THE PRETHOUGHTS



FIRST ROUND PRETHOUGHTS (November 10, 2026)










Who will take the crown away from Miss Universe 2025-Fatima Bosch of Mexico and be crowned MMXXVIss Universe otherwise known as Miss Universe 2026? Let's just hope we don't have such blatantly rigged results this year!! HBO is airing its documentary on November 12 featuring Omar Harfouch who was supposed to be a judge and performer last year but withdrew claiming Raul Rocha Cantu who co-owns the Miss Universe pageant suggested that he vote for the Mexican delegate.
The three-part investigative documentary is called "Crown of Deceit: Inside the Miss Universe Scandal" airing on TLC and HBO Max on November 12. It was directed by Pat McGee amd the three-part series investigates alleged corruption, voting manipulation, fraud, extortion, secret NDAs, and leadership failures within the Miss Universe organization highlighting some key Controversies including: Co-owner Raul Rocha faced frozen bank accounts and criminal/cartel-linked investigations. Co-owner Anne Jakrajutatip was convicted of fraud and sentenced to prison. Past judge resignations and allegations of pre-selected or rigged finalists. It also looks like the recent Miss USA scandals will also be discussed. Some pageant notables included in the documentary are: Taylor Hale-Miss Michigan USA 2021 and winner of Big Brother U.S. 2022, Brittany Mason-Miss Indiana USA 2008, Noelia Voigt-Miss USA 2023, and People Magazine writer/reporter, Zoey Lyttle—detailing personal experiences of misconduct, grooming attempts, and institutional pressure.

The big day is November 24 at 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Reelz in the USA (not Canada). Telemundo is airing the Spanish version. There probably will be a Youtube livestream of national costumes, preliminaries and hopefully finals on the official Miss Universe YouTube page for countries that don't have an official livestream.

Here is the updated list of the schedule of events for the ladies in Puerto Rico:
Nov 8 - Delegate Arrivals (Registration/Shooting/Fitting/Rehearsal)
Nov 11 - Official Welcome
Nov 12 - Delegate Activities
Nov 13 - Beauty on the Beach
Nov 14 - Ray of Hope: Pink Universe
Nov 16 - Puerto Rico, A Beauty That Transcends The Universe
Nov 17 - Universe Gifts
Nov 18 - Meeting With the Candidates
Nov 20 - A Night For Remembrance
Nov 21 - National Costume Competition
Nov 22 - Preliminary Competition (Swimsuit and gown)
Nov 23 - Farewell to Fatima Bosch
Nov 24 - The grand finale for Miss Universe 2026 (airing 5 p.m. Pacific Time/8 p.m. Eastern Time)



The format should be similar to last year with the top 30 competing in swimsuit cutting to a top 12 competing in gowns with the top 5 answering a final question. To my knowledge, the crown has not changed. They will still use the Miss Universe crown designed by Philippines-based jeweller, Jewelmer first used in 2024.

The official Miss Universe youtube channel where we should be able to watch preliminaries is https://www.youtube.com/missuniverse

It’s now two weeks to pageant day and the delegates have arrived in Puerto Rico which means it’s time for my highly anticipated first round prethoughts!





QUE VIVA PUERTO RICO!


Brenda Robles-Miss Puerto Rico 1994 during the 1994 Miss Universe parade of nations yelling, "Que Viva Puerto Rico!"
To borrow a line from Brenda Robles-Miss Puerto Rico 1994 who uttered this magical phrase during the 1994 Miss Universe Parade of Nations (Brenda was pregnant when she competed for Miss Universe in case you didn't know and unlike today's delegates, being pregnant wasn't permitted back then but rules have since changed and as we learned recently, Canada's Jaime Vandenberg was 4 months pregnant when she made top 30 for Miss Universe 2025!)


Miss Universe 1993-Puerto Rico's own Dayanara Torres will serve as a presenter for the 2026 Miss Universe pageant being held live in the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico with Jennifer Colon-Miss Puerto Rico 2024 serving as a digital host.
This will be the 4th time that Puerto Rico hosts the Miss Universe pageant succeeding 1972, 2001 and 2002 but there was some hesitation at first given the sketchy results of the 2025 Miss Universe pageant. Puerto Rico had committed to host this diamond 75th anniversary Miss Universe pageant formally announced on September 23, 2025 allocating $9 million U.S. of public funds to host the pageant but shortly after the 2025 Miss Universe pageant in Thailand with suspect results, the head of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Willianette Robles Cancel wanted to "Cancel" payments to the Miss Universe organization on December 18 also largely due to the investigation of co-owner, Raul Rocha Cantu of Legacy Holdings who was said to be involved in criminal activity including drugs and smuggling weapons and fuel. But in March 2026, the hosting committee recommitted to hosting the 2026 Miss Universe pageant on the condition that Raul Rocha not be involved with organizing this year's pageant to retain Puerto Rico's positive image and by April 2026, the funds were paid and Puerto Rico officially recommitted to hosting the 75th diamond anniversary Miss Universe pageant but where exactly did the money go? We'll talk about that later when we talk about a group of delegates that were banned from this year's competition.

