'Predicting royalty': Pageant experts reveal their final top picks for Miss Universe 2023

MANILA, Philippines — With the anticipation building for tomorrow's coronation, Philstar.com sought the insights of three pageant experts to reveal their ultimate top picks for Miss Universe 2023.

In this exclusive feature, Philstar.com asked beauty queen Siera Bearchell (Miss Universe Canada 2016) alongside highly respected pageant experts Norman Tinio and Tita Lavinia. They shared their evaluations of Philippine bet Michelle Dee's preliminary performance and weighed in on her potential to secure the fifth Miss Universe crown for the Philippines.

Final top picks

Here are the final top picks of the pageant gurus, listed in no particular order:

Siera Bearchell

1. Dominican Republic
2. Philippines
3. Thailand
4. Puerto Rico
5. Austraiia
6. Mexico
7. Peru
8. India
9. France
10. Colombia
11. USA
12. Nicaragua
13. Canada

Norman Tinio

1. Thailand
2. Nicaragua
3. Philippines
4. Venezuela
5. El Salvador
6. Dominican Republic
7. India
8. South Africa
9. Colombia
10. France
11. Puerto Rico
12. USA
13. Angola
14. Germany
15. Mexico
16. Great Britain
17. Pakistan
18. Brazil
19. Nepal
20. Australia

TIta Lavinia

1. Australia
2. Brazil
3. Cameroon
4. Colombia
5. Denmark
6. Dominican Republic
7. Egypt
8. El Salvador
9. India
10. Lebanon
11. Mexico
12. Nepal
13. Nicaragua
14. Pakistan
15. Philippines
16. Puerto Rico
17. South Africa
18. Thailand
19. USA
20. Venezuela

Possible dark horse and El Tocuyo

When discussing potential dark horses (unexpected finalists) and the El Tocuyo (strong candidates who might miss the cut), here are their predictions:

Siera Bearchell

Dark horses: Pakistan, Venezuela
El Tocuyo: Peru 

Norman Tinio

Dark horses: Australia, Honduras, Cameroon and Nepal 
El Tocuyo: Dominican Republic or USA

TIta Lavinia

Dark horses: Pakistan and Nepal
El Tocuyo: France or Dominican Republic 

Michelle Dee's prelim performance

The trio of pageant experts unanimously rated Michelle Dee with a solid 9.

TIta Lavinia shared, “I would rate MMD as a solid 9. If she could slow down a bit and change her hair, she'd be perfect.”

Siera, who is a big fan of Michelle since her Miss World stint said: “I’ve always seen Michelle as woman of sophistication and confidence. I’ve always been a fan of her as you know. Love the confidence to have her short hair. You don’t see it as much in pageants. She can be confidently who she is. I personally loved her gown. I thought it was incredible. For me, it was very her, like the sophistication, the cut outs, the green (evening gown).. I thought it very regal, unique. I personally loved it. I like her gown performance better than her swim performance. I thought she gave a great performance. For me, it’s very regal and sophisticated."

For Norman, he gave Michelle an impressive 9.5 in swimwear and an outstanding 9.9 in evening gown.

Chances for the fifth crown

For TIta Lavinia, Michelle is the “the perfect candidate this far since Catriona to take the fifth crown for the Philippines”

Siera perfectly summarized Michelle’s chances:

“I think Michelle Dee definitely has the chance to take home the fifth crown for the Philippines. We’ve seen it her in her performances especially in the way she speaks. She’s always been very authentic, very true to herself. She doesn’t try to be someone else or tried to be what she thinks Miss Universe wants her to be. She’s always been who she is. As long she remains true to herself, keeps her reasoning why she’s there, why she wants that Miss Universe crown then there’s no reason why she can’t win.”

Norman, on the other hand, said: “(The fifth crown) is on sight, but the lens needs to be wiped squeaky clean for us to see clearly. Fate is the ultimate cleaner. “

Is Michelle Dee set to succeed the current Miss Universe, R’Bonney Gabriel? The Philippines, affectionately referred to as "Filipinas" by Michelle, eagerly anticipates her reign.

About the pageant experts

Norman Tinio is a permanent fixture in Philippine pageantry. He has a widely followed pageant blog: https://normannorman.com/.

Siera Bearchell, crowned Miss Canada in 2016, achieved a commendable Top 9 placement at the 2016 Miss Universe held in the Philippines. Explore her YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@SieraBearchellOfficial for more.

TIta Lavinia is a popular pageant analyst and a certified cat lover. Follow and subscribe to her widely popular YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TitaLavinia.