Flanked by this year’s winners of Miss Bicolandia 2022
As a pageant fan for a very long time, I now consider it a huge privilege to always be asked to be a part of the judging panel in some of the country’s top beauty pageants. The very first pageant that trusted me enough to make a judge for its talent competition was Ramon Monzon and Lorraine Schuck’s Carousel Productions for Miss Earth 2008, which was eventually won by the Philippines’ Karla Henry. From there, I have managed to somehow “progress” and make it to the judging panels of beauty competitions of varying scopes and degrees of prestige, from those in the provincial level, like Ginoo at Binibining Bulacan; to medium-scale national and international searches, like the late John dela Vega’s Jewel of the Philippines and Jewel of the World competitions; to the biggest and the most anticipated pageants in the country, like Miss World Philippines, Mister World Philippines, Misters of Filipinas, and, of course, Miss Universe Philippines, wherein I am now part of the Advisory Council.
With my judging experience now running over 10 years, I can say that I have already seen what the judges actually look for among pageant candidates and what makes them choose one from the rest for a winner. Conversely, I have also witnessed how candidates can actually strategize and win the judges’ votes for the crown. It all begins with knowing “the mold.”
The pageant judges in action
Many pageant fans will surely agree with me that there are certain prototypes that actually fit into every different pageant’s tastes and preferences for their winners. There are pageants that put a premium on beauty, mostly of the face and figure. There are pageants looking for spokesperson types, those who can articulate certain advocacies and causes. Communication skills will, therefore, have a lot to do in the eventual outcomes of these searches. There are competitions that emphasize on the candidates’ modeling skills: who walks best on the runway, who photographs the best. Knowing the mold will surely increase one’s chances to win if one is also self-assured enough to recognize what his or strengths are. A potential candidate must be honest enough with him/herself to know which mold he/she actually fits into. And why do pageants have a certain mold for their winners? Simple. They are, in the end, all businesses, wanting to cash in on their eventual winners’ commercial appeal and ability to bag endorsements, raise funds, land lucrative modeling contracts. For those competing in the local or provincial levels, the mold may be that of whoever actually embodies the qualities of the locality to be represented and which, therefore, ups their chances to win in the higher levels by standing out or through differentiation.
The second winning factor that wannabe pageant winners ought to always be conscious of is their “likeability.” At the end of the day, judges will not just vote for the one with the most beautiful face; or the sexiest; or even the smartest contestant (remember, pageants are not an academic quiz competition). Even if there are pressures for them, say from organizers, (yes! Those pressures actually exist during the pageant proceedings!) to make a certain contestant win, judges will most likely vote for who they actually like the most. It’s their right to choose the person they like the most, and they usually take pride in exercising that right. So what makes one likeable? Authenticity is one. It is easy to tell who’s being genuine and sincere even on the pageant stage vis-à-vis someone who is faking it (from the tone and accent of speech, to the amount of confidence being shown, to the overall presentation). There is truth to the common pageant advice past queens usually give: “Just be yourself,” no matter how much of a cliché it may sound. Also evident, even from afar, is being kind versus someone trying to look and sound kind. Beauty pageants are usually a cutthroat competition. That’s a given. People are on that stage not to participate and gain friends, but to win and bring home the crown. The judges know that. Pushovers will also not be given extra points. So the formula is: Be competitive but likeable.
Speaking of likability, how can a candidate work on it, and when is the best time to show it? I’d say from Day 1. During the screening, pageant applicants are usually asked to say something about themselves. Aspirants must ensure that they say something truly memorable about themselves at this stage. They should not stop with the basics, like their name, age, barangay/town/city/province, and education/profession. Something that Filipino pageant contestants usually resort to at this point of the pageant plays on the pity/guilt card: “I am the sole breadwinner.” “I come from a broken family.” “I need the prize money for my education.” While heart-wrenching, such statements only send the wrong messages and may be a turnoff for some judges (albeit it may turn on some who may be on the lookout for potential “sponsoree”). If it’s a sad tale of poverty that must be told, it can actually be said in a more positive, empowering and inspiring way, like: “I manage to send myself to school by working as a dishwasher in a restaurant. There are times when I have to memorize the table of elements while soaping the dishes. It’s really all a matter of multitasking.” Such a statement might be able to convince judges to see how flexible the aspirant can be to fulfill different tasks at the same time--a pageant reign requires multitasking skills, after all.
The Judging Panel of Miss Bicolandia 2022 together with some of the pageant organizers.
Well, in the end, it’s not just fun but also fulfilling to be a pageant judge. More than being into something that I’ve always been interested in like pageantry, it also allows me to have a hand in actually realizing somebody else’s dream. Pageant judging grants me fairy godfather -like powers that can turn a simple girl or boy into a queen or a king. Making the right choices, also enables judges like me to somehow give something back to the country, a new hero or heroine they can look up to as a source of national pride.
Aside from being in good company, of course, being a judge entitles one to free trips and the VIP treatment usually given by the pageant organizers to their guests (shout-outs go to Ms. Eloisa Martinez, Mr. Mike Pauig, Mr. Kleng Totanes and Atty. Jetjet Vergara!).
It also allows us many wonderful opportunities to be personally acquainted with personalities we only once dreamt of meeting someday, if they happen to be in the same panel our persons have the luck of being in. In my latest judging stint in Miss Bicolandia 2022, I was truly pleased to have rated the contestants side-by-side Miss World Philippines’ Arnold Vegafria, Mutya ng Pilipinas’ Cory Quirino, top hotelier Joanne Golong-Gomes, and pageant winners Pauline Amelinckx and Kris Janson. Aside from being in good company, of course, being a judge entitles one to free trips and the VIP treatment usually given by the pageant organizers to their guests (shout-outs go to Ms. Eloisa Martinez, Mr. Mike Pauig, Mr. Kleng Totanes and Atty. Jetjet Vergara!). Let’s see which pageant I will be off to next!