The photographer (or as I call him, the fatographer) sits in with the contestants in 2001 during a swimsuit group shoot.

Even though Puerto Rico didn't place in two of the three years they previously hosted (1972 and 2002), they handily captured the 2001 crown with Denise Quinones and with performances from Ricky Martin that year and top models, Elle MacPherson and Naomi Campbell hosting, 2001 was absolutely the making of a complete night for Puerto Rico as I mentioned back then! Some feel that since the 1972 and 2002 Puerto Rican delegates didn't place but that the 2001 delegate won that this might mean an alternate pattern for the years of Puerto Rico hosting and many people think this year's Puerto Rican delegate, Jennifer Barreto could take it all. Under the new rules established in 2023, married women with children can compete and Jennifer falls into that category so if she won, she would be the first Mrs. Miss Universe! Jennifer's husband is Sergeant Yan Carlos Barreto Calderon (also referred to in local media as Jean Carlos Barreto) who provides logistical support to the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army and the two have a daughter named Penelope (born in 2019). Prior to marriage, Jennifer's name was Jennifer Abreu Mora and she is the second married Jennifer to win the Puerto Rican title after Jennifer Colon in 2024. Jennifer will be 28 years of age as of December 17 and she played volleyball during her school years so she is obviously very fit. She graduated university with a bachelor's degree in research psychology, and two master's degrees, one in psychology and another in clinical social work which led to her landing a job serving in United States Department of Defense in Fort Hood, Texas as an educator and crisis co-responder under the Family Advocacy Program providing support to military families suffering from domestic violence and child abuse. She would go on to become a prevention specialist assessing the needs of various communities. Surprisingly, Jennifer had never competed in pageants but her husband encouraged her and she lost 70 pounds and won her national title on her first try! WIth all these impressive accomplishments and quite the story to tell, will Jennifer follow in the footsteps of Denise Quinones and win the Miss Universe crown as the host representative?? It's very possible!



And We'll Miss You
(Like The Deserts Miss The "Reign")

"I step off the train. I'm walking down your street again. Past your door but you don't live there anymore." The ladies have arrived in Puerto Rico but unfortunately with several exceptions so it looks like we definitely won't reach 120 contestants this year and we might be lucky if we even get 110. Some delegates that have dropped out already include: Austria's Victoria Emerson who issued a statement on social media citing pressure, lack of personal autonomy, control and ongoing frustration caused her to experience an immense amount of stress and she has decided to withdraw to maintain her mental health. Bulgaria's Anna Babau sadly is not participating for a very different reason. Anna was tragically recently in a car accident and is in critical condition in the hospital so let's all wish her a speedy recovery so she can yell out her name next year and shout out "BA-BOW! I'm back!" Also in a car accident around the same time was Dominican Republic's representative, Melissa Nunez who was reported to be in stable condition after evaluation so Melissa will compete. Next, we will discuss a whopping four delegates from Africa that have all been denied Visas for entry to the United States. Since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, there is a rule right now that various African nationals face partial entry restrictions and suspended visa categories to the United States following U.S. Presidential Proclamation 10998, which took effect on January 1, 2026. You would think that someone who once owned the Miss Universe pageant and became U.S. president would make considerations for Miss Universe delegates but sadly, that is not the case. Zambia's Mubanga Pamela Hatyoka was the first to be known as one who was denied a visa for entry into the U.S. Following suit was the delegate from Zimbabwe, Roseanna Hall who posted on her social media that she is stranded in South Africa after her departure for the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico was delayed by a U.S. visa restriction as well but Roseanna vows to fight for access so we shall see if she wins this battle. Angola's Wanderleia Rodrigues also seems to fall in the same category as these other countries but it looks like she too will be a victim of the U.S. Visa denial. Republic of the Congo's Georgina Kambongo also falls into the list of countries with U.S Visa restrictions so it appears that she also will not compete. Further thinning out the weakening African contingent is that Morocco's Sara Allali seems to not have the economic support to compete and Maldives' Aminath Yuin Mohamed appears to have withdraw due to religious pressure. Finally, Nepal's delegate, Prayashna Gurung Pradhan also is experiencing visa issues. The list of countries on the 10998 proclamation indicates they have partially suspended visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe so we have yet to hear if the delegate from Tanzania will be affected and rumor has it that the delegate from South Sudan-Amylia Deng may also be having visa difficulties. The delegate from Nigeria-Danielle Adewusi (who is the daughter of Miss Nigeria 1991-Tonia Okogbenin) has British citizenship and she even competed for Miss Universe Great Britain 2023 placing in the top 5. Also, the Cuban and Venezuelan delegates who we will talk about later are both American so there is no issue with these two competing but honestly, this is way too many absences just proving how much Miss Universe is continuing to be MESS Universe or perhaps it's the way the world is now. Will there be more delegates absent in the days leading up to the pageant???



