Miss Philippines Loses Miss Universe 2010

By Ernie | Tuesday, August 24, 2010 | 13 Comments

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Last night, Miss Mexico won the Miss Universe pageant, but anyone who watched the show knew that from the auditorium full of Filipinos to host Natalie Morales’ exasperated “Wow, it looks like all of the Philippines is cheering her on tonight!” it was really Miss Philippines’ contest to lose. And lose she did: after sailing through the final five category, Venus Raj horrified the final judging panel by answering that in her 22 years, there is nothing “major major [she] has done in her life” when asked if she’s made any life mistakes. And all the sudden, it is possible for a Mexican to beat a Filipino in Las Vegas! HEY-YO!

Fellow 8Asians blogger Rosemary best said it best on her Twitter: “Oh, Miss Philippines. By holding on to cultural conventions — saving face on national television — you completely sucked ass at answering the question.” But no Asian Americans can relate to that, can they? (Holding on to cultural conventions; not losing Miss Universe.)

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http://twitter.com/mike_le mike_le

Well, she has an answer ready next time she’s asked about mistakes she’s made.
http://elbee.wordpress.com/ elbee

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought her answer sucked. I felt myself cringe when she finished talking.
http://www.littleyellowdifferent.com ErnieAtLYD

The ironic thing – she has been written as been having a life full of hardship, was a child out of wedlock and was petitioned to become a Filipino citizen since she was technically not born in the Philippines. She could have leveraged that into taking tribulations and making them stronger.

But no. No major major problems.
http://www.pinoyworld.eu/author/obiabadinas/ @Rakehell_Obi

She is 22 years old and reached the top 5 of Miss Universe. I don’t think she made any major mistakes.That was actually a personal question in comparison to the ones asked the other candidates.The other questions:……What effect is unsupervised Internet use having on today’s youth?What role should the government play in regulating potentially offensive clothing?Is the death penalty acceptable and why?How do you feel about full-body scanners in airports?What kind of a big mistake can this 22 year old make? One from an impoverished family who grew up without having electricity in the home, with a single mother taking care of five children. Who also managed to finish her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Arts, major in Journalism, with Latin honours (Cum Laude). She also graduated through a scholarship she receivedFrom where I’m standing, this young lady has not made any major mistake and I don’t think mistakes are part of her mentality.
http://hellomoye.com/ moye

Yeah but in her defense, those don’t sound like mistakes that she had made personally, just bad circumstances that she was born into.

That’s like the hardest question to answer on national TV, especially in a pageant where you’re judged by your best assets.
http://www.pinoyworld.eu/author/obiabadinas/ @Rakehell_Obi

The question was about what big mistakes she had made in life. Not about the hardship she had faced.

When I first saw the video, I thought she made a mistake in answering, till I read her resume.

At 22 years old, she has not made any big mistakes. The only big ones she could have made would have been becoming a single mother like her mother, not finishing her education, or giving up on being Miss Philippines.

Even her answer was not a major mistake. She is on the top five and free to pursue her plans without being beholden to the Miss Universe as a title. That would be the problem for Miss Mexico and Miss Jamaica.
johnklin

Which assets would those be?
http://www.littleyellowdifferent.com ErnieAtLYD

Her intellect and benevolence to orphans with HIV. What else?
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZEXGOXRQNRAP724NWRZ7POTR54 Blipblopblapbloobybloo

She may not have given the best answer but at least it wasn’t as bad as going all over the map and saying “such as” multiple times.The problem was she didn’t see an aswer for the question outside of a box. Even if she made no major mistakes, she could’ve used the question to show she’s a reflective thinker. For example, she could have said “The only major mistakes I may have made in my life was not doing more sooner” or some other answer that shows she’s thinking beyond what she’s being asked. But of course it’s easy to type this than answer verbally right there on the spot. But isn’t that what beauty queen training coaches are for?
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZEXGOXRQNRAP724NWRZ7POTR54 Blipblopblapbloobybloo

I bet more viewers (mostly those in the midwest) were more stunned by her ability to speak English. “Goddurn!!! Is that oriental Miss Saigon jap talkin’ Americuhhhn??? Or is it a dub like dem damn kung fu chink movies?”

“Mary Joe, go git me a beer instead of dat der moonshine. Damn t.v. is makin me see and hear things! And go fetch me mah rifle while youz at it! Goddamn Chineezee are invading our cunnntryy!”
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/5KVXLFRKDK3RI23RLZJOK6MW7Q Emma

It was too personal a question. She did articulate herself decently, but that was not the “right” pageant answer. Still MILES away from that botched blond Eye-rack maps of a joke.

For a non-english native speaker, she did well.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/5KVXLFRKDK3RI23RLZJOK6MW7Q Emma

nemo: you hit the nail on the head. I kept running the same question through my head and tried which answer could most fit her situation, but like you said, the circumstances she was born into are beyond her control and therefore an inappropriate response to the question.
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