The original trio of titleholders for Bb. Pilipinas 1998 (Photo credit: Tony Paat)
The titleholders with Jewel May Lobaton (rightmost) as BPU1998
Wendy Fitzwilliam
All posts tagged Wendy Fitzwilliam
Here are two shots from the rehearsals of the Miss Universe 2017 Preliminary Competition at the Mezzanine of Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
I really hope the organizers could at least improve on the lighting of the stage to make up for the underwhelming venue. The ladies deserve to shine individually, and not to have shadows blocking their faces and bodies while presenting themselves.
Rachel during rehearsals
And below is a quick vid of Miss Miss Universe 1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam giving her greetings to Filipino pageant fans. She will be one of the judges during the Finals of Miss Universe on November 26.
All photos and video courtesy of my friend Voltaire Tayag.
The individuals tasked to select Miss Universe 2017 during the Final Telecast are:
Finals judges for the 66th annual Miss Universe pageant on Nov. 26 at Planet Hollywood Resort Casino in Las Vegas LIVE on FOX!
This year’s accomplished and inspiring 2017
MISS UNIVERSE judges include:
Ross Mathews: TV personality, live event correspondent, author and judge on “Drag Race.”
Lele Pons: Venezuelan-American creator and one of digital entertainment’s most recognizable figures; TIME magazine’s 2016 30 Most Influential People on the Internet list; and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Celebrities class of 2017.
Jay Manuel: TV Personality and CEO of Jay Manuel Beauty, Creative Director, renowned make-up artist and entrepreneur.
Megan Olivi: UFC backstage correspondent and host of The Exchange With Megan Olivi on UFC Fight Pass; advocate of women in sports.
Pia Wurtzbach: Miss Universe 2015, model, actress; UNAIDS Ambassador for Asia Pacific and advocate for LGBT rights.
Wendy Fitzwilliam: Miss Universe 1998, Trinidadian lawyer, actress, model and TV host.
The three tallest Miss Universe winners: Amelia Vega (2003), Wendy Fitzwilliam (1998) and Michelle McLean (1992)
Amelia Vega is tallest of the tallest at 6’1″
Now if we check out the other end of the spectrum, there are three Miss Universe ladies who measure 6’0 and above. Amelia Vega launched her Miss Universe bid last 2003 on a high note and never looked back from the time she set foot in Panama City. In the case of Wendy Fitzwilliam, she met strong opposition from Veruska Ramirez. Both of them stood tall at 6’0, but the former eased herself out of a possible deadlock after giving a more impressive reply during the Q&A. And during Michelle McLean’s time, she had far more deadly challenges, what with Paola Turbay, Madhu Sapre and Carolina Izsak making things more difficult for the statuesque Namibian. Good thing she stayed consistent and never let go of the judges’ halo placed on her head from the semifinals to Top 5.
While Amelia looks like she is the shortest in the photos above, her height is mightier than either Wendy’s or Michelle’s.
In the editions of Miss Universe following the latest year above (2003), the towering height still mattered to some extent but in my opinion, it was no longer on the ‘must-list’. The more important consideration is to find the most deserving winner. If she happens to be the tallest, well and good. And if she turns out to be the host delegate (like Olivia Culpo), better for the people at MUO who need not make adjustments to the personality of the winner (or relocation concerns for that matter). 😉
While waiting for the Miss Universe Pageant 2009 to start, let me share with you some trivia about the contest. These infos are obviously not for the fanatics or connoiseurs who know everything by heart. This is meant to amuse people who have not religiously followed the contest or who may only know very little about the same.
Here goes…
1. Did you know that Venezuela enjoyed uninterrupted semifinal placement from 1981 to 2009, except for two years – 1982 & 2005 – when their representatives failed to make the cut? This makes Miss Venezuela 1982 Ana Teresa Oropeza and Miss Venezuela 2005 Anna Karina Anez as the most disappointed national beauty queens in their powerhouse country’s sterling performance in the pageant.
Miss Venezuela 2005 Anna Karina Anez Delgado
Miss Venezuela 1982 Ana Teresa Oropeza
2. Did you know that two black contestants scored back-to-back victories in 1998 and 1999? Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad & Tobago gave her country’s 2nd Miss Universe crown in 1998, while Mpule Kwelagobe honored Botswana with its 1st Miss Universe title the following year.
Miss Universe 1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam
Miss Universe 1999 Mpule Kwelagobe
3. Did you know that 1988 was the only year when Asian delegates dominated the pageant? Miss Thailand Porntip Nakhirunkanok was bestowed her country’s 2nd Miss Universe crown, with Chang Yoon-Jung of Korea who placed 1st Runner-Up, Mizuho Sakaguchi of Japan as 3rd Runner-Up and Pauline Yeung of Hongkong 4th Runner-Up. 2nd Runner-Up Amanda Olivares of Mexico was the only non-Asian in the Top 5.
Miss Universe 1988 Porntip Nakhirunkanok
4. Did you know that current Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela is the only winner green-lighted by the Miss Universe Organization to pose topless in a men’s magazine during her reign? Talk about the evolution of beauty contest standards!
class=”size-full wp-image-767″ />Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza in one of her tamer topless shots for Maxim Magazine
And finally…
Did you know that in its entire pageant history, no winner of the Miss Congeniality Award has ever gone to win the Miss Universe title? This proves that being the friendliest and/or the most well-liked won’t bring you to the top in this competition! Cheers!
Miss China Ningning Zhang who won Miss Congeniality at the 2007 edition. She never made it to the semifinals, but another Asian - Riyo Mori of Japan - went all the way to win Miss Universe that year.
