ROAD TO MISS USA 2020 // WHO'S YOUR EARLY TOP 15?

[Queen of the Clouds]

I don't think they should host any pageants this year. They should extend the current winners reign until 2021. Schedule Miss USA in the first quarter of 2021 and Miss Universe in the third quarter. Let's be real, social distancing guidelines will still be in effect for the most of this year.

If the pageants does happen, half of the fans won't be able to attend, resulting in low ticket sales. Low ticket sales won't help the MUO very much and we'd probably get an edition worst than the Miss Universe 2017 Prelims in a Vegas ballroom. That'll be robbery to the girls who worked hard to get there. Secondly, Miss Universe is an international event that requires travels. With so many countries closing their borders, this is still uncertain. For instance, in Cayman, our borders are closed until September 1st and could be extended further, and I'm sure it's the same in many countries. With this in mind, it'll be hard for Miss Universe to find a host city. And if they do find a host country, the turnout will potentially be half of what it usually is.

Either way you put it, the MUO won't be able to make a profit this year.

More importantly, IMG really likes the opinion of the American media. Pageantry is and will probably always be seen as superficial and objectifying, as a relic from the past that can't keep up with times or reality. Having pageants in the middle of a pandemic will be seen as reckless, dangerous, unnecessary and sadly superficial; it will be seen as one of the last things that should be happening. MUO won't make a profit this year and IMG will lose money either way.

I truly believe MUO should talk, even secretly, to someone that can buy MUO from IMG because they need a resource injection and IMG needs money so I think they should take these months to think about what to do with the franchise

This is what I have been thinking. The American public doesn't really like pageants. The MUO needs to constantly be appeasing the public if they want to stay relevant. Holding the pageant in the middle of the pandemic would result in widespread outcry and hate, they absolutely cannot do it.

[The Duchess]

I actually thought people wouldnt agree with me on this, I'm glad people see the public relation aspect of this.

[Queen of the Clouds]

I actually thought people wouldnt agree with me on this, I'm glad people see the public relation aspect of this.

It's very true and something that a lot of pageant fans seem to ignore. As much as people here claim to hate how Miss Universe has become a "speaking contest," this is the way it must continue if they want Miss Universe to exist at all. The American public just is not okay with parading around women in swimsuits and judging them on just their physical appearances anymore. The MUO knows that, and if any of us want to still have this pageant to follow, we need to be okay with them trying to appeal to the general public. It's the same thing with holding the pageant in the middle of a pandemic. The American public is already iffy about the MUO's continued existence, they need to do all they can do maintain their approval.

[The Duchess]

I actually thought people wouldnt agree with me on this, I'm glad people see the public relation aspect of this.

It's very true and something that a lot of pageant fans seem to ignore. As much as people here claim to hate how Miss Universe has become a "speaking contest," this is the way it must continue if they want Miss Universe to exist at all. The American public just is not okay with parading around women in swimsuits and judging them on just their physical appearances anymore. The MUO knows that, and if any of us want to still have this pageant to follow, we need to be okay with them trying to appeal to the general public. It's the same thing with holding the pageant in the middle of a pandemic. The American public is already iffy about the MUO's continued existence, they need to do all they can do maintain their approval.

But the american public is not the only public that exists or matters, even if it is your host country. I want a pageant to follow, you said it yourself, but I'm afraid Miss Universe is year by year looking less like a pageant. Obviously, I'm not saying Miss Universe HAS to change... personally I will just stop following it eventually. I'm just saying that they are mistakenly only focusing on one market, and they may lose the more for the less.

I already know the swimsuit competition might be gone in a year or two, in 5 years or less itll probably look more like the direct competitor of Miss America. Personally I'm just going to try to enjoy it for as long as I can before it finishes transitioning out of the word "pageant"

[The Duchess]

Miss Chile announce that they won't do the swimsuit competition anymore, now contestants will walk in sporting shirts and leggins or shorts.

Told you, its a matter of time. Enjoy the SS competition while it lasts

[itsrowdy801]

Miss Chile announce that they won't do the swimsuit competition anymore, now contestants will walk in sporting shirts and leggins or shorts.