The Banned Band

Speaking of missing delegates. It's now time to speak about what I call 'the banned band' consisting of the delegates from: Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and the unselected delegates from Laos and Indonesia. What do these countries have in common? Their Miss Universe franchise is run by Nawat Itsaragrasil who we will remember was quite the instrumental figure in the 2025 Miss Universe pageant hosted in Nawat's native Thailand. Nawat has long run his own international pageant called Miss Grand International in 2013 and his character has certainly made him a standout person but his involvement led to disputes within the organization with him trying to take over leading to a separation of an Eastern (Thai-owned) and Western division (Mexican-owned) of the Miss Universe pageant. There is even a press release on missuniverse.com claiming legitimate ownership and positions of Mr. Nawat Itsaragrisil as CEO of Miss Universe Eastern, Mr. Monil Hathi as Executive Director of Khun Anne's company JKN Legacy and Mr. Pavan Misra as director of broadcast and sales. Some people speculated that Nawat might have the passwords for the official missuniverse.com website and other Miss Universe social media sites so the original missuniverse.com only shows coverage of last year whereas the Western Division appears to have been forced to start a new website: missuniverseorg.com which has coverage of the 2026 pageant and the voting site with headshots of the delegates are on that site so it looks like the attempts of the Eastern side to take over didn't work. In September 2026, Nawat posted a Tiktok livestream alleging that of the $9 million that almost $4 million was transferred to a personal account and Nawat says it was linked to Raul Rocha funneling the money to pay for personal items like a house in Florida, a personal loan, money for one of his Miami companies and private jet maintenance but the Puerto Rican government ordered Nawat to stop and did not want a third-party battle to ruin its reputation and the Western division of Miss Universe seems to have won stating that Nawat's creation of Miss Universe East does not legally exist. As punishment, the delegates crowned to represent Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam will not compete in the 2026 Miss Universe pageant but there is talk about them possibly competing in the 2027 edition. If Laos and Indonesia crowned delegates, I didn't hear anything about who they are.
Thailand crowned Tharina Botes who has quite the pageant history. Tharina was born on November 27, 1996 and was raised in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, South Africa. She was born to a Thai mother and a South African father. She has a degree in commerce and economics from the University of South Africa and currently resides in Phuket province in Thailand. Tharina has quite the pageant history as she won Miss Teen Gauteng 2014, Miss Teen Roodepoort, and Miss Queen of South Africa 2016 and she also represented South Africa at Miss International 2016 in Japan going unplaced and later competed at Miss South Africa 2018 in Pretoria, where she placed in the top 12. She represented Phuket at Miss Grand Thailand 2019 and made top 10. In 2021, she was the first runner-up at Miss Universe Thailand 2021 and then won Miss Thailand World 2023 and represented Thailand at Miss World 2023 in India going unplaced. She represented Thailand at the first MGI All Stars competition, held on 30 May 2026, and reached the top 10. Tharina posted on social media confirming that she was not participating in Miss Universe 2026 but she wished the delegates well and she hopes to compete for the 2027 Miss Universe title.
Singapore crowned Vion Erico Tan who is a model and entrepreneur and hoped to get her very clean country back in the spotlight.
Malaysia crowned Eunice (Euni) Wong hails from Johor and is a businesswoman working in finance and investment especially in cryptocurrency and real estate and would have been among the older delegates this year as she is 37 years of age but the oldest delegate competing this year is British Virgin Islands' Orealia Thomas competing at age 42 but this does not defeat the record held by Rwanda's Solange Keita (lives in Canada) who apparently was 44 (although last year I thought she was 42 so there seems to be conflicting information on this) competing at Miss Universe 2025.
Vietnam's Quynh Anh Nguyen was born in Hanoi who studied Human Resource Management at the Trade Union University and Ho Chi Minh City College of Tourism. She has also been featured in various Vietnam reality competitions like The Face Vietnam 2018 finishing as the runner-up and making top 10 in Face of Asia 2019.
While Mexico's Raul Rocha of Legacy Holdings and Thailand's Khun Anne (Jakkaphong) Jakrajutatip of JKN Legacy are still in hiding, it looks like CEO, Ronald Day is taking the helm so hopefully this will result in a fair competition this year and Nawat is out of the picture and will go back to his own pageant, Miss Grand International.
With all these countries absent, when did Miss Universe go from Mess Universe to become MISSING Universe???



