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 Philippines Kris Psyche Resus fails to enter Top 14 semis of Miss Earth 2010

Four Asians made it to the Top 14 semi-finalists of Miss Earth 2010 pageant held earlier tonight in Vietnam.

But sadly, Miss Philippines Kris Psyche Resus isn't one of them.

The official Top 14 semi-finalists were:

(in random order)

India, Nicole Faria
Ecuador, Jennifer Pazmiño
Vietnam, Lưu Thị Diễm Hương
Venezuela, Mariángela Bonanni
Thailand, Watsaporn Wattanakoon
Puerto Rico, Yeidy Bosques
Italy, Ilenia Arnolfo
Czech Republic, Carmen Justová
Japan, Marina Kishira
South Africa, Nondyebo Dzingwa
Russia, Viktoria Shchukina
USA, Danielle Bounds
Ukraine, Valentina Zhytnyk

It was the first time that the Filipino-owned pageant was held outside the Philippines.

But it was not the first time in its 10-year-history that Philippines didn't make it to the semis.

It already happened in 2007, when Jean Harn failed to be called as one of the semi-finalists.

Notice that the 4 Asians who made the cut this year were all recipients of special awards given prior to the finals: India - Best in Talent, Vietnam - Best in Swimsuit, Japan - Best in National Costume and Thailand - Miss Photogenic.

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 India Nicole Faria bags Miss Earth 2010's Best in Talent award

Miss India Nicole Faria has bagged the Best in Talent award of Miss
Earth 2010 pageant.

An early favorite, the 20-year-old Indian beauty bested 17 other
talented Miss Earth 2010 contestants during the talent competition held last night at the Diamond Place in HCM, Vietnam.

It's the first time that India won Best Talent in Miss Earth. But unlike in Miss World, winning the award is not a guarantee that she's already a sure semi-finalist on December 4.

In the past editions of Miss Earth, only three Best in Talent awardees entered the semis. That was in 2001, 2002 and 2006, but in 2002, the
candidate who won Best Talent (Bosnia and Herzegovina) eventually won
as Miss Earth 2002.

After the Talent competition, next important events in Miss Earth 2010 are the Grand Press Presentation which is today, National Costume Show on Nov. 13, Ao Dai / Gown Competition on the 17th, Swimsuit on the 20th, Prelims on December 2 and finally, the Grand Coronation on Dec.
4.

Here's the results of last night's event:

The Top 5: Crimea, India, Vietnam, Japan & Singapore

BEST IN TALENT: India (Nicole Faria)

Top 5:
Crimea (Anastasiya Sienina)
Japan (Marina Kishira) Singapore (Maricelle
Rani Wong)
Vietnam (Luu Thi Diem Huong)

MISS VIETNAM AIRLINES: Vietnam (Luu Thi Diem Huong)

Top 18:
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Ema Golijanin)
Botswana (Onalenna Gaopalelwe)
Brazil (Luisa de Almeida Lopes)
England (Sandra Marie Lees)
Guam (Naiomie Jean Santos)
Guatemala (Sue Ellen Castañeda)
Guyana (Soyini Fraser)
Ireland (Alesha Gallen)
Italy (Ilenia Arnolfo)
Jamaica (Kai Ayanna McDonald)
South Africa (Nondyebo Dzingwa)
Thailand (Watsaporn Wattanakoon)
Tonga (Glena Lavemai)

Photos courtesy of Miss Earth Foundation / Thanh News Online