Told you, its a matter of time. Enjoy the SS competition while it lasts

In my personal opinion, Miss USA has done a tremendous job of establishing a good balance. Pageant fans and competitors are flocking to it over Miss America in great numbers, and lets be honest, pageant haters probably won't watch them either way. I think it would be foolish for them to remove the swim competition.

I don't think that Miss America destroying everything about their pageant, or the fact that Chile (a religious country and not one with a particularly vibrant pageant culture) removing SS is evidence that Miss USA will follow suit.

[The Duchess]

Miss Chile announce that they won't do the swimsuit competition anymore, now contestants will walk in sporting shirts and leggins or shorts.

Told you, its a matter of time. Enjoy the SS competition while it lasts

In my personal opinion, Miss USA has done a tremendous job of establishing a good balance. Pageant fans and competitors are flocking to it over Miss America in great numbers, and lets be honest, pageant haters probably won't watch them either way. I think it would be foolish for them to remove the swim competition.

I don't think that Miss America destroying everything about their pageant, or the fact that Chile (a religious country and not one with a particularly vibrant pageant culture) removing SS is evidence that Miss USA will follow suit.

Latin America is heavily religious but for a latin country to take the swimsuit competition out of their national pageant takes a good reason. I'm not saying Miss America is at fault or anything, but I do think IMG wants to be more their competitor. Again, they are interested in the American non pageant fans so they do need to do a lot of things to appease them

[itsrowdy801]

Miss Chile announce that they won't do the swimsuit competition anymore, now contestants will walk in sporting shirts and leggins or shorts.

Told you, its a matter of time. Enjoy the SS competition while it lasts

In my personal opinion, Miss USA has done a tremendous job of establishing a good balance. Pageant fans and competitors are flocking to it over Miss America in great numbers, and lets be honest, pageant haters probably won't watch them either way. I think it would be foolish for them to remove the swim competition.

I don't think that Miss America destroying everything about their pageant, or the fact that Chile (a religious country and not one with a particularly vibrant pageant culture) removing SS is evidence that Miss USA will follow suit.

Latin America is heavily religious but for a latin country to take the swimsuit competition out of their national pageant takes a good reason. I'm not saying Miss America is at fault or anything, but I do think IMG wants to be more their competitor. Again, they are interested in the American non pageant fans so they do need to do a lot of things to appease them

That being said, Chile is relatively unsuccessful at Miss Universe - they haven't placed since 2004 and there were a few years in the interim where they didn't even send a delegate. If a major pageant country were to nix swim - however religious that country may be - I'd be a lot more concerned.

[Jaishee]

Miss Chile announce that they won't do the swimsuit competition anymore, now contestants will walk in sporting shirts and leggins or shorts.

Told you, its a matter of time. Enjoy the SS competition while it lasts

Ironically, they said they will do it to see who's the best suited girl to represent Chile in the Swimsuit Competition

[Queen of the Clouds]

I actually thought people wouldnt agree with me on this, I'm glad people see the public relation aspect of this.

It's very true and something that a lot of pageant fans seem to ignore. As much as people here claim to hate how Miss Universe has become a "speaking contest," this is the way it must continue if they want Miss Universe to exist at all. The American public just is not okay with parading around women in swimsuits and judging them on just their physical appearances anymore. The MUO knows that, and if any of us want to still have this pageant to follow, we need to be okay with them trying to appeal to the general public. It's the same thing with holding the pageant in the middle of a pandemic. The American public is already iffy about the MUO's continued existence, they need to do all they can do maintain their approval.

But the american public is not the only public that exists or matters, even if it is your host country. I want a pageant to follow, you said it yourself, but I'm afraid Miss Universe is year by year looking less like a pageant. Obviously, I'm not saying Miss Universe HAS to change... personally I will just stop following it eventually. I'm just saying that they are mistakenly only focusing on one market, and they may lose the more for the less.

I already know the swimsuit competition might be gone in a year or two, in 5 years or less itll probably look more like the direct competitor of Miss America. Personally I'm just going to try to enjoy it for as long as I can before it finishes transitioning out of the word "pageant"

The MUO is an American company that is based in the US though, so they must appeal to Americans. Pageants like Miss Supranational and Miss Grand International get away with what they do because they aren't based here and don't have to fall in line to what the American public wants. The American public's opinion won't be changing anytime soon, so we either need to just hope the MUO becomes based in a different country (and thus stops caring for the American market; although that won't happen) or just be okay with the reforms. I'm a feminist and think that modern pageantry does fall in line with feminism, but that doesn't seem to be an opinion held by people who don't know much about the pageant world, and that's exactly the opinion that the MUO is trying to change by reforming.