My Friends Are In Love With
American Girls

So, the reigning Miss USA won't be the only delegate competing for Miss Universe 2026 that has also competed for the Miss USA title. Let's meet these ladies, shall we?? Of course, we'll start with the woman who won the national title for Miss USA, Justus Anye Coleman Kelley who represented Virginia when she won the Miss USA title. Justus makes history as the first woman allowed to be married to win Miss USA. You will remember that Miss USA 1957, Leona Gage was notably disqualified when it was discovered that she was twice married and had two young sons at the age of 18 and so Leona's spot in the top 15 after competing in the preliminaries for Miss Universe 1957 was given to Argentina's Monica Lamas who was originally in 16th place marking 1957 as the only year that USA did not compete through to the finals. Canada and France are the only countries to compete in every Miss Universe pageant since its 1952 inception. Justus did something awesome though and wore an arrival outfit showing pictures on the collar honoring the married Miss USA that came before her, Leona Gage! Justus posted on social media the message she wanted to convey with this outfit. "In 1957, Mary Leona Gage was crowned Miss USA, only to have her title taken away when it was discovered that she was married and a mother of two. At the time, being a wife and mother meant she could no longer hold the title she had worked so hard to earn. Nearly 70 years later, I have the honor of wearing a design that pays tribute to Mary Leona Gage, featuring her photographs and the history she represents. Today, I get to stand on a stage that once would not have welcomed a woman like me in the same way. I am a wife, a mother, and I am Miss USA. And for the first time in history, I will represent the United States at Miss Universe while proudly carrying those titles with me. This is about so much more than what a woman wears, the crown she holds, or the stage she stands on. It’s about how far we’ve come, the women who came before us, and the doors that have opened for the women who will come after us. Mary Leona Gage’s story is part of our history. I’m honored to carry it forward and be part of a new chapter. To every woman who has ever felt she had to choose between her family and her dreams: you don’t. This one’s for the women who came before me, the woman I am today, and every little girl who deserves to believe she can be both."
Justus made headlines prior to winning the 2026 Miss USA pageant by simply posting a departure picture of herself on social media holding a trash bag along with her luggage making a statement saying "Heading to Miami for the 75th @MissUSA with the very type of bag I've seen children in foster care transition into my own home carrying." Justus is a foster parent and the founder of Foster Footprints which is an organization that works to empower foster youth in the region of Northern Virginia. Justus and her husband, Tyler, have been licensed foster parents in Virginia for nearly two years and he also shared her dream of fostering. They have since welcomed children ranging from 7 months to 10 years old into their home wanting a safe, loving and welcoming environment for children of any age, race, orientation or background and wanted every child they fostered to know that they were safe, valued and worthy of being loved exactly as they are and as mentioned during the show, Justus and her husband are currently fostering a baby boy and his sister. Justus married her college sweetheart, Tyler Kelley on July 24, 2017. Their marriage licence from 2017 states Tyler Rashad Kelley, 25, and Justus Anye Coleman, 22, were both from Bloomington, Indiana. Justus actually has a rich pageant history. Justus Anye Coleman Kelley won the Mrs. Indiana title on June 27, 2020 and placed as 1st runner up in the 2021 Mrs. America pageant. Even before that, she held the title of Miss Indiana University 2016. In the Miss USA system, Justus placed 2nd runner-up at Miss DC USA 2026 and surprisingly the winner of that pageant, Kennedy Lucas, who was among my predictions, didn't place. Justus was also 1st runner-up to Miss DC USA 2025, 3rd runner-up to Miss Virginia USA 2025, a semifinalist at Miss Virginia USA 2024 and 2nd runner-up Miss Virginia USA 2023 so Justus' persistence has paid off. Justus is now also the oldest woman to win Miss USA winning at age 31 defeating the record previously held by Texas' R'Bonney Gabriel who won Miss USA 2022 at age 28 and then Miss Universe 2022 of which R'Bonney still holds the record as the oldest Miss Universe titleholder. The USA has long dominated the list of Who Has the Most Miss Universes? boasting 9 Miss Universe winners with Venezuela in a close second having 7 Miss Universe winners. Could Justus use her story and make a little more history and win yet another Miss Universe crown for the USA? Or is it more of a longshot with the ownership no longer being American as of 2023?
But Justus is not the only delegate competing for the diamond 2026 Miss Universe title to compete at Miss USA. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is being represented by Jessi Longwe Kalambayi who is a 28-year-old originally from Kinshasa and used her heritage to earn the right to represent who previously held the title of Miss Colorado USA 2024 and finished in the Top 10 at the 2024 Miss USA pageant. Jessi is fluent in both English and French and works as a program manager for the Ready for American Hospitality Program at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, where she works in refugee resettlement and helps immigrants achieve self-sufficiency. Will Jessi's experience at Miss USA cross over to the Miss Universe stage and could she earn the Democratic Republic of the Congo's first placement ever? Jessi is tall and striking with a great body and she speaks very well so we shall see if her success on the Miss USA stage will translate over to the Miss Universe stage.
Two women who represented the state of Illinois at Miss USA are competing for the 2026 Miss Universe title and they are Serbia's representative, Nikolina Vujcic who was Miss Illinois USA 2025 but went unplaced at Miss USA 2025 despite being a favorite. Now, Nikolina has used her Serbian heritage so represent Serbia at Miss Universe. Nikolina is trilingual speaking: Serbian, Spanish, and English. She works as a pediatric emergency room nurse and advocates for delivering holistic care for children. Serbia has not placed yet as an individual nation but Serbia & Montenegro placed in 2003 as 3rd runner up with Sanja Papic and Yugoslavian delegates have placed in the past like 1968, 1969 and 1991 when former Miss California USA 1990 contestant, Natasha Pavlovic used her heritage to represent Yugoslavia at Miss Universe and make the top 10 for 1991! So as we can see, these loopholes have long been a thing in pageantry.
The other Miss Illinois USA to compete for Miss Universe is the 2026 representative, Vivica Lewandowski who is using her Polish heritage on her father's side to represent Poland. Vivica is the daughter of Miss Illinois USA 1998, Mandy Jo Lane Lewandowski but both mother and daughter went unplaced at Miss USA so we'll see if Vivica can do it on the Miss Universe stage as she will be competing once again with Miss USA, Justus Kelley and I have seen results flip-flop from pageant to pageant and yet some have very similar results so it's an interesting game to see who comes out on top!
"I've known you for ages. It's all that I've heard. My friends are in love with American girls. I've seen it in stages all over the world. My friends are in love with American girls."



