Analysis: Philippines could have placed ‘higher’ in Miss Universe 2024

THE Philippines will try to win its fifth Miss Universe crown again next year, as Chelsea Manalo did not advance to the Top 12 of the pageant’s 73rd edition in Mexico on Sunday (Philippine time).

The coronation night saw Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios bestowing the Filipino-made “The Light of Infinity” crown upon her successor, Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig. 

The 21-year-old aspiring lawyer bested 124 other delegates from across the globe, becoming the first-ever beauty queen from Denmark to win the prestigious pageant.

The Miss Universe competition is one of the “Big 4” pageants, alongside Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth. The Philippines is considered one of the beauty pageant powerhouses, winning in all four major international pageants. Such a recognition gave Manalo a sash factor in the Miss Universe tilt.

But Manalo concluded her journey in the Top 30, a result frowned upon by many Filipinos, including pageant Q&A coach JV Canta who believed that the Gen Z beauty queen could have gotten a “higher” placement.

An ‘unexpected’ announcement

In an online interview with republicasia, Canta said she was surprised that the 25-year-old Pinay beauty queen missed the cut for the Top 12, considering how well she performed from the introduction to the swimsuit competition.

“It is an unexpected announcement for me. I don’t think it was right,” the pageant Q&A coach firmly expressed. “I think she could’ve placed higher ‘cause, you know, if we’re going to look at how you get to the next round typically, it’s how you perform in the swimsuit competition and I think Chelsea performed really well in the swimsuit competition.”

While the judges had different perspectives on Manalo’s performance, Canta believed that Manalo delivered “better than expected,” especially when she fully showed off her pasarela, famously known as the “Tampisaw Walk,” in her two-piece swimsuit paired with a sheer gold cape.

The pageant coach was also fascinated by how Manalo walked the runway with a high ponytail hairstyle that emphasized her visuals.

“She brought back her initial iconic move, the Tampisaw Walk, from MUPH [Miss Universe Philippines], which she was lacking [in the preliminary round]. I think, this time, she delivered, she brought it, but it wasn’t enough to place her in the Top 12,” she stressed.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me. While I was doing my livestream, I think every Filipino who’s online shared the same sentiment. No one [was] happy, everyone was frustrated, everyone [thought] that Chelsea should’ve placed higher,” she added.

Still a ‘winning’ performance

The Philippine bet’s hard work still paid off, though. 

From being the country’s first Filipino-Black American MUPH titleholder, Manalo made another history by becoming the first-ever Miss Universe Asia. She was among the four continental queens named during the press conference following the coronation night.

Despite not winning the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown, Canta said Manalo still gave a “winning” performance on the global stage, continuing the country’s placement streak that MUPH 2023 Michelle Marquez Dee brought back last year. 

Dee’s Top 10 finish at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant marked the Philippines’ comeback to the semifinal round after it failed to advance to the Top 16 in 2022.

“From the introduction to the swimsuit competition, Chelsea did what she [could],” Canta emphasized. “That is still a winning streak, a placement streak, at the very least, for us.”

The pageant coach mentioned how Manalo pronounced the Philippines “uniquely” during her introduction and how her swimsuit performance was executed “beautifully.”

“I was so happy I almost cried because that [was] exactly what I was looking for her to deliver and she did,” she added.

Meanwhile, the three other continental queens are Finland’s Matilda Wirtavuori as Miss Universe – Europe and MiddleEast, Peru’s Tatiana Calmell as Miss Universe – Americas, and Nigeria’s Chidimma Adetshina as Miss Universe – Africa and Oceania.

As the Miss Universe – Asia, Manalo is expected to travel in Asia with Theilvig and participate in several other official trips of the Miss Universe Organization.

Surprising strong contenders

While she described Manalo as an “absolute contender,” Canta pointed out that her journey to the Miss Universe crown might not be smooth sailing as she would encounter several fierce competitors along the way, including the Latinas or those from South America, Egypt’s Logina Salah, and Great Britain’s Christina Chalk, who is half Filipina. This was based on Canta’s observation of their performances during the preliminary round.

But on the coronation night, the pageant coach noticed several candidates she did not expect would come out strong—case in point: Adetshina and Canada’s Ashley Callingbull.