[MariaAndreina]

All the MUO is doing is turning off people from both sides of the aisle. If I were the MUO, I would be doubling down on what the fanbase wants. Pageantry is a niche field and no matter how hard and how PC they try to become, it won't suddenly make all these people interested in pageants. Instead, they're turning off their fan base (myself included.)

This is how Trump manages to stay afloat. Majority of the country hates him yet those who support him REALLY support him.

[The Duchess]

All the MUO is doing is turning off people from both sides of the aisle. If I were the MUO, I would be doubling down on what the fanbase wants. Pageantry is a niche field and no matter how hard and how PC they try to become, it won't suddenly make all these people interested in pageants. Instead, they're turning off their fan base (myself included.)

This is how Trump manages to stay afloat. Majority of the country hates him yet those who support him REALLY support him.

Thank you, that is my point. They will NEVER get the base they are trying to get, it won't happen unless they completely change the pageant to the point that it is not a pageant.

[Queen of the Clouds]

All the MUO is doing is turning off people from both sides of the aisle. If I were the MUO, I would be doubling down on what the fanbase wants. Pageantry is a niche field and no matter how hard and how PC they try to become, it won't suddenly make all these people interested in pageants. Instead, they're turning off their fan base (myself included.)

This is how Trump manages to stay afloat. Majority of the country hates him yet those who support him REALLY support him.

Thank you, that is my point. They will NEVER get the base they are trying to get, it won't happen unless they completely change the pageant to the point that it is not a pageant.

I agree, but I don't think they realize that. Not to mention, there is a difference between indifference and hostility. Keeping the American public indifferent to the MUO's existence is also probably what they're shooting for; if they were to go 100% Supranational style they could inspire a lot of hostility, which is never a good thing and could lead Miss Universe's demise. Not to mention, they probably feel that no matter what they do Miss Universe would stay the dominant world pageant and will continue to have a fanbase, regardless of whether that's true or not.

[pippo93]

THE PROBLEM IS THE BALANCE.
MISS UNIVERSE 2017 WAS THE PERFECT FORMAT TO ME. THEY PUT THE SAME IMPORTANCE TO EVERYPART OF THE COMPETITIONS: TOP 16 SHORT INTERVIEW, GOOD SWIMSUIT (WITHOUT ANY COMMENT ), GOOD EVENING GOWN, GOOD INTERVIEW ROUND. EVERY ROUND HAS EQUAL DURATION.

COMPARED TO 2019, THIS LAST IS REALLY BORING..... TOO MUCH TALKS. AFTER 4 ROUNDS OF SPEECH, THEY REMOVED THE FINAL LOOK FOR THE FINAL STATEMENT (WITHOUT CONSIDER THE RIDICULOUS "I'M CONFIDENCE WHEN..." DURING THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION).
I'M OK WITH THE FACT TO PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE INTERVIEW SKILLS OF THE GIRLS, BUT NOW IS TOO MUCH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY GLAMSHOTS ANY EXCITMENT.
THAY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING

[The Duchess]

THE PROBLEM IS THE BALANCE.
MISS UNIVERSE 2017 WAS THE PERFECT FORMAT TO ME. THEY PUT THE SAME IMPORTANCE TO EVERYPART OF THE COMPETITIONS: TOP 16 SHORT INTERVIEW, GOOD SWIMSUIT (WITHOUT ANY COMMENT ), GOOD EVENING GOWN, GOOD INTERVIEW ROUND. EVERY ROUND HAS EQUAL DURATION.

COMPARED TO 2019, THIS LAST IS REALLY BORING..... TOO MUCH TALKS. AFTER 4 ROUNDS OF SPEECH, THEY REMOVED THE FINAL LOOK FOR THE FINAL STATEMENT (WITHOUT CONSIDER THE RIDICULOUS "I'M CONFIDENCE WHEN..." DURING THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION).
I'M OK WITH THE FACT TO PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE INTERVIEW SKILLS OF THE GIRLS, BUT NOW IS TOO MUCH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY GLAMSHOTS ANY EXCITMENT.
THAY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING

I actually liked the 2018 format, I didn't mind the Top 20 speech because that was the only big speech but in the last 2 years I keep saying that's all for show. I have a running theory that they already have the Top 10 chosen, which is why you sometimes see so so speeches get in and good speeches don't make it in the last two years.

