It’s Iberia VS Latin America VS island girls in this group. Who will advance?
Introducing, Group 5:

Curacao – Vaniti Grigori
Her main ace is that she knows how to speak Mandarin, a skill which may earn her brownie points, considering the host country. She’s also a competent English speaker, though she came across as standoffish in her second Q&A.

Paraguay – Paola Oberladstatter
This country has been fielding stronger representatives than the other South American “…guay” country as of late, and this architecture student is no exception. While the most classically beautiful in this group, her personality might have been drowned out here. Paraphrasing Colombia’s second response didn’t help, either.

Gibraltar – Jodie Garcia
Well, she’s no Kaiane Aldorino, that’s for sure. To her credit though, she communicates strongly. Her sketches, as seen as in her introductory video, are incredible. Is there a way she can parlay that into a Talent Competition piece?

Colombia – Maria Beatriz Daza
Her introductory video reveals that she’s of Indian descent, though her features look more Oriental with hints of actress America Ferrera. She has a pleasant, friendly vibe and also provided great responses. She’s a sleeper Top 40 possibility, but probably no further than that.

Portugal – Filipa Barroso
Scoring her introductory video with a Katy Perry track wasn’t a bad decision, though the vocals overwhelmed the VO for the most part. That minor caveat aside, this girl is  one of the more competitive Portuguese candidates sent to this pageant in recent years and exuded radiance despite her clunky answers. She can potentially go far, but almost certainly not through this round.

Cook Islands – Alanna Smith
Where have all these lovely Cook Islanders been hiding? This girl’s a charismatic breath of fresh air, and quite possibly the best speaker of, not just her group, but of the entire batch. She engages and endears easily. When you speak to her for the first time, it’s like you’ve gained a new best friend. She stands a good chance of sustaining Natalia Short‘s breakthrough placement…

…and news flash: She almost did! Alanna just placed 1st Runner-Up in the Sports Fast-Track, therefore, almost equaling her predecessor’s feat.

(The winner is within the next three groups. So, keep visiting!) 

PAGEANT GEEKS’ GROUP 5 RANKING:
1. Cook Islands
2. Colombia
3. Gibraltar
4. Portugal
5. Paraguay
6. Curacao