The much anticipated finale of Miss Universe 2016 has come to a conclusion and France’s Iris Mittenaere has been crowned as the winner. The finale was an astounding gala and although Iris’ performance was well deserved, there was one moment that came across as a shock to many. Exclusion of Venezuela from Top 13!! Right? We are sure this must have come across as a shocking exclusion to almost everyone out there. Also, Mariam herself was surprised to not hear her name being announced for the Top 13 finalist. After all, despite of winning two special awards – Miss Flawless of the Universe, and Miss Elegance – Mariam couldn’t crack it to the semi-finals. That’s a head scratcher!! But, what we are going to talk about here today will definitely clear the cloud of doubts.

The last time Venezuela didn’t make it to the semi-finalist slot was in the year 2010 under the representation of Marelisa Gibson. But this year, Mariam was among the front runners and she was among the hot favourites of everyone. So, what exactly happened? Well, we are going to tell you what went wrong where!!

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Since, her crowning as Miss Venezuela, Mariam has been in news. In fact when the beauty was chosen as the Venezuelan representative to Miss Universe 2016, no one from her co-contestant was seen celebrating the joy with her. She was the only one seen celebrating her victory. The reason behind this was revealed by Venezuelan beauty pageant expert and journalist, Julio Rodríguez Matute, who also predicted that Venezuela will not make it to the semi-finals. Well, the man has reasons, which is your answer to all the questions.

After the Preliminary Competition of Miss Universe 2016, Julio updated his Top 12 favourites (keeping Venezuela out), and mentioned that Mariam doesn’t deserve to be among the semi-finalists because of her arrogant behaviour. In Julio’s words (as translated) “Mariam has always been a rich girl, who has had everything and has spoiled her a lot. She has always had what she has wanted. She has grown with luxury, full of luxuries and that is not criticized. What I criticize is that, unfortunately, that life has given rise to an arrogant girl, who doesn’t respect people who are not of their socioeconomic level, who cares only for banal things, to mock the People because unfortunately they did not have the luck she had.” According to Julio, what makes a person beautiful is his/ her humble nature towards others, and that’s exactly what Habach lacks.

If we keep Julio’s views aside, what also came across were rumours about Mariam’s behaviour during the Miss Universe. There was one gown switching allegation that was raised against Venezuela, when few contestants participated at the “terno” fashion show. She was also blamed for stepping on other contestant’s dress without saying sorry. Not only this, there have also been allegations about Mariam’s attitude towards other contestants.

Another point that is also being raised about Habach’s exclusion is that she was too over confident. Donning the sash of Venezuela is in itself a confident booster, and a contender from Venezuela is automatically expected to be among the finalists, no matter what. Probably, it was this over confidence that backfired on Habach, and hence the exclusion. The 65th edition of Miss Universe became a memorable one for Venezuela for sure.

Secondly, IMG and Miss Universe Organisation always look for an ambassador with a strong advocacy, who also works towards it even before winning the Miss Universe pageant. So, if a front runner has reportedly been showing some inappropriate behaviour, it will definitely be a matter to frown upon. Some MUO staff have also witnessed firsthand on how Mariam behaved prior to the coronation day against the staff, dancers, fans, and other delegates.

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We, as the audience, saw only the visits and the events part, but what actually went on during the contest, also matters in evaluating a contestant’s chances at the finals. Another factor that helps a candidate reach the semi-finals is the Preliminary Interview. The candidate’s advocacy and interview is ranked higher than the evening gown and the swimsuit round. So, as stated earlier, Mariam’s over confidence and lack of any dedication towards her advocacy might have stood in her way of making it to the semi-finalist list. It was evident in the semi-finalists slot, that although there were weaker sashes, but the contenders were all very intelligent and articulate in their advocacies.

So, although the exclusion of this diva did come as a shock, but if you come to think of it, that is only fair. So, is it time for Venezuela to ponder over what went wrong this year? As Miss International Venezuela 2016 Jessica Duarte also couldn’t crack the semi-finals this year. Over confidence or lack of concentration on minute details, what do you think was the problem? Let us know your views in the comment section below...