But 2019 spend more than an hour before the Top 10 competition, let's be real is where everything truly begins, and then spend a bunch of time just speaking. For my 2019 review I literally checked each timeline and honestly they wasted a looooot of time.

[pippo93]

THE PROBLEM IS THE BALANCE.
MISS UNIVERSE 2017 WAS THE PERFECT FORMAT TO ME. THEY PUT THE SAME IMPORTANCE TO EVERYPART OF THE COMPETITIONS: TOP 16 SHORT INTERVIEW, GOOD SWIMSUIT (WITHOUT ANY COMMENT ), GOOD EVENING GOWN, GOOD INTERVIEW ROUND. EVERY ROUND HAS EQUAL DURATION.

COMPARED TO 2019, THIS LAST IS REALLY BORING..... TOO MUCH TALKS. AFTER 4 ROUNDS OF SPEECH, THEY REMOVED THE FINAL LOOK FOR THE FINAL STATEMENT (WITHOUT CONSIDER THE RIDICULOUS "I'M CONFIDENCE WHEN..." DURING THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION).
I'M OK WITH THE FACT TO PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE INTERVIEW SKILLS OF THE GIRLS, BUT NOW IS TOO MUCH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY GLAMSHOTS ANY EXCITMENT.
THAY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING

I actually liked the 2018 format, I didn't mind the Top 20 speech because that was the only big speech but in the last 2 years I keep saying that's all for show. I have a running theory that they already have the Top 10 chosen, which is why you sometimes see so so speeches get in and good speeches don't make it in the last two years.

But 2019 spend more than an hour before the Top 10 competition, let's be real is where everything truly begins, and then spend a bunch of time just speaking. For my 2019 review I literally checked each timeline and honestly they wasted a looooot of time.

TOP 20 OPENING STATEMENTE COULD PASS, BUT ONLY IF THEY REMOVE THE SHORT INTERVIEW DURING TOP 20 ANNOUNCEMENT.
BUT I DON"T KNOW, AS YOU SAID I THINK THE TOP 10 IS ALREADY PRE-DETERMINED (IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN EXPLAIN MAEVA PLACEMENTE LAST YEAR) AND IF THIS IS TRUE THIS SEGMENT IS SO UNNECESSARY

[itsrowdy801]

THE PROBLEM IS THE BALANCE.
MISS UNIVERSE 2017 WAS THE PERFECT FORMAT TO ME. THEY PUT THE SAME IMPORTANCE TO EVERYPART OF THE COMPETITIONS: TOP 16 SHORT INTERVIEW, GOOD SWIMSUIT (WITHOUT ANY COMMENT ), GOOD EVENING GOWN, GOOD INTERVIEW ROUND. EVERY ROUND HAS EQUAL DURATION.

COMPARED TO 2019, THIS LAST IS REALLY BORING..... TOO MUCH TALKS. AFTER 4 ROUNDS OF SPEECH, THEY REMOVED THE FINAL LOOK FOR THE FINAL STATEMENT (WITHOUT CONSIDER THE RIDICULOUS "I'M CONFIDENCE WHEN..." DURING THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION).
I'M OK WITH THE FACT TO PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE INTERVIEW SKILLS OF THE GIRLS, BUT NOW IS TOO MUCH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY GLAMSHOTS ANY EXCITMENT.
THAY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING

I actually liked the 2018 format, I didn't mind the Top 20 speech because that was the only big speech but in the last 2 years I keep saying that's all for show. I have a running theory that they already have the Top 10 chosen, which is why you sometimes see so so speeches get in and good speeches don't make it in the last two years.

But 2019 spend more than an hour before the Top 10 competition, let's be real is where everything truly begins, and then spend a bunch of time just speaking. For my 2019 review I literally checked each timeline and honestly they wasted a looooot of time.

