Miss World Countdown

The finale of the Miss World competition will take place in Johannesburg on Saturday night. The betting odds have bounced around a bit over the last week, but Miss Puerto Rico and Miss Mexico are still 1-2. You can see them, and other top contestants, here. Number three with a bullet, and the main buzz of the last week, is Miss Barbados:

Miss Barbados has a law degree and a television show. Nothing against Barbados, but I like Miss Bahamas a bit better. Like Mariel Hemingway in Manhattan, she goes to high school, or did until recently:

There are lots of other strong contestants, like Miss Belgium, Zeynep Sever. She exemplifies a recent trend: the serial pageant candidate. Just a few months ago, she was Belgium’s entry in Miss Universe; now she is competing in Miss World:

Another leading contender is Miss France. I wasn’t a fan of hers until I saw this photo:

There are a lot more good contestants, like Miss Austria, but frankly the Miss World site’s photography is so mediocre that it’s often hard to judge. To appreciate Miss Austria, you really have to watch the video.

More to come. Hey, there’s almost a week to go before the finale.