MISS GRAND INTERNATIONAL BEAUTY PAGEANT - A REVIEW

by Jetset Alejandro 

Better and Better Be Soonest

The fifth edition of the Miss Grand International pageant was held in Phu Quoc, Vietnam. It opened with a film clip showing the outgoing Queen in a backdrop of the beautiful places in Vietnam. It was already apparent from the introductory film clip alone that the tourism potentials and culture of the country will be highlighted in this pageant. After the film clip, the focus was on the candidates for their production number. They were all in a blue dress with the “Vietnamese mũ hình nón” or the conical hat together with outgoing Queen and were dancing to an upbeat number. 

INTRODUCTION OF THE CANDIDATES:

After the production number, the candidates walked on the ramp towards the center and presented themselves one by one. 

The camera missed the candidate of Laos while it was already focused on  Lithuania. 

Once the candidates were all presented, the hosts were also presented. The main hosts were Xian Lim and Nicole Cordoves. I am so thankful for the MGI Productions for getting 2 Filipinos onstage to host an international pageant like this. But I found these two quite wanting. Although  both hosts very capable and very professional I found their rapport inconsistent. Lim and Cordoves do not play with words. Whenever a candidate is called, they keep on repeating the words “Give it up”! I have seen Lim host pageants in the Philippines but this is first time, I have seen him saying words like these. Is it on the script? And Cordoves follows him with her shrill voice that borders into irritation. The two should have rehearsed more to establish camaraderie between them. There was no innate or automatic magic developed between them. 

They have no pageant annotator/commentator. It would have been better that Lim should be the main host and Cordoves the pageant annotator/commentator. When the Top 10 is already announced, she joins Lim onstage and they both do their combined hosting chores. 

 THE VENUE AND THE STAGE:

The pageant was held at a stadium in Phu Quoc . By standard, the stage was grand. However, I find the stairways that the candidates traverse too risky.  The stage design with Vietnamese prints seen through the use of LCD walls is quite impressive.

The Miss Grand International 2017 stage is grand. 

 THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE TOP 20

Prior to the announcement special awards were given: 

Best in Costume is Miss Indonesia

Best in National Costume - Indonesia

Miss Health and Beauty by Dr. Tan Award - Miss Grand Vietnam. 

 Top 20

Ukraine, Australia, Czech and Paraguay

Misses Ukraine, Australia, Czech and Paraguay

  Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam and Brazil

Misses Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam and Brazil

 Puerto Rico, Thailand, Costa Rica and Peru

Misses Puerto Rico, Thailand, Costa Rica and Peru

South Sudan, Netherlands, China and Russia

Misses South Sudan, Netherlands, China and Russia

India, Laos, Venezuela and Indonesia

Misses India, Laos, Venezuela and Indonesia

The presentation of the candidates seems to be slow and lacks verve, vigor and excitement. The announcement of the Top 20 it lacks dynamism and energy . Is it because of the audience? We can only hear them erupting into applause with Vietnam. I also noticed that there seem to be no element of surprise among the Top 20 candidates. Were they told not to be overly dramatic? Were they told to act in the same manner? I know I was only watching on live-streaming, but most shots were long shots.. They should have taken a close up look of the candidates when the they are called. Other pageants I have watched pans the faces of the candidates then with the announcement of the country focuses on the candidate on close up and follows them till the center of the stage. 

INTRODUCTION OF THE BOARD OF JUDGES:

Official judges of Miss Grand International 2017 

1. Ms. Teresa Chaivisut – Vice President of Miss Grand International Organization 

2. Miss Ariska Putri Pertiwi – Miss Grand International 2016

3. Miss Claire Elizabeth Parker – Miss Grand International 2015

4. Miss Lees Daryanne Garcia – Miss Grand International 2014 

5. Miss Janelee Marcus Chaparro Colon – Miss Grand International 2013

6. Mr. Le Si Hoang – Master of Arts & Designer 

7. Ms. Giang My – Miss Den Hung of Vietnam

8. Ms. Ly Nha Ky – Businesswoman & Artist

THE SWIMSUIT COMPETITION: 

During the swimsuit competition, the stage was still dark and the hosts were already talking. It takes out the technical finesse. My suggestion for this case, is that the hosts should have a place at side and lights should only be focused at them while they are talking and when the candidates are ready the focus will be placed on the candidates with slowly the lights on. 

A short production number was performed by the candidates to highlight the swimsuit competition for the Top 10. I noticed that the candidates were arranged alphabetically again instead of the candidates coming out in the order they were called in the Top 20. But I believe this is a good technique as it will give the judges a more systematic way of recalling the candidates if they missed out one or two during their judging. They can go back easily using the alphabet.  