TOP 20 OPENING STATEMENTE COULD PASS, BUT ONLY IF THEY REMOVE THE SHORT INTERVIEW DURING TOP 20 ANNOUNCEMENT.
BUT I DON"T KNOW, AS YOU SAID I THINK THE TOP 10 IS ALREADY PRE-DETERMINED (IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN EXPLAIN MAEVA PLACEMENTE LAST YEAR) AND IF THIS IS TRUE THIS SEGMENT IS SO UNNECESSARY

I think the Miss USA format is pretty near perfect for me, but I get what Universe is trying to do.

I'm not gonna get too far into it because this is the USA thread, not the Universe thread but Steve Harvey has to fucking go, nobody likes him. Getting rid of Steve would be Priority #1 to improve Miss Universe. Getting rid of continental groupings would be second.

[pippo93]

THE PROBLEM IS THE BALANCE.
MISS UNIVERSE 2017 WAS THE PERFECT FORMAT TO ME. THEY PUT THE SAME IMPORTANCE TO EVERYPART OF THE COMPETITIONS: TOP 16 SHORT INTERVIEW, GOOD SWIMSUIT (WITHOUT ANY COMMENT ), GOOD EVENING GOWN, GOOD INTERVIEW ROUND. EVERY ROUND HAS EQUAL DURATION.

COMPARED TO 2019, THIS LAST IS REALLY BORING..... TOO MUCH TALKS. AFTER 4 ROUNDS OF SPEECH, THEY REMOVED THE FINAL LOOK FOR THE FINAL STATEMENT (WITHOUT CONSIDER THE RIDICULOUS "I'M CONFIDENCE WHEN..." DURING THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION).
I'M OK WITH THE FACT TO PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE INTERVIEW SKILLS OF THE GIRLS, BUT NOW IS TOO MUCH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY GLAMSHOTS ANY EXCITMENT.
THAY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING

I actually liked the 2018 format, I didn't mind the Top 20 speech because that was the only big speech but in the last 2 years I keep saying that's all for show. I have a running theory that they already have the Top 10 chosen, which is why you sometimes see so so speeches get in and good speeches don't make it in the last two years.

But 2019 spend more than an hour before the Top 10 competition, let's be real is where everything truly begins, and then spend a bunch of time just speaking. For my 2019 review I literally checked each timeline and honestly they wasted a looooot of time.

COMPLETELY AGREE

TOP 20 OPENING STATEMENTE COULD PASS, BUT ONLY IF THEY REMOVE THE SHORT INTERVIEW DURING TOP 20 ANNOUNCEMENT.
BUT I DON"T KNOW, AS YOU SAID I THINK THE TOP 10 IS ALREADY PRE-DETERMINED (IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN EXPLAIN MAEVA PLACEMENTE LAST YEAR) AND IF THIS IS TRUE THIS SEGMENT IS SO UNNECESSARY

I think the Miss USA format is pretty near perfect for me, but I get what Universe is trying to do.

I'm not gonna get too far into it because this is the USA thread, not the Universe thread but Steve Harvey has to fucking go, nobody likes him. Getting rid of Steve would be Priority #1 to improve Miss Universe. Getting rid of continental groupings would be second.

[Queen of the Clouds]

THE PROBLEM IS THE BALANCE.
MISS UNIVERSE 2017 WAS THE PERFECT FORMAT TO ME. THEY PUT THE SAME IMPORTANCE TO EVERYPART OF THE COMPETITIONS: TOP 16 SHORT INTERVIEW, GOOD SWIMSUIT (WITHOUT ANY COMMENT ), GOOD EVENING GOWN, GOOD INTERVIEW ROUND. EVERY ROUND HAS EQUAL DURATION.

COMPARED TO 2019, THIS LAST IS REALLY BORING..... TOO MUCH TALKS. AFTER 4 ROUNDS OF SPEECH, THEY REMOVED THE FINAL LOOK FOR THE FINAL STATEMENT (WITHOUT CONSIDER THE RIDICULOUS "I'M CONFIDENCE WHEN..." DURING THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION).
I'M OK WITH THE FACT TO PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE INTERVIEW SKILLS OF THE GIRLS, BUT NOW IS TOO MUCH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY GLAMSHOTS ANY EXCITMENT.
THAY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING

I actually liked the 2018 format, I didn't mind the Top 20 speech because that was the only big speech but in the last 2 years I keep saying that's all for show. I have a running theory that they already have the Top 10 chosen, which is why you sometimes see so so speeches get in and good speeches don't make it in the last two years.

