The crowd went wild as Medina’s name was called by host Steve Harvey as among the top 13 ahead of the coronation at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Harvey asked Medina what her aunt Gem Padilla-Thomas, a former Miss Universe Philippines 1990, told her.
“She just told me to be myself,” Medina said.
Here’s the list of the Miss Universe candidates who have advanced to the Top 13 so far.
They got the highest averaged scores from the judges based on their performance in the preliminary swimsuit and long gown competition, preliminary interviews, and fan vote:
Miss Kenya – Mary Esther Were
Miss Indonesia – Kezia Warouw
Miss USA – Deshauna Barber
Miss Mexico – Kristal Silva
Miss Peru – Valeria Piazza
Miss Panama – Keity Drennan
Miss Colombia – Andrea Tovar
Miss Philippines – Maxine Medina
Miss Canada – Siera Bearchell
Miss Brazil – Raissa Santana
Miss France -Iris Mittenaere
Miss Haiti – Raquel Pelissier
Miss Thailand – Chalita Suansane
The Top 13 candidates will compete in the swimsuit segment, which will determine the Top 9. Stay tuned for updates.
Miss Venezuela, Mariam Habach, perceived as one of the early favorites, failed to make the cut. IDL