Going into Wednesday night's Miss USA presentation show, I thought this would be one of the most competitive pageants in history.
Following the parade of states, I was sure of it.
I had no less than 24 states written down as potential winners, on just the basis of facial beauty alone.
However, as the evening progressed, many of those fell to the wayside and several legitimate contenders for the crown emerged.
That's not to say that this year's pageant, which will be televised on Fox from 7-10 Sunday evening, won't still be competitive, as I still have difficulty in choosing an ultimate winner, but let's just say I've definitely narrowed the field down some now.
Some of my early favorites, based solely on headshots and videos up to this point, continue to be strong. Those would include Michigan, Virginia and Hawaii.
Others - such as Texas, Maryland and Georgia - have dropped significantly from where I had placed them in previous power rankings. In fact, a few - including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa - have dropped off my radar entirely. Still, others like Georgia and Utah are now iffy, rather than slam dunks.
Without any further ado, here's my overview of the presentation show categories.
SWIMSUITS -
Since Miss USA is the ultimate beauty pageant, you would expect the swimsuits to be ultra competitive.
The Class of 2016 did not disappoint, as the majority of the contestants looked tremendous. What I particularly liked was the variety of suits the young women had to choose from, which definitely allowed them to accentuate their diverse body types.
My top five in this category - which was by far tougher to narrow down as compared to the evening gown segment - were:
1. MICHIGAN
2. HAWAII
3. WISCONSIN
4. VIRGINIA
5. TENNESSEE
Of note, is that Virginia has a muscular body type, which may not appeal to all judges, but certainly was toned down from when she competed at Miss America three years ago. Personally, I loved her in both national competitions, and I believe she should be rewarded - not penalized - for being so physically fit.
Also, my voting was close and I thought Massachusetts, Texas, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota and Missouri slayed this segment, too.
EVENING GOWN -
My first impression of this category was that less is definitely more when it comes to evening gown. With the exception of Hawaii, whose gown I loved, but could be considered a tad 'too much,' the delegates who went classic and with simple lines impressed me way more than those who, perhaps, thought outside the box, but went way too over the top for a pageant.
Yes, New York, I'm talking to you. But, I really could be talking to about half of the delegates in what I thought, overall, was one of the worst evening gown preliminaries I've seen in ages.
Shoulder pads may be coming back, but they certainly didn't look good on you, Miss Georgia. The half sleeve may be in, but I'm not a fan, and it cost several - including one of my faves, Miss Minnesota, precious points in this competition.
And note to blondes, with a particular shoutout to Miss Mississippi, pink is generally not a good color for you.
Also, whoever thought the simply gorgeous Miss Colorado looked good in the monstrosity she wore ought to be shot. For pageants, again, less is definitely more, which Hawaii aside, is why my top gowns were all classic looking ones.
Miss Hawaii looked Miss Universe ready in her stunning white lace gown, which was a tad over the top, but seemed to fit her personality to a T.
She was one of my faves, again. However, my top gown prize of the night went to Miss South Carolina, who looked ready for the Academy Awards in her classic black gown.
My top five in gown were:
1. South Carolina
2. Virginia
3. Hawaii
4. Tennessee
5. Wisconsin.
I also liked Arkansas, DC, Maine and Oregon in this category, but with a few notable exceptions, namely Oklahoma, Missouri and Nevada, the gowns were abysmal.
A couple of other notes from this competition: I have no words on how to explain Miss Ohio's gown, but to say what animal did they kill and put at the bottom of her gown and what kind of fashion statement were they trying to make?
Also, Miss Illinois had a stunning gown and great swimsuit, but her inability to walk in either competition will make her a clapper on Sunday night.
And two other notes here: an extremely poor choice in gown selection by Miss Maryland could keep her out of the running altogether. As for another one of my pre-pageant faves, Miss Michigan, you were fierce in swimsuit, but a lackluster gown choice may cost you the crown.
Though in retrospect, I did think the reigning Miss USA, Olivia Jordan, had lost her shot at the title last year in that pink, bubblegum "Gone With the Wind" gown she wore and it didn't hurt her any, so maybe Miss Michigan will be fine, as her gown wasn't bad, it simply wasn't what I would put one of the favorites for the crown in. In a sea of over-the-top gowns, it was simply a little too underwhelming.
Which, again in retrospect, may end up being a good thing.
In trying to come up with a top 15, interviews must be taken into consideration and we don't get to see that round of the preliminary competition. Still, I feel I've watched enough of the videos the organization has put up on its website in the past few weeks to give me at least a fighting chance in selecting an elite group of semi-finalists.
So here goes:
15. Texas - She's Miss Texas, need I say more than that.
14. Oregon - My surprise sleeper of the pageant, think she could surprise even more so and possibly advance to the 10.
13. Massachusetts - Wasn't overly impressed with her gown, but she did enough in both categories to make the first cut.
12. Maryland - A great swimsuit, pageant resume and video may rank her higher than this, but her awful gown choice could actually put her lower.
11. Maine - Another dark horse, there was something about her that I liked and stood out to me, a certain freshness in both categories that could stand her in good stead with the judges.
Also, the gimmick that was Miss 52 comes into play here. Chosen by the organization and a separate panel of judges to compete following a fan vote last month, Alex actually did enough, I think, to get into the 15 and surely the powers that be will slide her through at least the first round, which would negate one of my above selections.
Also, if any of these overall choices falter in interview, look for Idaho, Oklahoma or South Carolina to pick up the slack.
10. Missouri - Extremely consistent in both categories Wednesday and has TV broadcasting experience that should help her in interview.
9. District of Columbia - Gorgeous gown and a great story and military background should help her.
8. Colorado - Save not having the pageant resume, the same things apply to this beauty that I just wrote about Maryland. Has the USA look, though.
7. Minnesota - Despite the gown choice, think that she, too, will advance.
6. Nevada - Loved the gown, the face and the confidence.
MY TOP 5 -
You could really pick any at this point so am just going to list them alphabetically.
HAWAII - Rocking body, great gown, facially not as strong, but not lacking in that department, either.
MICHIGAN - Putting her up here despite my reservations on the gown. Best swimsuit, tall and confident. Leaning toward her, tho only ever so slightly over Wisconsin, as my winner. And that could easily change.
TENNESSEE - Overlooked by many, she is regal and classy and had a fun video. Being 19 might hurt her, tho. Think she's been underestimated.
VIRGINIA - Smart, fit and fashion savvy, she has never left my top five.
WISCONSIN - Would have preferred she wore her hair entirely down for at least a portion of the evening, but that shouldn't stop her from being Michigan and Virginia 's strongest obstacle to winning the crown. And in her defense, she had a ponytail in swimsuit and really had to wear her hair up for evening gown. Either winner or first runner-up.
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