But 2019 spend more than an hour before the Top 10 competition, let's be real is where everything truly begins, and then spend a bunch of time just speaking. For my 2019 review I literally checked each timeline and honestly they wasted a looooot of time.

TOP 20 OPENING STATEMENTE COULD PASS, BUT ONLY IF THEY REMOVE THE SHORT INTERVIEW DURING TOP 20 ANNOUNCEMENT.
BUT I DON"T KNOW, AS YOU SAID I THINK THE TOP 10 IS ALREADY PRE-DETERMINED (IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN EXPLAIN MAEVA PLACEMENTE LAST YEAR) AND IF THIS IS TRUE THIS SEGMENT IS SO UNNECESSARY

I think the Miss USA format is pretty near perfect for me, but I get what Universe is trying to do.

I'm not gonna get too far into it because this is the USA thread, not the Universe thread but Steve Harvey has to fucking go, nobody likes him. Getting rid of Steve would be Priority #1 to improve Miss Universe. Getting rid of continental groupings would be second.

Thank god his contract ran up. All Steve did was make a joke out of the competition. He isn't funny and also has a number of homophobic/sexist beliefs. Don't know why the MUO ever thought he would make a good host. I really hope they don't sign a new contract with him, Nick and Vanessa Lachey were way better hosts at Miss USA than Steve ever was at Miss Universe.

I generally agree that I had no real problems with the 2018 competition. I think the top twenty speeches are kinda annoying, but they make sense. Personally, I would rather the speeches come at the end of the competition, so it's a top twenty swimsuit, top ten evening gown, and then the top five both answer a question and give a speech. Listening to twenty speeches over and over again is just too much. The 2019 competition was just a mess in general; the fact they gave Steve like 30 minutes to do a standup routine was obnoxious, and then having two speech rounds was a lot. I understand the idea of why they have the speech rounds, but I just don't think memorized lines necessarily reflect a good titleholder --- especially considering most of the speeches always seem so rehearsed and inauthentic. The final question is good because it requires them to think on the spot, so instead of speech rounds I would much rather the contestants have to answer maybe 5 minutes of rapid-fire quick questions that they don't know ahead of time; this was done at Miss USA in the late-90s and early-2000s towards the beginning of the competition, and I always found it to be very fun and interesting.

As for this conspiracy theory about a preselected top ten, I can see where you're getting it from. Some speeches were clearly better than others, and the top ten didn't necessarily make sense. But then again, I can sort of understand Maëva making it to top ten because she showed a lot of personality. She didn't try to stand up there and say what everyone else was saying with rehearsed lines, she tried to be funny and show her personality, so maybe it was just that the judges liked that? I don't think they're necessarily looking for a future president with the speech rounds, I think they're just looking for girls who stand out from the rest of them, and Maëva surely still stood out. If the speeches don't actually count then I'm also sure Gazini would have made top ten, since it was clear her speaking was her downfall.

[itsrowdy801]

THE PROBLEM IS THE BALANCE.
MISS UNIVERSE 2017 WAS THE PERFECT FORMAT TO ME. THEY PUT THE SAME IMPORTANCE TO EVERYPART OF THE COMPETITIONS: TOP 16 SHORT INTERVIEW, GOOD SWIMSUIT (WITHOUT ANY COMMENT ), GOOD EVENING GOWN, GOOD INTERVIEW ROUND. EVERY ROUND HAS EQUAL DURATION.

COMPARED TO 2019, THIS LAST IS REALLY BORING..... TOO MUCH TALKS. AFTER 4 ROUNDS OF SPEECH, THEY REMOVED THE FINAL LOOK FOR THE FINAL STATEMENT (WITHOUT CONSIDER THE RIDICULOUS "I'M CONFIDENCE WHEN..." DURING THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION).
I'M OK WITH THE FACT TO PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE INTERVIEW SKILLS OF THE GIRLS, BUT NOW IS TOO MUCH. WE DON'T HAVE ANY GLAMSHOTS ANY EXCITMENT.
THAY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING

I actually liked the 2018 format, I didn't mind the Top 20 speech because that was the only big speech but in the last 2 years I keep saying that's all for show. I have a running theory that they already have the Top 10 chosen, which is why you sometimes see so so speeches get in and good speeches don't make it in the last two years.

