By Jose Serrano (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Jan 25, 2015 04:10 PM EST
Tags Miss Universe, miss universe 2014, miss colombia, Miss Philippines, miss canada, Miss Venezuela, miss israel, miss lebanon, miss universe pageant

Gabriela Isler is less than 24 hours from bestowing her tiara on a new Miss Universe. Contestants from 88 countries arrived in South Florida nearly two weeks ago ready to compete in the world's premiere international beauty pageant; one that's seen three of the last six titles go to a Venezuelan.

Luxurious evening gowns, sultry swimsuits, and pensive personality interviews: Sunday's three-hour finale has a little something for everyone. What happened thus far may hold just as much intrigue.

From photobombs to Vegas odds, the 63rd Annual Miss Universe Pageant isn't short on storylines. Here's a few to keep in mind.

The impact of Miss Canada's hockey-inspired dress

Miss Canada Chanel Beckenlehner turned to Toronto-based TV and film costume designer Alex Kavanagh for her elaborate, nationalistic outfit.

Fit with hockey stick wings, a Stanley Cup crown, and a maple leaf-adorned corset, Beckenlehner's unconventional dress made audiences gasp and immediately garnered a positive online response, rising to Reddit's "hot" page and trending on Twitter. The only ingredient missing was maple syrup.

Photobomb stirs up controversy in the Middle East 

A selfie between any two beauty queens normally wouldn't be cause for concern. But when the countries involved are Lebanon and Israel - bitter enemies for over 60 years - even the smallest incident is magnified.

Miss Israel, Doron Matalon, jumped into Miss Lebanon's selfie which immediately hit social media. Miss Lebanon, Sally Greige, disavowed the image on her Facebook account, saying she "was very cautious to avoid being in any photo communication with Miss Israel (that tried several times to have a photo with me)."

Matalon countered on Instagram. "Too bad you can not put the hostility out of the game, only for three weeks of an experience of a lifetime," she wrote. Unfortunately for both parties, there will be many, many photo ops on Sunday.

Can Venezuela win back-to-back crowns?

Venezuela ruled the beauty pageant world from 2008-2009 when Dayana Mendoza and Stefania Fernandez won back-to-back crowns; the first and only time it's happened in Miss Universe's 63-year history.

Can Miss Venezuela Migbelis Castellanos repeat the feat?

The 19-year-old Social Communications major is self-admittedly nervous about facing stiff Latina competition, specifically pointing to Miss Costa Rica, Karina Ramos. "Costa Rica is a well-rounded girl," Castellanos said in speaking with Nacion. "Besides beings a girl that projects when she speaks, she has a lot of self-confidence." Castellanos is one of the youngest contestants in the pageant and may carry more pressure than anyone else.

Miss Colombia is the odds on favorite

Odds makers have spoken and Miss Colombia Paulina Vega is the clear favorite after stealing the swimsuit competition with a hot pink number that catapulted her into a top contender. Not that she was an underdog to begin with.

At odds ranging from 2 ½ to 5 to 1, Vega is ranked just ahead of Miss U.S.A. Nia Sanchez. "I was very calm," Vega said in speaking to Cromos about the preliminary round. "Now we have to wait until Sunday to see how it goes, but I have a good feeling." A model since she was a child, Miss Colombia is also the granddaughter to Miss Atlántico 1953.

Can MJ Lastimosa end the Philippines' 42-year title drought?

Miss Philippines Mary Jean "MJ" Lastimosa may have given the best all-around performance on Wednesday. She walked out in a jaw-dropping two-piece swimsuit before donning a captivating white gown later in the night.

Betting odds in London even showed that Lastimosa jumped from No. 11 to No. 2 after the performance. Though she caught flack for a flower-inspired national costume,

Lastimosa still has a chance to bring the Philippines their first Miss Universe title since 1973. The country has reached the top five each of the last four competitions, finishing fourth place in Russia last year. Lastimosa, at the very least, will make it five straight.

When: January 25, 2015

Where: Florida International University, Miami-Doral, Fla. 

Start Time: 8 p.m. EST

TV: NBC, Telemundo

Live Streaming: MissUniverse.com

Judges:
Kristin Cavallari (TV personality and shoe designer), William Levy (Film and television actor), Lisa Vanderpump (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Manny Pacquiao (Filipino congressman and eight-division world champion boxer), Louise Roe (Fashion Journalist), DeSean Jackson (NFL player), Emilio Estefan (Grammy Award-winning musician and producer), Nina Garcia ("Project Runway" judge)

Musical Acts: Gavin DeGraw, Prince Royce, Nick Jonas

Top 5 Predictions:

Mary Jean Lastimosa (Miss Philippines) - the Philippines-raised beauty queen may have the strongest online presences of all contestants, relying heavily on her Filipino fans' voices. She also has the most number of Facebook likes and page views on YouTube for her official Miss Universe interview.

Paulina Vega (Miss Colombia) - Known for her elegant walk and nocturnal lagophthalmos - the ability to sleep with her eyes open - Vega may be dark horse of the competition. Her intimidating 5 foot 9 inch stature is the archetype for a model, something Vega has worked at since she was eight years old.

Nia Sanchez (Miss U.S.A.) - Sanchez has come a long way from her days a princess character at Disney World. The Mexican-American holds a 4th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do after bonding with her dad over the sport as a child, and her time living in a women's shelter with her mom is an inspiration to aspiring contestants.

Migbelis Castellanos (Miss Colombia) - The 19-year-old could give Venezuela consecutive Miss Universe winner for the second time in both the country and the pageant's history. The journalism student worked on Bachelor's degrees in Social Communication and Political Science at Universidad Rafael Belloso Chacin before winning Miss Venezuela as a 17-year-old. Among her hobbies are watching baseball and cooking complex dishes.

Desiree Cordero (Miss Spain) - The first runner-up at Miss Universe 2013 may not let that opportunity slip again. One of Spain's most successful models, Cordero stays in shape by kickboxing and by delving into extreme sports.

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