Canadian Bacon?
Or Canadian Back-on Stage??


Now, that we've discussed some American girls using loopholes to get on that coveted Miss Universe stage. Let's learn about some Canadian girls that also fall under that category!
FIrst, let's meet this year's representative of the true north strong and free, Canada. Aslihan Morali has an interesting story about fleeing Turkiye/Turkey with her family to escape what would have been a forced marriage at the age of 17 arranged by her grandmother. Sadly, things like this are still commonplace in many parts of the world. Aslihan refused to submit and wanted freedom to explore her own opportunities. She started a non-profit group called LEAP Global Voices which seeks to educate children and equip them with the tools to choose what they want to do with their lives. Aslihan is active in social media and she runs an eco-friendly candle company with which she economically supports scholarships to educate girls. She also served as an Executive Administrator at a Children’s Hospital. Aslihan also helps distributes meals to those experiencing homelessness, and volunteers with various charitable organizations as she can empathize as she also had to rely on food banks as a child growing up in Canada. She crossed that bridge and never looked back and although Aslihan competed at Miss Supranational 2025 without placing, she did win the Miss Congeniality award for that pageant which speaks to Aslihan's character. Canada has claimed two Miss Universe crowns thanks to Karen Baldwin in 1982 and Natalie Glebova in 2005 so is it time again for the land of the maple leaf?
Aslihan will not be the only Canadian competing for the 2026 Miss Universe title. Guyana is being represented by 40-year-old Angel Bhathal who has competed in numerous Canadian pageants over the years. Angel was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba but is using her Guyanese heritage to pursue her dream of competing on the Miss Universe stage. She previously placed top 12 at Miss World Canada 2010, 2nd Runner-Up at Miss Earth Canada 2012, competed at Miss Universe Canada 2013, placed top 10 at Miss Global 2019 and also winning pageants like Dr. World 2021 and Miss Swimsuit USA International 2025 and represented Canada at the first Miss Grand International All Stars competition in May 2026. Angel obviously deeply loves pageantry so let's see if her experience can earn Guyana its first placement ever at Miss Universe!
Iraq is being represented by Samantha Slewa. Like the Guyanese delegate, Samantha is also Canadian from the city of Vaughan, Ontario but she is of Iraqi descent and she recently represented Canada at the 2025 Miss Cosmo pageant going unplaced. This will only be the fourth time Iraq is competing succeeding Hanin Al-Qoreishy in 2025, Sarah Idan in 2017 and Wejdan Sulyman way back in 1972 but none of them placed so we shall see if Samantha is the first woman to represent Iraq to place at Miss Universe. Samantha is one bright young lady who holds a degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Toronto Metropolitan University which led to employment in the field of cybersecurity breaking barriers in a male-dominated field while mentoring young women to do the same. Samantha also enjoys cooking and fitness. She practices pilates and yoga and loves experimenting with flavors. She also loves to travel and explore different cultures.
Lithuania is being represented by Olga Bykadorova who is fluent in English, Russian and Latvian. Olga is another Canadian crossover like the delegates from Guyana and Iraq. Olga is using her Lithuanian heritage to represent this nation at Miss Universe. Previously she was Miss Grand Canada 2021 and represented Canada at Miss Grand International going unplaced but made the top 15 at Top Model of the World 2020. She also competed at Miss Universe Canada placing as 4th Runner-Up in 2024 and then placing as a top 15 semifinalist in 2025. Lithuania has yet to place at Miss Universe so let's see if Olga can shine the spotlight on her nation.
These Canadians have all been on international stages before so let's see if bringing these Canadians back-on stage works and if one of these ladies can bring home the Canadian bacon!!