But 2019 spend more than an hour before the Top 10 competition, let's be real is where everything truly begins, and then spend a bunch of time just speaking. For my 2019 review I literally checked each timeline and honestly they wasted a looooot of time.

TOP 20 OPENING STATEMENTE COULD PASS, BUT ONLY IF THEY REMOVE THE SHORT INTERVIEW DURING TOP 20 ANNOUNCEMENT.
BUT I DON"T KNOW, AS YOU SAID I THINK THE TOP 10 IS ALREADY PRE-DETERMINED (IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN EXPLAIN MAEVA PLACEMENTE LAST YEAR) AND IF THIS IS TRUE THIS SEGMENT IS SO UNNECESSARY

I think the Miss USA format is pretty near perfect for me, but I get what Universe is trying to do.

I'm not gonna get too far into it because this is the USA thread, not the Universe thread but Steve Harvey has to fucking go, nobody likes him. Getting rid of Steve would be Priority #1 to improve Miss Universe. Getting rid of continental groupings would be second.

Thank god his contract ran up. All Steve did was make a joke out of the competition. He isn't funny and also has a number of homophobic/sexist beliefs. Don't know why the MUO ever thought he would make a good host. I really hope they don't sign a new contract with him, Nick and Vanessa Lachey were way better hosts at Miss USA than Steve ever was at Miss Universe.

I generally agree that I had no real problems with the 2018 competition. I think the top twenty speeches are kinda annoying, but they make sense. Personally, I would rather the speeches come at the end of the competition, so it's a top twenty swimsuit, top ten evening gown, and then the top five both answer a question and give a speech. Listening to twenty speeches over and over again is just too much. The 2019 competition was just a mess in general; the fact they gave Steve like 30 minutes to do a standup routine was obnoxious, and then having two speech rounds was a lot. I understand the idea of why they have the speech rounds, but I just don't think memorized lines necessarily reflect a good titleholder --- especially considering most of the speeches always seem so rehearsed and inauthentic. The final question is good because it requires them to think on the spot, so instead of speech rounds I would much rather the contestants have to answer maybe 5 minutes of rapid-fire quick questions that they don't know ahead of time; this was done at Miss USA in the late-90s and early-2000s towards the beginning of the competition, and I always found it to be very fun and interesting.

As for this conspiracy theory about a preselected top ten, I can see where you're getting it from. Some speeches were clearly better than others, and the top ten didn't necessarily make sense. But then again, I can sort of understand Maëva making it to top ten because she showed a lot of personality. She didn't try to stand up there and say what everyone else was saying with rehearsed lines, she tried to be funny and show her personality, so maybe it was just that the judges liked that? I don't think they're necessarily looking for a future president with the speech rounds, I think they're just looking for girls who stand out from the rest of them, and Maëva surely still stood out. If the speeches don't actually count then I'm also sure Gazini would have made top ten, since it was clear her speaking was her downfall.

A while back I remember hearing that Steve Harvey got a contract extension. I'm not sure the veracity of that claim, but hearing it both confused me and pissed me off. I am pretty sure the vast majority of fans don't like him. I'd honestly be happy if Vanessa & Nick hosted Universe too, I think they do a great job hosting Miss USA.

[The Duchess]

He is friends with Tyler Perry so I wouldn't be surprised if a contract extension was perhaps talked about when finding the venue last time, I'm sure he was part of the connection.

[itsrowdy801]

He is friends with Tyler Perry so I wouldn't be surprised if a contract extension was perhaps talked about when finding the venue last time, I'm sure he was part of the connection.

I can see why they'd want to keep around an atrocious, self-centered host with bad to offensive jokes and an 80% success rate at announcing the right winner, if it means they can continue to get tiny, ratchet venues to host their pageant in.

[itsrowdy801]

Who are y'all's faves for Miss Teen USA?

I usually don't keep terribly close attention to Teen anymore but in my abundant free time these days I've done a bit more research, and rn my Top 5 is

4RU: South Carolina
3RU: Connecticut
2RU: Illinois
1RU: Kansas
W: Michigan

Hawaii is also way up there on my list, too.

[Queen of the Clouds]

Who are y'all's faves for Miss Teen USA?

