Miss Universe fever is not without early bets, and highly favorites so we’re back to giving our readers the names of the ladies we believe will fare well come the actual pageant night set on January 25, 2015 in Doral, Florida.

There’s no point of stopping this annual tradition of ours for more than other site’s prediction games, our past bets have always won the title, with the majority of them part of the semi-finalists, and even the top 5.

So as the candidates start to arrive in Florida for the duration of the pageant, we’re listing down below the ladies who we believe have what it takes to be crowned Miss Universe 2014. This list however is our initial Top 16 as things may change as we see them interact with other candidates, get the media attention, and the sponsors’ taste when the pageant’s activities start. Watch out for our final top 16 list a week or two before the pageant night.

Miss Universe 2014 Top 20 Hot Picks (in no particular order):

COLOMBIA, Paulina Vega is a real stunner. No one can deny the presence of this beautiful lady that would make the other nations shiver as she’s one of the prettiest faces in this year’s batch. The 21 year old Colomban stands 5’9″ and in her blood flows that of a beauty queen. She is the granddaughter of Miss Atlántico 1953 Elvira Castillo, says her bio in Miss Universe website. Paulina’s experience in modeling will be an advantage as well. She’s been in the industry for over 13 years now. And if her performance in the local Miss Universe pageant in her home country is to be considered, the lady is definitely the one to beat, as she earned the highest score possible in every presentation back then, 9.9 points. Will she fare the same in Miss Universe stage? That we are yet to know. But one thing is sure, she could be the next lady to wear the crown.

Speaking of persistency however, Melissa just got a match. That’s none other than PHILIPPINES’ Mary Jean Lastimosa who got the chance to wear her country’s sash to the Miss Universe pageant after her third try. More than her beautiful smile, a pretty face, and the heart for charitable works, it is Mary Jean’s unwavering spirit that makes her the strongest contender for the crown. Do not even dare to count her strong supporters from the Filipino fans worldwide for you’d just be amazed. Considering her fantastic performance in the 2014 local pageant, and her transformation afterwards that matched her inner beauty, expect Mj to win the third crown for the Philippines. This country of pageant lovers couldn’t just continue producing runners-up. It’s high time to win.

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