It was one of those “where-were-you-when” moments, and even non-fans were hooked. Filipinos had conceded to another “almost”, unaware that, in two minutes, the country’s four-decade victory drought would finally end, except in the most bizarre way. 

In the first place, the Colombian was already relishing her moment, with crown on head and flag on hand. That was until Steve Harvey returned for that nervous curtain call and never before were cheers and jeers so equally audible. But as the cacophony settled, the aftermath began to sink in. It didn’t take long for the world, the Universe rather, to embrace Pia Wurtzbach’s reign.

Who would’ve thought we’d actually hope for the same twist, 10 years later? But, remember, Steve Byrne already emphasized that he wasn’t about to repeat his namesake’s iconic flub. So, as contestants rushed to congratulate the fashion design graduate from Tabasco, that’s when it sank in. They went there. They actually went there. 

Emotionally Exhausting Edition

Perhaps they asked for it by coinciding with Mercury Retrograde, a period linked to miscommunications, botched plans, and delays. Face it, though. Even without the astrological angle, Miss Universe had already began showing cracks – cracks that have become more impossible to hide. They even long preceded Nawat Itsaragrisil’s perplexing entry and his succeeding viral meltdowns. On the contrary, his MGI-isms might have even added excitement, after last year’s snooze-fest. And, besides, his outbursts turned out to be the least concern, compared to police raids, power clashes, food-poisoned candidates, and, worse, one telecast judge bailing out at the 11th hour, complete with a slew of revelations. 

It was all too much to handle for any pageant fan. Even with the coronation still weeks away, it shaped up to be the most toxic edition yet. 

Marginally-Improved Show 

The upside, if any, was that production did improve, and you can always count on Thailand to put on a spectacle – even with Queen Sirikit’s passing mandating them to keep things subdued. Impact Arena still proved to be iconic, even the music wasn’t quite. Steve Byrne was middling at best, but then, he himself admitted it wasn’t his forte. The appreciation, really, came when he did his post-pageant interviews and he unleashed his own no-holds-barred sentiments. 

The real revelations were side commentators, former titleholders Dayanara Torres and R’Bonney Gabriel, who, coincidentally, both resided in the Philippines after their respective reigns. And, speaking of which, there’s a missed opportunity in not hiring Catriona Gray this year, considering she was crowned in that very city and venue. It wouldn’t have hurt to hear a nostalgic take. 

125 to 118

This year’s roster didn’t quite beat last year’s record of 125. It was even made less possible by Cameroon and Germany withdrawing and North Macedonia and Suriname never showing up. The number further dwindled in Bangkok, with Iceland’s Helena O’Connor not recovering from illness on time, Albania’s Flavia Harizaj disappearing altogether, and, most shockingly, Jamaica’s Gabrielle Henry plummeting from the stage during the preliminaries. The accident confined her to the ICU for weeks, but has finally returned home just days ago. Much to everyone’s relief, she finally posted an update. 

With the remainder still huge, strong performers were still bound to be cut. It’s inevitable, when more than half of the group was placement-worthy. Missing from the early favorites were Argentina’s Aldana Masset, Peru’s Karla Bacigalupo, Haiti’s Melissa Sapini, and Indonesia’s Sanly Liu, who settled for Best Skin. While last-minute revelations Lexie Brant from Australia and Camilla Dagne still fell short. Euro-stunners Camila Vitorino from Portugal and Brigitta Schaback from Estonia were also out and, being moms, boy were they vocal about their theories. But perhaps most heartbreaking was Turks and Caicos’ Bereniece Dickenson, who wasn’t only pegged to secure her islands’ first placement since 1987, but also their best. The list goes on. And, really, this year’s Miss El Tocuyo was like a pageant in itself. By the way, that honor went to former Miss California USA, Ecuador’s Nadia Mejia. 

Placing in their stead were a handful of surprises, some pleasant, the others rather jaw dropping. Yet, it was still hard to find fault in their performances. 

COMING UP: The Top 30 and The Top 12