Truth be told: As a finals night judge during her Miss Grand Philippines pageant, I consistently gave her the highest possible marks to ensure she ended up with the crown.  She was, after all, the most visually stunning in her batch, with a charming onstage personality that can win hearts and, potentially, what has, so far, been the most elusive pageant crown for the Philippines.

Filipina-Brazilian Nikki de Moura did end up being crowned Miss Grand Philippines that night, giving Filipino pageant fans high hopes that their first golden crown is finally within reach.  The following weeks and months showed how hard the country’s Miss Grand International representative worked to prepare for her appointment with destiny.  Social media followers were witnesses to most of it.  The slightly flawed pasarela was refined to almost near perfection.  The all-important styling and wardrobe requirements were met, packed, and readied. Exposures here and there honed her to become a more comfortable public speaker.  She had all it takes to clinch a win.

Knowing that it takes two sides to seal a deal, Miss Grand Philippines National Director Arnold Vegafria also pulled out all the stops to ensure his organization is in good standing with MGI President Nawat Itsaragrisil and the rest of the MGI organization, investing heavily in well-organized press conferences and a decent finals night show to promote the MGI brand among his countrymen.  At this point in Miss Grand Philippines’ campaign, it was safe to say that the country was poised for a good finish in the international competition.

Then came Nikki's time to fly to Vietnam for her fight.  The first few days, she was pitted with the other gorgeous women competing for the crown.  Yes, she was not among the top favorites, but people recognized her for reasons other than her strong pageant sash.  Fans from across the world noticed her beauty and commendable performance every time the candidates were seen competing in the different rounds of the pageant.  The slow start was something that her local fans could tolerate.  “Maybe she is just reserving her best and will strategically peak during the pageant’s most important rounds,” they thought.

Her preliminary performance was good (despite an ugly trip she experienced while navigating the stairs, off-cam, in the evening gown round). People thought it was enough to land her a spot in the semifinals.

Come coronation night, the Filipinos’ dream of a golden crown was crushed when Nikki’s journey was cut short.  She was eliminated early in the game, failing to advance to MGI’s first cut.  

What’s more troubling is that, days after, Itsaragrisil came out on social media, ranting just how unprofessional the Philippine delegate behaved (claiming that Nikki walked out from the coronation show after not being called as a semifinalist) and actually branding her as: “the wrong candidate to compete.”

Enraged by the accusatory statements against their queen, Filipino pageant fans naturally came to Nikki’s defense, demanding that Arnold Vegafria drop the MGI franchise (despite having a 3-year contract with MGI).  

All the effort poured into establishing goodwill between MGI and the local pageant community has come to naught, with the negative sentiments now being shared mutually by both parties.  Who should be blamed for this poor finish by Nikki?  Did the MGI organization orchestrate Nikki’s loss to get back at Filipino fans?

A day after the very crucial MGI preliminaries, I got to chat with Crown Sisters’ Summer Smith, who was in Vietnam at that time to cover the international pageant.  I asked Summer for her real and honest assessment of Nikki’s chances and performance, at least up to that point of the competition.  Summer’s reply was:

“MGI is unlike any other pageant, and they scrutinize the girls from the moment they leave their rooms.  It’s about how hard they work off-camera.  The daily schedule here is brutal for a reason.  On stage, Nikki is one of the best.  Some amazing girls work so hard off stage, and the organization likes them.  There is a lot that the fans don’t see.”

That statement from somebody there, covering the day-to-day developments as they unfolded, somehow managed my expectations of Nikki’s prospects.

Summer’s observations are now getting some validation from sources from the ALV Pageant Circle, who also got first-hand information on what has happened off-cam and off-stage.

“Friend, karamihan ng girls pagbaba pa lang ng kwarto sa umaga, fully glammed up na.  Si Nikki, parang wala lang. Walang ayos-ayos, bababa at kakain ng breakfast,” the source intimated.

While all preps were done to ensure the Philippine delegate shone on stage, developing her PR (public relations) skills may have needed to be improved when no lights were shining on her.

“Ayaw makipag-usap sa ibang mga candidates si Nikki. Madalas nasa loob lang ng kwarto. Pati sa press, umiiwas sya sa mga interviews.  Si Peru nga, nung umpisa kaibigan nya yun.  Pero siguro nung nalaman niyang malakas na threat sa kanya, ayun nilayuan din niya,” the source shared.

I was also told that these PR lapses may have also been the cause why Nikki failed to endear herself to the MGI President.

“Naku, kwento ni Mr. Nawat, minsan daw binigyan nya ng regalo si Nikki. Kitang-kita niya kung paano binaba lang ni Nikki yung regalo nya kung saan at pagkatapos, basta na lang ipinasa sa isang kasama.  Syempre, feeling niya hindi pinahalagahan yung bigay nya.”

The source also confided that Nikki was probed about why she behaved that way during the pageant, and the only response she supposedly gave was: “The people there were just annoying.”

Wanting to give Nikki a chance to share her sentiments on these issues, I asked my friends from the Pageant Circle if I could do a short interview with the beauty queen.  My request was declined.  I was told to wait for Mr. Vegafria’s statement on the MGI, which will be released anytime soon.  

I now wonder if we saw a case of “too much, too soon.”  Could it be her age that made Nikki fail to realize the weight and seriousness of representing a pageant-obsessed country like the Philippines in the international arena?

The source’s answer to that was: “Eh di sana di na lang siya sumali kung di pala niya alam ang pinapasok niya.”