Dios Mio! It's Mia Dio!

Ay, Dios! Here we have yet another American girl who is representing one of the countries of her heritage. Mia Dio who can be found on instagram under @miiadio is from Miami, Florida with a Cuban mother and an Argentinian father. Mia achieved influencer status through her social media and has become quite wealthy from it. She said she started by making simple comedic videos for her friends but it took enduring many trials and tribulations to get where she is today. One video intended for a friend really took off on social media and quickly hit 25 million views which led Mia to pursue a career as an influencer and not only doing comedy but she discusses money, power, dating, politics, body image in addition to the financial and emotional price of being an online celebrity. She said she went to a high school that specialized in media arts like journalism, television production and music. She says she was told that she didn't belong in journalism and that really affected her as she was trying to overcome being a shy kid. She started a Youtube channel at age 14 that didn't really go anywhere with her doing make-up videos and commenting on society but she created a Russian sugar baby character at age 19 and posted funny videos on Tiktok as this character who Mia says was inspired by a former roommate. Her social media gradually took a more serious turn like the impact of the Venezuelan earthquakes and how Cuba, the country of her roots, has a 90 percent of their population living in extreme poverty and that independent art is illegal there. In 2023, she says a health condition caused her to gain 40 pounds and although her content was similar, she was losing some of her audience but she still makes content and went on to get in shape and give a final answer at her national pageant that proved her worthiness to represent Cuba. Tonight, one of you will be crowned queen. If the crown represented not only beauty but also purpose, leadership and responsibility, what promise would you make today to all the people who trust in you as their queen?" Mia replied, "What a timely question! Thank you very much and good evening and thank you for this second chance to represent my beautiful Cuba before the Universe. (I should add here that Mia competed for the 2025 Cuban title placing top 5 despite competing while recovering from facial paralysis caused by a Botox/TMJ treatment) The promise that I would make as their next Miss Universe Cuba, it is to continue the legacy. When I think of Cuba, I think of it as an inheritance that my family instilled in me. My grandfather's name is Jose Pepe Cancio. He's sitting there. Veteran of the 2506 brigade. His cousin Silvita Iriondo survivor of the attacks in 1996 against the Brothers to the Rescue. From them, I learned that loving Cuba, it's not just about remembering what was but to represent it and fight in our own way, for what it can still become as Gabriel Rolon said, 'We are partly that which we have lost.' That's why I love Cuba with such depth because I learned to miss her before meeting her. I carry the history of Cuba in my blood. A hope of an entire people in my voice and responsibility to represent her with dignity before the universe in a land full of opportunities. Those opportunities that have made us believe we don't deserve. But everyone else in Miami knows that Cubans flourish wherever they are and here I am, ready to bloom before the universe in Puerto Rico. Thank you so much."
Cuba started competing in the Miss Universe pageant right from the beginning in 1952 and even earning a 3rd runner up placement in 1957 thanks to Maria Rosa Gamio Fernandez eventually being called Free Cuba from 1961 to 1967 but there would be no return for Cuba until 2024 with Marianela Ancheta making top 30 and Lina Luaces would make top 12 in 2025. Now, we have Mia Dio who is under much pressure to continue Cuba's streak and possibly earn their first Miss Universe crown. Will Mia's influencing experience influence the judges enough achieve this feat?



