Lebanon and Philippines among Miss Universe 2023 fan favourites

Contestant with the most votes gets automatic entry into the semi-finals

Miss Universe Lebanon Maya Aboul Hosn, left, and Miss Universe Philippines Michelle Dee. Photo: @mayaaboulhosnnn and @michelledee / Instagram

Miss Universe Lebanon Maya Aboul Hosn and Miss Universe Philippines Michelle Dee are among the top favourites ahead of the global finale in November.

Miss Universe recently shared the Top 10 list of its fan vote, which also included France's Diane Leyre, Myanmar's Amara Bo, Thailand's Anntonia Porsild and Mexico's Melissa Flores.

Online voting is now open via the Miss Universe app, with the contestant earning the most votes getting an automatic placement in the semi-finals. The next Miss Universe is set to be crowned on November 18 in El Salvador.

Hosn, 25, a radio and television personality, was crowned Miss Universe Lebanon last month at a competition in Beirut. She is only the third Arab contestant at the global competition along with Miss Universe Egypt Mohra Tantawy and Miss Universe Bahrain Lujane Yacoub.

Lebanon has won the Miss Universe crown once when Georgina Rizk made history by becoming the first woman from the Arab world to win the title in 1971.

Miss Universe Philippines's Dee, meanwhile, comes from a beauty pageant-obsessed country, which has won the title four times.

An actress and model, Dee, 28, represented the City of Makati at the national contest in May. She is the daughter of actress and producer Melanie Marquez, who won the Miss International crown in 1979. As a pageant promoter, Marquez has also trained many beauty queens who've gone to represent on the Philippines on the international stage.

Dee has also represented the Philippines at a global pageant, having won Miss World Philippines in 2019. She finished in the top 12 at the Miss World competition, held in London, where Jamaica's Toni-Ann Singh was crowned winner that year.

Reigning Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel from the USA will crown her successor at the November event in El Salvador, which will begin with a number of preliminary rounds spread over a number of weeks.

Here are the Top 10 Miss Universe contestants with the most fan votes in alphabetically order:

- Albania: Endi Demneri

- Chile: Celeste Viel

- France: Diane Leyre

- Lebanon: Maya Abou El Hosn

- Mexico: Melissa Flores

- Myanmar: Amara Bo

- Nicaragua: Sheynnis Palacios

- Philippines: Michelle Dee

- Puerto Rico: Karla Acevedo

- Thailand: Anntonia Porsild

US-ENTERTAINMENT-MISS UNIVERSE

Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel celebrates after winning the 71st Miss Universe competition at the New Orleans Ernest N Morial Convention Centre in Louisiana. AFP

Updated: October 15, 2023, 6:14 AM