Who’s who: Early crowd favorites at Miss Universe 2016

MANILA, Philippines — After the 65th Miss Universe preliminary competition held on Thursday evening, audiences already chose their favorite candidates.

Among the Miss Universe candidates who emerged as early crowd favorites were representatives of Brazil, Colombia, Curacao, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Venezuela and the United States of America.

Get to know these candidates below.

Miss Brazil – Raissa Santana

Miss Universe Brazil 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. MUO/Tom Starkweather

Raissa is the first black woman representing Brazil in 30 years. This 21-year-old Brazilian model and pageant titleholder is not just into glitz and glamour as she is also a cooking enthusiast. In her free time, she also plays basketball. Raisa, who graduated with a Marketing degree, has volunteered with the elderly and hopes to get involved with charities and organizations that focus on child adoption.

Miss Colombia – Andrea Tovar

Miss Universe Colombia 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. Philstar.com/Efigenio Toledo IV

Like Raissa, 23-year-old Tovar is also a model and pageant titleholder who also enjoys sports, in her case, volleyball. She graduated college with an Industrial Design and Photo Production degree. Andrea is also an environment advocate. She said she dreams of creating an innovative foundation that uses raw materials from the Pacific region to transform Colombian products.

Miss Curacao –   Chanelle de Lau

Miss Universe Curacao 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. MUO

Chanelle, 21, is still studying International Business and Management. Her favorite hobbies are cooking and dancing. She even loves to create new dishes for her family and friends. She is also an advocate for cancer research after she lost her father to the disease during her final year in high school. If crowned Miss Universe, she seeks to encourage a healthy lifestyle and reach more people around the world. Currently, Chanelle is working on spreading cancer awareness and prevention with the help of various organizations around the world.

Miss France – Iris Mittenaere

Miss Universe France 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. MUO/Anthony Yu

This 23-year-old French model charmed the crowd during the preliminary competition in her red Moulin Rouge costume. For the last five years, she kept herself busy pursuing a degree in Dental Surgery, making dental and oral hygiene her advocacy if crowned Miss Universe. She’s also fond of extreme sports, traveling the world and cooking new French dishes. Iris has also volunteered at Bienvenue-Tongasoa, an organization which supports orphans and provides free care in Madagascar community.

Miss Indonesia – Kezia Warouw

Miss Universe Indonesia 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. MUO/Anthony Yu

Kezia is formally known as Kezia Rosalin Cikita Warouw. She is also known by many as “Keke.” This 25-year-old girl graduated with an Informatics Engineering Degree. However, she was employed as head of the Accounting and Finance. Like reigning Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach, Kezia is also an advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness for children and women. She also volunteered to work for Smile Train Indonesia when she was still studying.

Miss Mexico – Kristal Silva

Miss Universe Mexico 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. MUO/Anthony Yu

During her first visit in the Philippines early December, Kristal already stole the attention after her photos from the Boracay shoot were released. This 24-year-old pageant title holder has been dreaming of competing at the Miss Universe since she was young. She describes herself funny, positive and committed. If she takes home the crown, Kristal wants to be involved in building shelter for the homeless.

Miss Philippines – Maxine Medina

Miss Universe Philippines 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. Philstar.com/Efigenio Toledo IV

It's not surprising for Maria Mika Maxine Medina, 26, to become a crowd favorite as she is the third Filipina to represent the country in her homeland. She graduated from the Philippine School of Interior Design and De La Salle-College of St. Benilde. She is engaged in designing residential condominiums. Aside from interior designing, Maxine is also a model for TV commercials, print advertisements and runway as she is a member of the organization of top models in the country, the Professional Models Association of the Philippines (PMAP). Other beauty queen members of the PMAP are Miss International Kylie Verzosa and Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental Jennifer Ruth Hammond. Maxine who advocates, helping adolescents who have cancer, previously supported “Operation: Smile” in Sta Ana. Hospital. She also taught street children from Gawad Kalinga and helped in relief operations to typhoon victims in the Philippines, among others.

Miss Sierra Leone – Hawa Kamara

Miss Universe Sierra Leone 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. MUO/Alex Mertz

Hawa is the first ever contestant to represent the republic of Sierra Leone at the Miss Universe competition. At a young age, Hawa is already passionate about joining pageants. After she graduated at one of the most prestigious girls’ schools in Freetown, Sierra Leone, she already traveled and started competing in various beauty pageants. Hawa is also an advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness. She also volunteers to teach girls about the importance of education on weekends.

Miss Thailand – Chalita Suansane

Miss Universe Thailand 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. Philstar.com/Efigenio Toledo IV

22-year-old Chalita is no doubt among the crowd favorites who always draw cheers on stage during the last preliminary. Her army of supporters from Thailand also traveled to the Philippines to watch and support her. She is currently studying Microbiology at Mahasarakham. Chalita juggles studying and volunteering at Baan Home Hug, which is an orphanage that houses children who have inherited HIV from their parents, children who were abused and children who have lost their family. Like Hawa and Kezia, Chalita also wants to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS. She said she also wants women to have self-respect and be compassionate in fulfilling their dreams.

Miss United States of America – Deshauna Barber

Miss Universe USA 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. MUO/Tom Starkweather

An epitome of women empowerment, Deshauna was the first woman actively serving in the US Army Reserve to win the title of Miss USA. She even exuded her feminism during the national costume show when she dressed up as a female modern superhero. Deshauna completed her Masters of Science in Computer Information Systems at the University of Maryland. She used to work as an IT Analyst for the US Department of Commerce before she directly worked with soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She focuses on suicide prevention in the Armed Forces. She also became Pia’s roommate after she was crowned Miss USA last June.

Miss Venezuela – Mariam Habach

Miss Universe Venezuela 2016 competes on stage in her evening gown during the 65th Miss Universe Preliminary Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. MUO/Tom Starkweather

Mariam just turned 21 on Thursday, the day of the preliminary competition where she shone as one of the youngest Miss Universe delegates. She is now a student of dentistry and is hoping to provide children the care to attain healthy and beautiful smiles. She also hopes to advocate HIV awareness if she wins the pageant. Mariam enjoys singing and dancing during her free time. As Miss Venezuela, her volunteer work led her to help over 2,000 adolescents in her home country.

Watch these candidates compete at the 65th Miss Universe coronation to be held at the Mall of Asia Arena on Monday, January 30, 8 a.m.