Andreina's Reina


It's not only the Nigerian delegate who is a legacy queen this year. Miss Venezuela 2026 is Clara Vegas Goetz and she is the daughter of Miss Venezuela 1990, Andreina Goetz! Andreina competed for the 1990 Miss Universe crown making the top 10 with the second highest average preliminary score (8.42) just behind the seemingly clear, eventual winner of the 1990 Miss Universe pageant, Norway's Mona Grudt who handily won preliminaries with an average score of 8.683 but in an odd turn of events, the tables seem to have turned during the finals competition and Andreina had to settle for a 7th place finish. India's Suzanne Sablok was also in the top 6 for preliminaries but both she and Andreina were replaced by the delegates from Bolivia and Chile who finished 7th and 9th in preliminaries respectively. During her introduction in the parade of nations, Andreina said, "I'm studying industrial engineering, speak three languages and I'm involved in environmental causes, I am Andreina Goetz." During her top 10 interview with the host of the 1990 Miss Universe pageant, the legendary Dick Clark introduced Andreina saying she was 20 years of age, a university student from Caracas and he said, "Again, we'll have our interpreter stand by but I know she's never going to... You really don't want this woman here. Do you? (knowing Andreina's fluency in English). Andreina said, "No, I don't need it." Dick Clark then jokingly quipped to the translator, "You may go home!" prompting laughter from the audience as he was referring to the many translations she had done prior to Andreina's interview. Dick then asked Andreina, "You have a special interest in environmental causes. Tell us about it." Andreina replied, "Yes, I've always been interested in it and um, I think we all should be interested in environmental causes. We all should take care of our world and um, let's give nature a chance." Dick followed up with, "You are studying to be an industrial engineer. What is industry's responsibility to the environment?" Andreina replied, "Well, most of the pollution is made by industries and um, I think an industrial engineer should take care of it and try to somehow solve it so that what I'd like to do." Somehow after this interview, Andreina would have to settle for 7th place despite placing second in the preliminaries but pageants are just like that sometimes. Now, 36 years later, Andreina's reina, Clara Vegas Goetz, one of five children born to Andreina and her husband, businessman Nicolas Vegas Chumaceiro, has a very large chance of winning the Miss Universe crown with her amazing body and overall look complemented by her bubbly personality and natural charm. My friends Wassim and Hernan both point out that Venezuela placed as 4th runner up in 2024 then 2nd runner up in 2025 so does that natural chain of progression mean the win in 2026??? I hope so! I adore Clara and you know how much I love a good legacy candidate which reminds me of when North Carolina's Kristen Dalton won Miss USA 2009 being the daughter of Jeannine Boger-Dalton who also represented North Carolina but went unplaced at Miss USA 1982. A win for Venezuela is long overdue as it has been 13 years since their last win in 2013 with Gabriela Isler and the previous longest gap between wins for Venezuela (since they started winning in 1979) was when Dayana Mendoza won in 2008 twelve years after Alicia Machado won in 1996 so Venezuela is due and Clara would be an amazing Miss Universe. Will Clara win the crown and allow her mother to live through her vicariously through her and be Miss Universe? A dream that evaded Andreina so many years ago?

By the way, I always felt like the alternating black and white pattern of Andreina Goetz's gown for Miss Universe 1990 inspired the sensational satin gown worn by Finland's Lola Odusoga who was 2nd runner up at Miss Universe 1996 so I made a picture of the two together so you can see the similarities.



I Bless The Reign in Spain Down In Ethiopia!