I usually don't keep terribly close attention to Teen anymore but in my abundant free time these days I've done a bit more research, and rn my Top 5 is

4RU: South Carolina
3RU: Connecticut
2RU: Illinois
1RU: Kansas
W: Michigan

Hawaii is also way up there on my list, too.

I don't normally follow Miss Teen USA until the night of the competition when I pay attention to all the girls for the first time, but after looking around here's who caught my eye.

-Alabama
-Florida
-Georgia
-Hawaii
-Illinois
-Kentucky
-Maine
-Michigan (just saw she's going to NYU in the fall which is where I did my undergrad so yay)
-Minnesota
-Missouri
-North Carolina
-Ohio
-Oklahoma
-Rhode Island

Overall I'd say my top five is (as of right now) Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. I think my winner will eventually be between Hawaii and Michigan, but we'll see come finals night. I've always found Miss Teen USA to be extremely unpredictable; apart from Kaliegh, most recent years the winners seem to be dark horses who people weren't expecting. Also a lot of the placements can be big surprises and sometimes my winner doesn't even place while girls not on my radar at all make top five. I think the judges value the interview a lot.

[Jonathan Nguyen]

I actually thought people wouldnt agree with me on this, I'm glad people see the public relation aspect of this.

It's very true and something that a lot of pageant fans seem to ignore. As much as people here claim to hate how Miss Universe has become a "speaking contest," this is the way it must continue if they want Miss Universe to exist at all. The American public just is not okay with parading around women in swimsuits and judging them on just their physical appearances anymore. The MUO knows that, and if any of us want to still have this pageant to follow, we need to be okay with them trying to appeal to the general public. It's the same thing with holding the pageant in the middle of a pandemic. The American public is already iffy about the MUO's continued existence, they need to do all they can do maintain their approval.

But the american public is not the only public that exists or matters, even if it is your host country. I want a pageant to follow, you said it yourself, but I'm afraid Miss Universe is year by year looking less like a pageant. Obviously, I'm not saying Miss Universe HAS to change... personally I will just stop following it eventually. I'm just saying that they are mistakenly only focusing on one market, and they may lose the more for the less.

I already know the swimsuit competition might be gone in a year or two, in 5 years or less itll probably look more like the direct competitor of Miss America. Personally I'm just going to try to enjoy it for as long as I can before it finishes transitioning out of the word "pageant"

IMG has been trying their best to keep the SS round relevant. They even made a video to justify the SS round to the public. Wearing a SS = Projecting Confidence + Being Yourself. If the SS round is removed, don’t blame IMG, blame political correctness. At least IMG has been trying to keep it.

[dabunique]

Been a minute since I’ve been here

How do u guys see FL?

[itsrowdy801]

Been a minute since I’ve been here

How do u guys see FL?

My take on Florida is that she's really overhyped. I guess I just don't get it why a lot of people are putting her at the very top of their predictions list - she neither has a particularly impressive resume, platform, or stage presence in my opinion. Sure, she might place, she does have experience as a former MAO state titleholder, but I can easily think of 15 or more contestants that are stronger than her in my opinion

[Queen of the Clouds]

Been a minute since I’ve been here

How do u guys see FL?

She's a pageant veteran which could take her into the semifinals but I'm not a fan and don't see her as a winner. She isn't in my top fifteen (or anywhere close really) but I think she could place just because of her experience (Miss America semifinalist) so she clearly knows what she's doing.

[AUSTIN III]

Honestly, I am tired of Miss USA already. The last three queens, while they rightfully won acing their Q&A rounds, are the most unrelatable Miss USA to me.

This year I really like Idaho and Hawaii, but knowing that my favs were OH,NJ last year, SC,TN in 2018 and NC, UT and PA in 2017, my hope is ultimately none.

[The Duchess]

Honestly, I am tired of Miss USA already. The last three queens, while they rightfully won acing their Q&A rounds, are the most unrelatable Miss USA to me.

This year I really like Idaho and Hawaii, but knowing that my favs were OH,NJ last year, SC,TN in 2018 and NC, UT and PA in 2017, my hope is ultimately none.

Because there's different types of winners, at least to me, and girls like the last Miss USAs amongst others are what I call "Format Queens" and they are usually very polarizing winners.