Pageant News Archives, Part IV (9/03 - 12/03)

First Runner-Up was Marrissa Eggli, a 20 year-old Public Relations student from Cape Towb. The second Runner-Up was Siza Majola, a 23 year-old Mineralogist from Polokwane. Completing the top five were Charlene Garber, a 21 year-old Model-cum-Accounting Student from Johannesburg, as well as Lebo Sekete, a 23 year-old Graduate Journalism student from Johannesburg.

The First Runner-Up was Giselle Bissot, The Second Runner-Up was Marianina Tiserra, and the Third Runner-Up was Lilianne Thompson. Gabriela Moreno was named Miss Photogenic and Fariba Hawkins was named Miss Amity.
Courtesy of Adelante.com and Ed Dominguez

Brief speeches were also given by Miss Rhode Island USA 2004, Sarah Bettencourt, and Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2004, Rachel Corrollo. Also in attendance were: Camille Young, Miss Pennsylvania USA 2003; Robin Williams, Miss New Jersey USA 2002; and Jeanette Josue, Miss New Jersey USA 2001.

The new Miss New Jersey USA 2004 is Janaye Ingram, of Cherry Hill. She was a semi finalist in last years event. She is a student aspiring to have her own fashion magazine and made a brief appearance in the movie 'Road Trip'. Janaye was crowned by last years winner, Vanessa Baker of Marlton. The first runner up went to Abigail Stotler of Scotch Plains, she was a semifinalist last year, and placed 2nd RU in '02 & '01. The second runner up went to Christina Velasquez. Third runner up went to Jannelle Seales, and fourth runner up went to Jessica Spat.The remaining finalists were: Sarah Bell, Aimee Gewertz, Taylor Goddard, Shari-Ann Harris, Kelly Justus, Alanah Odoms (1st RU '03) who also won the Miss Congeniality award, Rosa Peralta, Denise Spaanstra, and Elizabeth Walulek. Miss Photogenic went to Kimberly Frangipane.

Itinerary: The girls will first arrive to Hong Kong on November 8th-9th, possibly because this year London will be taken out of the picture altogether. Hong Kong, a former British territory now under Chinese control, is an important financial center in the world and served as host city to Miss World 1989, the first time the final of Miss World was held outside of London. There, they will participate in some introductory activities, galas, welcomings and so forth.

Only a few days later, it will be on to the central Chinese city of Xi'an, a city most well-known for the famous Qin Terra-cotta Warriors & Horses Army. However, the city is simply a historically rich center, as it was the capital to twelve Chinese dynasties. Another charity dinner and gala will commence the visit, which will end when the girls travel on to Shanghai from the 16th-18th, now one of the world's largest cities. On top of being a major center for business, it also houses some of the best shopping, dining and entertainment experiences in all of China. A major Chinese charity group is organizing a special gala for the girls to participate in, as well as a visit to an orphanage, the grand Shanghai Theater and the city museum. There will also be a special fashion event.

On November 18th, the girls will travel to Beijing, China's capital and cultural and communication center. The city houses the famous Forbidden City, several major temples and state parks, and just nearby is the world-reknowned Great Wall of China. There will be plenty of pre-tapings, events and leisure for the girls in the first few weeks of their stay.

In the last couple of weeks of the pageant, the girls will finally fly into Sanya and be officially welcomed, soon beginning intense rehearsals for the pageant in the final week of the event for the December 6th telecast.

The remaining semi-finalists were: Susana Montes (Colombia), Prerana Shah (Nepal), Anna Lorena Forgnone (Panama), Jamie Liz Castillo (Philippines) who was also voted Peoples' Choice, and Celeste Lim (Singapore). Best National Costume was awarded to Korea's Ahn Chun-Young.

The first MWE was chosen from hundreds of applicants and finally from a core group of twenty-five young ladies. Over recent weeks Addis Ababa had been abuzz with speculation over who might take the title. The final twelve were chosen in a closed session on Wednesday with the group going to seven, three and eventually one at the Grand Finale event yesterday. The final seven were: Selamawit Adamu, Emnet Haile, Mister Alemayehu, Tsedey Tsegaye, Hayat Ahmed, Atetegeb Tesfaye and Yordanos Teshager. With their ages ranging from 18-23 and their height 1.70-1.82 the final seven were asked questions by the judges in front of the audience. The tension began to build as some were asked unexpected questions such as, as, “what kind of flower do you like and why?”

The final question for Hayat was, why should Ethiopia be the capital of Africa to which she explained, the former Emperor’s role as well as the country’s being home to more than 80 nations and nationalities and that it deservers to be the capital. Miss World Ethiopia Hayat Ahmed will be representing Ethiopia in the 53rd Miss World competition that will be held on December 6th of this year on the tropical island of Sanya, China.

Pippa Hanson, 24, of South Australia was the first runner-up and Louise Bransgrove, 22, of NSW, second runner-up. Miss Photogenic went to NSW's Tara Rushton, 19, while the Miss Congeniality award, voted by all of the contestants, was shared by Sylvie Ghazal, 24, and Saskia Boerma, 20, both from NSW.