I bless the reigns! So I need to connect the dots a little with this one. Miss USA isn't the only 2026 national pageant that will see two of its contestants (USA and Poland) compete together again on the Miss Universe stage. The 2026 Miss Universe Spain competition was won by Susana Medina. Another heavy favorite for the Miss Universe crown. Spain captured its only Miss Universe crown back in 1974 when Amparo Munoz captured the crown for her nation only to not complete her reign after she allegedly punched her chaperone. Her father was a boxer, you know. Anyway, Spain seems to have had a resurgence in pageantry in recent years. Spain has especially been dominating lately in the world of male pageantry crowning some Adonises with big sort-of-rhymes-with-Adonises. While Spain last placed in 2023 with Athenea Perez, I think they have it in them to make a huge comeback. Huger than those Adonises... Susana Lucia Medina Martin is currently 28 years of age but she has already lived half her life as a model starting at age 14! Susana was also born in the wonderful Canary Islands that also gave us other successful Spanish delegates like the gorgeous Eugenia Santana in 1993 who made top 10 at Miss Universe 1993 and Helen Lindes who was 2nd runner up at Miss Universe 2000. However, Susana is both beauty and brains as she studied law and earned her degree while also completing a learning program through Harvard University. Susana said she suffered bullying when she was a teenager but she says it shaped her character and led her to work with an organization called 'Seeds of Respect' where she supports initiatives aimed at preventing and combating bullying at school and in the workplace as well as other forms of discrimination and violence. She hopes to capture the Miss Universe crown, 52 years after Amparo and she feels it would be fitting seeing how Spain just won the 2026 FIFA World Cup championship. Susana won't be the only Miss Universe Spain contestant competing for Miss Universe 2026. Susana's runner-up at Miss Universe Spain, Bruktawit Belete Woldeyes, better known as Bruk Belete is using her heritage to represent her birth country of Ethiopia! Bruk was born in Addis Ababa but lived and studied abroad in the United States and of course, in Spain. She is multilingual speaking Amharic, English and Spanish with a bit of French and Italian in the mix and just like her Spanish compatriot, she is also involved in charitable organizations and founded 'Seeds of Hope'. These Spanish girls sure love their seeds, don't they? Especially from their Adonises! But seriously, 'Seeds of Hope' is a social impact initiative supporting vulnerable families, children, migrant communities, and disadvantaged groups through resources and community opportunities. She also advocates for maternal healthcare and women's education especially in rural communities in Ethiopia. At age 24, Bruk also holds a degree in fashion marketing and business management and has built herself a professional career in Madrid's luxury fashion industry. Ethiopia has only placed once which was in 2006 with Dina Fekadu but Bruk has the potential to take it all! Will these lovely ladies representing Spain and Ethiopia find themselves in the final two again on the Miss Universe stage???



Bea Best



This article isn't about Melania's campaign to promote health and respect and combat cyberbullying but it begs the rhetorical question, "Is Bea Best?" Of course, I'm referring to the one and only Beatrice (Bea) Rebecca Millan-Windorski who is representing the tropical haven of Asia, Philippines! But Bea is yet another one of many contestants competing this year who is actually American but representing the country of her mother's heritage. Bea was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA to a Filipina mother (with roots from Nueva Vizcaya and San Juan, La Union) and her father is Caucasian of Polish-German descent and her paternal relatives worked in the field of agriculture. Bea went to Whitefish Bay High School and participated with her school's varsity dance team, string orchestra, and the debate team. She also attended the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and the Milwaukee Ballet School to learn the cello and study ballet where she developed those dancer moves that translate well on stage. She majored in history and international relations at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bea is quite experienced in pageantry winning a local title in 2020, Miss Milwaukee Area Outstanding Teen but going unplaced at Miss Wisconsin's Outstanding Teen 2021 but that didn't deter her and Bea's mother signed her up to compete for the 2024 Miss Earth USA representing Wisconsin and worked with a professional team that won her the Miss Earth USA title which led her to compete for the Miss Earth title where she earned the Miss Earth-Water title which would be the equivalent of 3rd place and Australia's Jessica Lane would capture the 2024 Miss Earth title. Bea's persistence and experience has paid off and now she has become a favorite for the 2026 Miss Universe crown. This pageant-obsessed nation has captured the Miss Universe crown four times thanks to Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margarita Moran in 1973, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach in 2015 and Catriona Gray in 2018.
So I ask you now once again if you think Bea Millan will earn a fifth Miss Universe crown for the Philippines and is Bea Best?





So as of November 10, Tom’s tentative top 5 for Miss Universe 2025 are:
1. Venezuela
2. Spain
3. Ethiopia
4. New Zealand
5. Philippines


Yes, I'm aware my top 5 almost echoes that of 2013. I even have an "E" country in 3rd place! Will my top 5 change over the coming weeks or will they stay the same? I will post a second round of prethoughts on November 17 where I will comment on all of the delegates so you can get an idea of who I think will place where.
I'm assuming the livestream this year for preliminaries and the national costume show will be available on the official Miss Universe Youtube page or social media.
After viewing the national costume competition on November 21 and the preliminary swimsuit and gown competitions on November 22, my final predictions for Miss Universe 2026 will be posted on the day of finals, November 24.




Of course, tell everyone to watch Miss Universe 2026! The big night is November 24 at 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Reelz in the U.S., Peacock and Telemundo networks and likely on Youtube in Canada.