I already introduced to you the first 15 candidates of Miss Universe 2012 HERE. Now, I would like to introduce to you another 7 beautiful candidates. We’ll call this group as – The Replacements. Literally, these ladies replaced the winners of the national pageants and were given the chance to compete for the Miss Universe crown.
There were various reasons behind the replacement but we will not dwell on those. Our focus here is the to verify if the choice was wise indeed…
Adwoa Yamoah (Canada)
Photo Credits: http://www.missuniverse.com
Adwoa placed second in the Miss Universe Canada 2012 competition. She replaced Sahar Biniaz who was a pre-arrival favorite of fans. She was born in Ghana but immigrated to Canada at a very young age. She teaches dance (Hip-Hop) professionally, She is currently working in promotions & marketing in one of Canada’s biggest media companies.
I’ll come clean. Sahar was a favorite of mine thus it is difficult for me to accept this “late” replacement. There is no use in crying over spilled milk, they say… So, i should focus on what Adwoa may offer to the competition. She is a dancer and like every dancer, her body seems to be toned and pageant ready. I am just hoping that despite the late replacement, she was able to prepare enough to compete in a very tight race for the crown. Her beauty is really not my cup of tea so it’s a Nay for me!
Ioanna Yiannakou (Cyprus)
Photo Credits: http://www.missuniverse.com
Ioanna was crowned as the 2nd runner-up in Miss Cyprus 2012. She was given a chance to compete in Miss Universe after she replaced Ntaniella Kefala. Ioanna is currently studying at the European University in Cyprus and is hoping to work in either aesthetics or acting.
I haven’t seen her yet… Or if I did, I already forgot and that is not a good sign. She looks divine in the Miss Universe website ans she towers at 5’11” so I am seeing a good chance for her to leave a wonderful mark in the competition. It’s a Nay for me now because I wanna see more from her!
Dulcita Lynn Lieggi (Dominican Republic)
Photo Credits: http://www.missuniverse.com
Dulcita replaced a fan-favorite – Carola Duran – thus it made the beauty pageant world abuzz. Dulcita was the first runner-up of the Miss Republica Dominicana 2012 pageant. Dulcita is into movies and is hoping to study film production. She spent her childhood in several countries such as Italy and USA.
I was a fan of Carola but I still adore Dulcita… My only question is – Where the h*ll is she? She might not (yet) be on the league of Ada Aimee BUT I am seeing a very big potential from this lady! Definitely a Yay for me!
Natalie Korneitsik (Estonia)
Photo Credits: http://www.missuniverse.com
Natalie was declared as the first runner-up of Miss Estonia 2012 and replaced Katlin Valdmets in competing at Miss Universe 2012. This 5’9″ stunner lists photography, piano and writing as her interests. Such a classy lady! Something interesting about her is her collection of Starbucks cup from different cities and countries.
I actually like her! She has this angelic face that Miss Universe has been embracing lately. Sash factor might be a factor thus the less interest from fans. She needs to stand-out and stand-out BIG in order to be noticed. She is a yay for me now!
Channa Divouvi (Gabon)
Photo Credits: http://www.missuniverse.com
This will be the first time that Gabon is participating in Miss Universe. The country made an impression when it replaced Marie-Noelle Ada. Channa, the first runner-up in Miss Gabon 2011 pageant, was given the chance to compete in Las Vegas. Channa was raised by a mother who is blind and her dream job is to own an association that helps the visually impaired in her country.
Channa has the advantage because beauty pageants usually highlights the countries that participated the first time. The challenge for this lady is the fact that she is overshadowed by some candidates in her group pictures. If we will be talking about Black Dolls this year, she needs to give way first to Bahamas, Curacao and Trinidad & Tobago. It is such a competitive batch. She is a Nay for me now!
Shilpa Singh (India)
Photo Credits: http://www.missuniverse.com
Another infamous replacement this year was with Miss India Universe. A lot of buzz was created when Urvashi Rautela – a crowd favorite – was replaced by Shilpa Singh. The fans were unforgiving and I saw some “unflattering” words about her. Shilpa is a dancer and a model and was given a chance to travel and live in different cities in India. She is currently working as a software engineer (which is by the way really cool for a beauty queen).
Shilpa probably can’t fill the Urvashi’s place – at least in my opinion. Urvashi was touted as the lady who will bring back the glory days of India. Don’t get me wrong, I find India beautiful. Her face is rather a classic Indian face! But her hieght, styling and inability to shine in a crowd of beauty pageants blocks her way even just to the Top 15 list. She is a Nay for me!
Talia Bennett (New Zealand)
Photo Credits: http://www.stuff.co.nz
I actually learned about this replacement just recently. Talia – 1st runner-up at Miss Universe New Zealand 2012 pageant – replaced Avianca Bohm due to some citizenship issues. Talia actually has some interesting roots – with a Maori native father and an Italian mother. As what indicated in her Miss Universe profile, Talia thrives on physical activities such as racing in a Porsche 911 GT3 and reaching a speed of 130 mph (whew!)
Talia actually looks beautiful in her MU profile picture. I specifically love her cheek bones (rather I envy her because of her cheek bones). She is rather short at 5’8″ specifically this year where the favorites are at 5’11” minimum… Based on the official pictures that i’ve seen, I also have some issues on her styling.
Please note that Marie Payet (France) is also a replacement of Delphine Wespiser but I already featured her in another post. Check it HERE!
So, will the replacements be lucky enough to bring home a semifinalist spot? We’ll see on the 19th!
–Kattera–
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