On a carefree note, Miss World Azra Akin had the following to say about pageants: ""They (contestants) should just be themselves and enjoy it but don't think it's the most important thing in the world - there are more important things in life -- It's just a good opportunity for a young woman to have a chance to see things and learn."
Note: Due to major organizational difficulties, the organizers of the Miss World Australia Pageant declared bankruptcy shortly after the pageant. Many parties who offered services to the pageant were left unpaid, and angry contestants were not given the prizes they were promised. That includes Olivia Stratton, who was left with with only a couple of weeks to prepare for Miss World and no sponsorship to do it with. Many designers pitched in to help her out for her wardrobe. The license for Miss World in Australia will be re-assigned for 2004.

21 year-old Valentina Patruno, representing Miranda, was crowned Miss Venezuela Mundo 2003 and will be quickly prepared to fly off in a matter of a few weeks to the 2003 Miss World Pageant. Standing 1.71 m (5'7") tall, she lives in Miami, Florida (but was born in Caracas, Venezuela) and has held the titles of Miss Italia USA and Miss Italia Nel Mondo. She is currently studying Communications.

Finally, 19 year-old Eleidy Aparicio, representing Costa Oriental, clinched the title of Miss Venezuela Internacional 2003 and will presumedly try to fill the shows of Goizeder Azua, the reigning Miss International from Venezuela, in next year's pageant. She stands 1.76 m (5'9.5") tall. 20 finalists, chosen through weeks of show-down events of viewer voting, competed in the final event. Silvana Santaella, representing Peninsula de Paraguaná and Mercedes Pulido, representing Distrito Capital, finished the group of 5 finalists.

In an interesting twist, Miss Lara led a protest against the favoritism of Miss Miranda in the pageant, claiming that she had already been awarded the crown, causing some tension between the two. At the "Meet the Press" breakfast held the next day, both Ana and Valentina were invited, where Osmel emphasized the equality of the titles more than ever, as he could not hold a separate pageant for Miss World this year.

Completing the Top Twelve:
Bolivia (Muriel Cruz), China (Wang Chan), France (Elodie Couffin), Greece (Lina Zaproudi), Japan (Saeko Matsumi), Korea (Ji-Soo Shin), Russia (Tatiana Chebotarevska), Thailand (Pawina Bamrungrut) and Ukraine (Veronika Bondarenko). The Best National Costume Award went to Saeko Matsumi, Miss Japan, while Miss Friendship went to Miss China, Wang Chan.

If it was a show of dominance by Venezuela and others, it was also a show of falteirng by staple semi-finalist countries. India continues to search for its first Miss International crown, while China joined the semi-finals in its second year, and France and Thailand managed a repeat of success. Japan and Korea continued their semi-finalist streaks, which many still attribute to 'home judging'. Traditional semi-finalist Colombia spent its second year out in the cold, while the Philippines underwent its fifth. Favorites such as Israel, Slovakia, Brazil and Chile managed to miss the cut, in this sometimes unpredictable pageant!
Thanks to Henrique Fontes of Global Beauties

Nicola has won a £10,000 cheque, £2,000 worth of vouchers for USC, a modelling contract, a year's free hair care, a designer watch and a fabulous holiday. She will also wear a gown exclusively designed for her at the Miss World event.
Thanks to Chok-Chee and the AP

In other news, Miss Northern Marianas Nancy Ripple will arrive on October 6th to take part in the pageant, due to a severe injury. The organizers have allowed her to participate if she is there a day before for rehearsals and for the pageant proper.
Thanks to Chok-Chee and the AP

In the meantime, Shonal is off on Monday, September 29th, to Manila for the 2003 Miss Asia-Pacific Pageant, which will culminate on October 26th. She is 6' tall, 22 years old and comes from the East Indian city of Kolkata. She is a professional model who made her major debut at Lakme India Fashion Week 2003, shifting to Mumbai in the process. A graduate of Chemistry from St. Xavier's, she has also done some acting and has taken a short period of time off to compete. Her national costume is designed by Ritu Kumar, and other detaisl are unknown for now.

Shonali Nagrani is all set for the Miss International Beauty Pageant in Tokyo, Japan, to be held on October 8th. Her evening gown and swimsuit will be designed by Satya Paul, her national costume by Ritu Kumar, and her casual outfits by Rana Gill. She is currently a news-anchor, and further details about her participation will be known shortly.

The court of honor: First Runner-Up, Miss Hawaii Kanoelani Gibson, a crowd favorite who sang "Natural Woman" which won her a preliminary talent award. Second Runner-Up, Miss Wisconsin Tina Sauerhammer, a 22 year-old who is already a medical doctor and won a preliminary talent award with a classical cello piece. Third Runner-Up, Miss Maryland Marina Harrison, who elicited a noticeable booing when the audience felt she was done an injustice in her given position. She sang the Alicia Keys R&B hit "Fallin'". Fourth Runner-Up, Miss California Nicole Lamarche, a preliminary swimsuit winner who plans to become an ordained minister.

