It is crunch time for Miss SA 2011 Melinda Bam, who is bidding to be the second South African beauty to win the prestigious Miss Universe title in 34 years.
Tomorrow Miss Universe Leila Lopes, the reigning queen who represented Angola last year, will hand over her crown to a successor. Bam hopes to emulate Margaret Gardiner of Woodstock, Cape Town, who scooped the Miss Universe crown in 1978 at the age of 18.
The Miss Universe pageant, owned by American business mogul Donald Trump, is taking place at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Statistically, South Africans have not done well in the Miss Universe competitions, so it is up to Bam to beat the odds.
She is featured among the most beautiful girls from the European continent, but she is definitely the most beautiful blonde beauty in the competition, and the crown could potentially be hers.
Bam has been outstanding and consistent in Las Vegas in all the pageant's various phases.
African expectations of her to do well, weigh heavily on her. This might even prove her critics wrong after she had ditched participating in the Miss World pageant, in favour of competing in the Miss Universe contest.
Her consistency in this competition has paid off, getting rave reviews and the ultimate, collective nod from the pageant's judging panel. She is also being touted to make the top five amid stiff competition.
But first, she has to overcome the final hurdle of beating equally beautiful competition coming from Miss Venezuela Irene Esser, Miss Phillipines Janine Tugonon and Miss USA Olivia Culpo.
- mahlanguba@sowetan.co.za
Miss SA on verge of big things
It is crunch time for Miss SA 2011 Melinda Bam, who is bidding to be the second South African beauty to win the prestigious Miss Universe title in 34 years.
Tomorrow Miss Universe Leila Lopes, the reigning queen who represented Angola last year, will hand over her crown to a successor. Bam hopes to emulate Margaret Gardiner of Woodstock, Cape Town, who scooped the Miss Universe crown in 1978 at the age of 18.
The Miss Universe pageant, owned by American business mogul Donald Trump, is taking place at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Statistically, South Africans have not done well in the Miss Universe competitions, so it is up to Bam to beat the odds.
She is featured among the most beautiful girls from the European continent, but she is definitely the most beautiful blonde beauty in the competition, and the crown could potentially be hers.
Bam has been outstanding and consistent in Las Vegas in all the pageant's various phases.
African expectations of her to do well, weigh heavily on her. This might even prove her critics wrong after she had ditched participating in the Miss World pageant, in favour of competing in the Miss Universe contest.
Her consistency in this competition has paid off, getting rave reviews and the ultimate, collective nod from the pageant's judging panel. She is also being touted to make the top five amid stiff competition.
But first, she has to overcome the final hurdle of beating equally beautiful competition coming from Miss Venezuela Irene Esser, Miss Phillipines Janine Tugonon and Miss USA Olivia Culpo.
- mahlanguba@sowetan.co.za
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