth to continue the trend? or will they atleast choose a winner not from the said continent? We shall see.

Here's how Mykiru predicts the results of the Miss Earth 2010 pageant finale happening later: (ranking based on Mykiru's final scores and the Fun Poll Results)

MISS EARTH 2010: India, Nicole Faria


MISS EARTH AIR 2010 (1ST RUNNER UP): Ecuador, Jennifer Pazmiño


MISS EARTH WATER 2010 (2ND RUNNER UP): Vietnam, Lưu Thị Diễm Hương


MISS EARTH FIRE 2010 (3RD RUNNER UP): Venezuela, Mariángela Bonanni


TOP 7 FINALISTS:
5. Thailand, Watsaporn Wattanakoon
6. Puerto Rico, Yeidy Bosques
7. Italy, Ilenia Arnolfo


TOP 14 SEMI-FINALISTS:
8. Czech Republic, Carmen Justová
9. Philippines, Kris Psyche Resus
10. Serbia, Tijana Rakic
11. Australia, Kelly Louise Maguire
12. Japan, Marina Kishira
13. South Africa, Nondyebo Dzingwa
14. Russia, Viktoria Shchukina

CLOSE SHOTS:
15. USA, Danielle Bounds
16. Mexico, Claudia Lopez Mollinedo
17. Brazil, Luisa de Almeida Lopes
18. Guam, Naiomie Jean Santos
19. Kosovo, Morena Taraku
20. Poland, Beata Polakowska


STRONG ALTERNATES:
21. Norway Iman Kerigo
22. Chile Pamela Soprani
23. Peru Silvana Vásquez
24. Bolivia Yovana O'Brien
25. Bosnia & Herzegovina Ema Golijanin
26. French Polynesia Mihiatea Ruta
27. Netherlands Desiree van den Berg
28. Costa Rica Allyson Alfaro
29. Germany Reingard Hageman
30. Tonga Glena Lavemai


HONORABLE MENTIONS:
31. Colombia Diana Marin
32. Korea Lee Gui-joo
33. South Sudan Atong de Mach
34. Crimea Anastasiya Sienina
35. Dominican Republic Wisleidy Osorio
36. Switzerland Liza Andrea Küster
37. Canada Summer Anne Ross
38. Indonesia Jessica Aurelia Tji
39. Nepal Sahana Bajracharya
40. Nigeria Inara Isaiah

Miss Vietnam Lưu Thị Diễm Hương named Best in Swimsuit at Miss Earth 2010 pageant

Miss Vietnam Lưu Thị Diễm Hương, the host delegate of Miss Earth 2010
pageant, scored the highest during the Swimsuit Competition held last night at the Morning Star Theatre of Thuan Thao Resort in Phu Yen, Vietnam.

Though Miss Vietnam was the most applauded candidate last night, it
still came as a surprise that she won as Best in Swimsuit.

Reportedly, even the Vietnamese crowd didn't expect it 'coz a Top 5
placement for Miss Vietnam in the Swimsuit Competition was already fine with them.

I was expecting Miss Venezuela Mariangela Bonanni to win this award, but at least, she was among the Top 5 along with Misses Czech Republic
(Carmen Justova), Ecuador (Jennifer Pazmiño) and Norway (Iman Kerigo).

Ecuador, Venezuela, Vietnam, Czech Republic and Norway

Venezuela, Czech Republic and Ecuador were also among the Top 5 in the Long Gown competition held a few days ago. Ecuador won that round.

That goes to show those candidates plus Vietnam are huge contenders in Miss Earth 2010.

Except in 2003, all previous Best in Swimsuit recipients in Miss Earth, since it started in 2001 thru 2009, made it to the semis. 7 of the 8 awardees finished in the Top 4 and 1 of them eventually won as Miss Earth (in 2005).

Photos courtesy of VNExpress

Ecuador's Jennifer Pazmiño is Miss Earth 2010's Best in Long Gown | Serbia's Tijana Rakic is Miss Ao Dai

Two major awards were handed out last night at the Miss Earth 2010
pageant in Diamond Place Resort, Nha Trang, Vietnam.

One was the Miss Ao Dai awarded to Miss Serbia Tijana Rakic and the Best in Long Gown which went to Miss Ecuador Jennifer Pazmiño. Both
Serbia and Ecuador are actually considered among the favorites in the
pageant.

The Ao Dai is a traditional costume in Vietnam and Miss Serbia wore it best, beating even Miss Vietnam Luu Thi Diem Huong who failed to be in the Top 5. In an interview by VNExpress.net, Serbia said that she felt like a princess wearing Ao Dai.

The Top 5 finalists for Miss Ao Dai were Chinese Taipei (Hsing
Jung-Lui), Korea (Lee Gui-joo), Nicaragua (Junieth Rosales) and
Philippines (Kris Psyche Resus).

The evening gown competition followed after the Ao Dai round. Miss Ecuador's crystal white gown won for her the Best in Long Gown award:

The Top 5 Best in Long Gown were as follows : (Ang ganda ni Venezuela!)

Brazil, Luisa de Almeida Lopes


Czech Republic, Carmen Justová


Thailand, Watsaporn Wattanakoon


Venezuela, Mariángela Bonanni

In the past 9 editions of Miss Earth, the candidates who won as Best in Long Gown all ended up as semi-finalists, with 5 of them placed in the Final 4. But none of them went on to become the Miss Earth
titleholder.

Photos courtesy of VNExpress (first 3 pix) and Thanh Nien Online (last 4 pix)