Completing the top ten:
Miss Virginia, Nancy Redd, a Harvard graduate who also picked up a preliminary swimsuit award
Miss Indiana, Bryn Champman, a student of vocal performance
Miss Rhode Island, Laurie Beth Gray, a Harvard graduate who finished in the top 5% of her class and aspires to be a medical doctor, and picked up a preliminary talent award with a classical violin piece
Miss New Hampshire, Candace Glickman, recipient of a preliminary swimsuit award
and Miss Oklahoma Kelley Scott, an aspiring accountant
Finishing the top fifteen:
Miss Missouri - Amber Etheridge; Miss Michigan - Madonna Emond; Miss Alabama - Catherine Crosby; Miss Georgia - Andrea Bailey and Miss New Jersey - Jennifer Farrell

The three-hour telecast included talent, swimsuit, eveningwear, a quiz segment, platform discussion and a brand new casualwear segment. Miss Maryland, Marina Harrison, won the casualwear segment, while Miss California, Nicole Lamarche, won the swimsuit portion. Miss Florida carried the eveningwear and talent segments.

"I think we're both releived that it is all over," said Sadie, 21, as the winners posed for photographs. "We would only really have wanted to win if both of us could have come first." And Cardiff's Tazmin was not disappointed over losing out on the title. She said: "They were all really nice girls and it was an enjoyable day but it's not for me. "I wouldn't want to do it all again in China." Tazmin said her "attitude changed" when the comperer asked about her boyfriend playing for England, causing the crowd to boo her. The crowd's hostility added to what was already a difficult night for the 24-year-old. She had to take the stage having just learned that the father of her boyfriend - Arsenal soccer star Sol Campbell - had died after suffering a stroke earlier this week.
Thanks to ICWales

The stunning belle 18-year-old Rupa Upadhyaya, whose interests range from animals to hiking rode off with not one but two titles viz; Miss Photogenic and Miss Talent. Sheila Rani Gurung, a funky 20-year-old from Pokhara secured the Miss Best Dressed title. Last year’s Miss Nepal, the gorgeous Malvika Subba was also praise for the beauties, chipping in, "It was fantastic. I am sad that due to my tenure being just nine-months long, I was unable to represent Nepal in the world arena. Anyway, I wish this present batch and future Nepali beauties all the best and hope that they will work towards bringing home the Miss Universe and Miss World titles." The ever-energetic livewire choreographer Rachana Gurung-Sharma, who was showered fulsome praise by all the contestants for the superb instructions they received during their gruelling five-week training session, sported a broad satisfied grin at the end of what was a very tiring but fulfilling event. " I got immense job satisfaction! All our hard work has ultimately paid off, " was all that she could say.

Fresh from her victory, an euphoric Priti Sitaula showed that she indeed is a wonderful combination of beauty and brains, when she declared, "I will not quit my teaching job, nor my studies because of this victory. These will go on even as I go ahead executing my responsibilities as a Miss Nepal to the best of my abilities." The glittering beauty pageant was confronted by women activists affiliated to the Communist Party of Nepal
News taken from the Kathmandu Post

Miss World officials will be in attendance at the event next month to take a look at the area and give their approval. They are interested in the venue because it needs more exposure, has scenic beauty and can provide a secure location to the pageant. 32 contestants will be competing for Miss World Australia, which will be televised nationwide in November. Prominent winners in recent years such as Laura Csortan, Renee Henderson, Nalishebo Gaskell and Nicole Rita-Ghazal have added to the prestige of this event.
Thanks to Somasundram Vellayan

She is a former State House Girls student and hopes to enroll as an architecture student at the Nairobi University next year. The beauty queen who articulately answered questions also touched the hearts of the audience in her farewell song to the other contestants during the talent category. She said her dream was to improve the status of public hospitals countrywide during her reign. Muthoni will travel to China in October to represent Kenya in the Miss World beauty pageant.

During the contest, 20-year-old Isabella Munjiru was crowned second runner-up while Medina Hussein, 22-year-old from Eastern Province scooped first runner-up.

Finishing the Top Twelve were: GREECE (Marietta Chrousala), GERMANY (Alexandra Vodjanikova), FRANCE (Corinne Coman), ISRAEL (Shahar Nehorai), PORTUGAL (Iva Lamarao), RUSSIA (Yulia Akhonkova) and the UNITED KINGDOM (Samantha Vaughan).

The event was televised on France's TV1 live and held in Nogent Sur Marne, at the site of Eurodisney near Paris. 36 contestants took part in the pageant to win, among other things: 100,000 Euros ($113,000 US), a brand new car, a wardrobe of haute couture outfits, a diamond necklace and tickets for a romantic getaway to Guadeloupe. Paris-based South Korean designer Ji Haye provided catwalk dresses for the five finalists, and Ricky Martin and Jean Alesi served in the judging panel. Italy was not represented, due to a conflict with organizers, and Turkey left early due to homesickness.
Thanks to Michael Knittel and Martial Dumas!