Miss Australia was quite tentative with her walk even  she gave out a very bright personality. 

Miss Brazil has a beautiful countenance. Most candidates of Brazil have direct and uninhibited demeanor.  Miss Brazil has a subdued projection but her sensuality is simply oozing.

Miss China takes the stage just like a model. Gone are the candidates that project an imperial  walk. This Chinese representative simply it at par with the vivacious repartee of the Latina candidates. 

Costa Rica is a bomb. She has a great body and she knows how capitalize it. 

Miss Czech Republic is that girl with a beautiful face, beautiful body and with a dignified walk. Her seeming innocence is but a breathe of fresh air in a competition where subdued and uninhibited moves surely clash. 

India is charming, confident and simply radiant. 

Indonesia is a vixen. With that slim and toned body. She has a walk that is a toned down version of Miss Philippines. 

Laos is charming. She walks with grace but there is a shyness that you feel in her. 

Mexico simply burned the runway. She was graceful and overpowering. 

Miss Netherlands is another pretty candidate. She was simply great. 

The candidate from Paraguay is so sexy and she is resplendent in her moves. 

Peru has a lithe and toned body. She is very graceful and walked the runway with aplomb. 

Philippines showed a very bubbly performance. She executed her moves with aplomb. She was described by the host to be rocking it. Literally she did.

Puerto Rico sashayed, glided and moved with confidence and assurance on stage. 

Russia is another beautiful candidate with very regal demeanor. 

Miss South Sudan is another girl that sashayed the stage with regal demeanor. She is very charming and exuded a radiant personality. 

Thailand did just fine. I find her a little short compared with the other girls. 

Ukraine is another very beautiful candidate with a good elan and style. 

Venezuela is vavaboom. She has a very toned body and moves on the runway with grace and controlled demeanor. 

Vietnam is very pretty and she does very well in the runway. 

After the competition in swimsuit, all the candidates came out to witness the awarding of: 

Best in Swimsuit: Costa Rica

Costa Rica bagged the Best in Swimsuit Award. She failed to advance to the Top 10 though

The winner of the Miss Popular Vote Award will get the 10th slot for the Top 10. Thus, the judges selected only the Top 9. Although in my personal choices, Indonesia was already in my Top 10.

Indonesia is the Peoples Choice or Miss Popularity. She gets a slot to the Top 10 automatically.

Personally my Top 10 choices are: Puerto Rico, Philippines, Peru, Czech, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Sudan and Venezuela. 

Peru, Philippines and South Sudan

The judges’ choices are: Czech Republic, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Ukraine, South Sudan, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Ukraine. Czech and Vietnam

Out of my choices, I did not get Ukraine, Thailand and Vietnam. There is a seeming discomfort during the announcement of the Top 10. The other girls who are not on the Top 20 were still onstage and they still leaving the stage while the qualifiers for the Top 10 were being announced. Although, it might still be part of the blocking, the announcement should have started when all the girls except the 20 have already left the stage. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth to see people leaving the stage while you are announcing the qualifiers. It seems like they are walking out. 

Puerto Rico, Thailand and Venezuela

THE SPEECHES

All the Top 10 candidates delivered impassioned speeches. But if I have to rate them and give a Top 5, I would choose the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Peru, Venezuela and Thailand. I would have wanted to include South Sudan but due to apparent miscues on her speech she lost the emphasis. She must have been very nervous that she lost her train of thought.  But I admire her regal bearing despite that flub. 

FINAL WALK AND FAREWELL SPEECH 

Ariska was given her glorious moment before she turned over her crown. Her court of runner-ups were equally emotional as she delivered an intense and heart-rendering speech. In another emotion-filled ceremony, Mr. Nawat took away the crown from her and replaced it with another replica that would signify that she was once a Miss Grand International. 

Outgoing Miss Grand International 2016

THE EVENING GOWN COMPETITION

The candidates paraded in their evening gowns. I noticed that Philippines and Venezuela changed to other gowns aside from the ones they used during the preliminary competition. For this round, I ranked Puerto Rico, Peru, Ukraine, Philippines, Venezuela, Czech Republic, South Sudan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. 

THE TOP 5 

The Top 5 were Czech Republic, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. I noticed a pattern in the announcement of the Top 5. If you would notice, when the Top 9 were announced, the first 5 candidates announced were the Top 5. It looked like there were no movements in the ranking when the final 5 were announced. I even got the feeling that Miss Grand Czech Republic will be the winner because she has a beautiful, innocent and angel-like face. But I know that the deciding factor was their answer to the question. 