The Nigerian beauty queen was named first runner-up, aside from becoming the first Miss Universe – Africa and Oceania titleholder. Meanwhile, Callingbull was among those who made it to the Top 12. 

Canta echoed the statements of netizens that Adetshina has a striking resemblance to an “African Barbie.” But more than her face card, the pageant coach highlighted one characteristic that carried Adetshina to the Top 5: her eloquence.

“To be honest, I don’t think she has a strong pasarela,” Canta said, adding that she was also not a fan of the beauty queen’s evening gown. “But in the Top 5, that’s when I learned she can talk. She is eloquent, authentic, [and] straight to the point with her answers.”

“I was pleasantly surprised by that because, of course, we [had] no idea about how they did their interviews kasi they only had a closed-door interview. But that’s a pleasant surprise,” Canta explained.

If the winner had only been determined through the Q&A portion, the pageant coach believed that Adetshina could have won the Miss Universe crown.

Callingbull, on the other hand, showcased her “own flavor” in the pageant, which made her reach the Top 12, said Canta.

Salah’s Top 30 finish also brought joy and pride to Canta, who served as her pageant Q&A coach for the Miss Universe 2024 pageant. Canta sees the 34-year-old beauty queen and mother as a “very eloquent” woman who has a solid advocacy for children with autoimmune diseases. Salah has inspired many individuals as she shared how she embraced her vitiligo, a skin condition that causes one’s skin to lose color or pigment.

“Swimsuit is not her strongest suit just like a lot of women from the Middle East because they’re not used to strutting and doing the pasarela in their swimsuit because it’s not part of their culture. But I think, given a chance, women from the Middle Eastern region could definitely perform in the evening gown,” said Canta.

Denmark ‘owns the moment’

If there was one characteristic that led Theilvig to win the prestigious crown, Canta said it was probably the confidence she displayed, especially during the final question-and-answer portion.

The pageant coach even compared the Danish beauty queen to Victoria’s Secret models when she gave off show-stopping glamour during the announcement of the Top 30.

“She [was] so vibrant,” stressed Canta. “I remember posting my initial reaction as, ‘Oh, Victoria’s Secret model.’ She’s giving that aura, and you know, a Victoria’s Secret model has the same energy as a Miss Universe—very out there, vivacious, very loud and beautiful, cheerful and all that, she fits the brand.”

Theilvig’s swimsuit and evening gown performances were on point and astounding. But Canta said her strongest suit was the Q&A segment, where her confidence dominated. 

“[In] the first round of the Q&A, I don’t think she understood the question. In the second round where they all had the same question, she started rough with her answer, but eventually, she shifted and decided to simply own the moment and just be confident,” she noted.

The first round of the Q&A portion had the Top 5 candidates draw a selection committee member’s name who would ask each of them different questions. Theilvig was asked, “How would you live your life differently if you knew nobody would judge you?” 

Her answer was, “I would never change how I live my life. We learn from our mistakes. We learn every day. We learn something new and we got to take that and bring it to the future. And that’s why I live each day by each day, and I just gotto stay positive. So, no, I would not change nothing.”

In the second round, the candidates were asked the same question, “Miss Universe has inspired generations of women. What is your message to the ones watching you right now?”

The Danish beauty queen’s winning answer was: “No matter where you come from, no matter your past, you can always choose to turn it into your strengths. It will never define who you are; you just gotta keep fighting. I stand here today because I wanna change, I wanna make history, and that’s what I’m doing tonight. So never give up, always believe in yourself and your dreams, and that is exactly what you’re going to do.”

Canta believed that Theilvig’s firm responses during the Q&A segment—combined with her “cheerful demeanor,” confidence, and beauty—propelled her to win the Miss Universe title.

Viewers, especially Gen Z members, could learn something from Theilvig’s historic victory, said Canta—that is to be present, savor the moment, and unleash their confidence.

“I think that was the winning approach of Miss Denmark. She enjoyed her moment, and I think that’s what the judges felt,” she highlighted. “They felt the joy, the happiness, that’s why she won the crown. I think a lot of Gen Zs could learn from that.”