Top 5 Miss Grand International 2017

The question was very difficult. It was stated this way: “If you have to issue a law to punish criminals of war and violence, how would you punish these people and why?" 

Even as a viewer, It was a little difficult for me to organize a ready answer for the question. That is to the undoing of Czech Republic being the number one person to answer. It was a generic answer that surely relegated her to 4th runner-up position. As I heard the 4 other candidates answer the question, I felt that no one had an edge over the other in the depth and thematic content of their answers. I knew the judges will decide on the totality of the 4 candidates in question. Hence when they announced the ranking, I believed that was the better thing that they could come up with although, I was thinking it would be a Peru versus Philippines contest. The people in Vietnam must have been enamored with Miss Venezuela that she gets very high ratings from the press, pageant pundits and fans despite her inability to communicate in English. As one Miss Universe contestant before had said and I paraphrased, it is not your ability to speak English that makes you Miss Universe but it is your ability to reach out despite being handicapped with the language. It having the heart to feel the people. Although, Miss Venezuela did not win the title, I knew the people felt her being and thus her higher ranking than the others. 

Congratulations are therefore in order:

Fourth runner -up  - Czech Republic

Third runner-up.     - Puerto Rico

Second runner-up. - Philippines

First runner-up.      - Venezuela

Miss Grand International 2017 - PERU 

Winners Miss Grand International 2017

POSTSCRIPTS:

1.   This is the first time I made a review for Miss Grand International and I still          find it quite amateurish. The pacing is too slow for me and does not build up into a crescendo. I find the proceedings too flat. 

2.     Camera work needs a lot of improvement. I don’t know if the live-streaming uses only one camera but pageants like the Miss Universe uses a lot of high definition cameras for their pageants. I have said my piece about close up shots and wide angle shots in the

3.     The reactions are so standard. It lessens the excitement that the people are expecting. 

4.     The hosts should have also studied previous pageants held in Vietnam. The Vietnamese audience as compared to Filipino and Mexican audiences is very different. They are more sedate compared to the raucous Filipino or Mexican fans. The next time that you would like a livelier audience in Vietnam, employ the “hakot” system so that more Filipino fans are watching. I was wondering why there are only a few who went to watch in Vietnam. 

5.     Some candidates were wondering why Miss Philippines failed to win the title. Their reactions are really suspect when her name was announced as second runner-up. 

6.     Many people are wondering why India did not advance into the Top 10. The same reaction of this writer why a lot of beautiful candidates did not make it to the Top 20. In my Top 10 alone, Brazil, Mexico and Russia did not make it. India was not among my choices so to speak. This is the beauty of choosing winners in a beauty pageant. We have different standards of beauty. I understand other fans when they complain why past winners and many Vietnamese sat as judges. They saw the possible prejudice in judging. But their fears were unfounded. There is a leveling factor. They asked a difficult final question. 

7.     The fans, critics and organizers favorites seem to jive with one another. I saw pageant sites choosing Miss Philippines, Peru and Venezuela in their Top 5. Nobody predicted Czech Republic to be in the Top 5. Personally, I predicted Czech Republic is a shoo-in but she bombed at the Question and Answer portion. Miss Puerto Rico is another favorite of mine. Truthfully, I only saw the reason why fans and pageant experts like Venezuela during the swimsuit competition. She’s truly a beauty. 

8.     I have a question on the 10^th semi-finalist. Was the 10^th semi-finalist the most popular among the Top 20? Or was she the most popular among the77 candidates. If she is the most popular among the 77 candidates, then it is defeating the very the essence of the Top 20. It would have been better that the most popular or the People’s choice should be included in the Top 20 and she should compete with the other candidates for a slot to the Top 10.

9.     In the end, what was underscored in this pageant is consistency. There is a saying, if it’s good and there is nothing wrong, why fix it? Miss Peru showed consistency from the start. She was even magnanimous to translate for Venezuela when she was asked how does it feel to be one of the last two standing. Miss Peru was empathic in expressing what Miss Venezuela felt. That alone made her the winner. It set her apart from the rest. 

10.                        The Philippines had sent 4 to the Top 5 in the 5 outings of this pageant. In 2013, Annalie Forbes was 3rd runner-up; 2014 Kimberly Karlsson wasn’t lucky enough; in 2015 Parul Shah bagged 3rd runner-up while in 2016, the Philippines almost won but settled with a first runner-up finish with Nicole Cordoves. And for this year, a 2nd runner-up finish for Elizabeth Clenci.