Have You Read About the Pia Dolls?

While doing my weekly online research and updates for my weekly newspaper lifestyle column, I came across these photos of Queen Pia with a set of Pia dolls that a pageant fan has lovingly & painstakingly created for her.

   Pia is fascinated with her miniature versions

  Pia is absolutely thrilled when Ian presented the
 doll replica during her birthday before Miss U

Turns out that Ian Mendajar, a Pia admirer and pageant fan has been creating a set of miniature beauty queens all dressed up in Pia Wurtzbach’s iconic dresses as a tribute to the beauty queen while following her journey from Bb Pilipinas and all the way to Miss Universe 2015.

 Miss U 2015 with fellow Bb Pilipinas queens

L-R: Venus, Shamcey, Janine , MJ & Ara

   Pageant fan & Pia admirer Ian Mendajar with
his creations of art & labor of love

   The Pia Doll that started it all

His first creation was inspired by the evening gown of Wurtzbach during the Binibining Pilipinas pageant, the second one patterned after Albert Andrada’s gown and given as an advanced gift to Wurtzbach, and the third dubbed as “Pia Doll Version 3.0” was created with a replica of Bessie Besana’s gown for Pia during the Star Magic Ball

 Pia looks like a doll in this photo

Pia's Bb Pilipinas 2015 gown & regional costume

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Pia in her Bessie Besana creation worn 

during the Star Magic Ball

Ian's reciprocates Pia's gift for the
Philippines with this Pia Doll in
Albert Andrada replica gown
as his gift  

These dolls are not only a collector’s item but also a collective symbol of our nation’s love and admiration for our beauty queens.

Today is Queen Pia's Grand Victory Parade!

Today, the whole nation awaits her grand victory parade, one of the biggest highlights of Queen Pia’s week- long grand homecoming

 Photo Credits: CNN Philippines

Everything is all set for the parade including the magnificent & elegant blue & white float designed by Fritz Solirio.

 The float measures 14 ft length x 7 ft width x 6 ft heightFloat Design: Fritz Solirio

Event organizers & government authorities are expecting thousands of Filipinos to welcome and to cheer on for the country’s third Miss Universe

The parade will kick off at 2 pm from Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City then traverse at Roxas Boulevard before making its way to Buendia Avenue, Makati City.

The Journey to the Crown Wasn’t Easy

   

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At a time when the Philippines has been scandalized by political divisiveness & devastated by natural calamities and man-made tragedies, super typhoons and an earthquake, a grateful nation awaits the triumphant homecoming of Pia.

After all, just when the young generation of Filipinos is looking for a role model and an inspiration, a Filipina who demonstrated and gave the whole universe the meaning of grace, humility, kindness and gratitude is suddenly thrust into the spotlight and hopefully will relish her new role as inspirational queen.

Mabuhay ka Pia!

Long May You Reign!

Part 3: The Biggest & Most Controversial Pageant Stories for Year 2015

Part 2 of the Biggest Pageant Stories for 2015

And here now are the top three pageant stories for Year 2015! 
3 MISS PHILIPPINES IS MISS UNIVERSE 2015  After 42 long years, the Philippines won its third Miss Universe crown courtesy of Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach  but did you know that when Pia was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2015 last summer, she was bashed and criticized because of her unflattering and untoned body figure. Detractors and skeptics were one in saying that she  will only make the Top 15 because of the sash factor.

Determination & discipline spelled the difference 

But Pia proved everyone wrong when she plunged into a punishing physical fitness regimen with iron will and disciplined herself. A few months before she was to leave for Las Vegas to compete in the biggest battle of her life, a svelte and a slim Pia emerged to the pleasant surprise of pageant fans and experts

Pia during her Miss Universe send- off at the NAIA 

No wonder then when celebrity blogger & Miss Universe 2015 judge Perez Hilton remarked that Pia came to win and she went to the competition with something to prove.

 Miss U 2015 is from the Philippines!

Pia Wurtzbach’s Miss Universe victory is not only a long- overdue Christmas gift to her countrymen but also an inspiration to everyone particularly the youth and solid proof that anything is possible if you set your mind and heart to something.

Long May You Reign Pia!

2 MISS UNIVERSE CROWNING FIASCO Nothing can top the embarrassing & humiliating finale of Miss Universe 2015 which made headlines around the world. Miss Colombia was initially proclaimed as the winner but minutes later, pageant host Steve Harvey informed the stunned audience that he had erred when he made the announcement of winners. 

Shock and disbelief on both Ariadna and Pia 

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Outgoing Miss Universe Paulina Vega then removed the crown from her compatriot’s head and placed it on Miss Philippines’ head.

The mistake made the Miss Universe Pageant as the most talked story around the world for year 2015 and Ariadna Gutierrez will now go down in Miss Universe history as the pageant’s most famous 1^st Runner Up

 Heartbreaking photo of Miss Colombia

1 THE PHILIPPINES IS COUNTRY OF THE YEAR IN PAGEANTRY Without a shred of doubt, the Philippines deserves its Country of the Year in Pageants for 2015. Just when you thought that the Class of 2013 was the most successful in pageantry with crowning victories in Miss World, Miss Supranational , Miss Tourism Queen of the Year and Miss International, runner up in Miss Universe, Top Eight in Miss Earth & Top 10 in Miss Tourism Queen Int’l, here comes the Class of 2015 with convincing triumphs that saw the country win six international crowns, runners up placements & semifinalist placements.

 L-R: Pia, Angelia, Anna, Leren, Cindy & Trixie

We got our third Miss Universe crown care of Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, a back-to- back victory in Miss Earth by Angelia Gabrena Ong, our first Miss Globe won by Ann Lorraine Colis , our third Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International crown in four years won by Leren Mae Bautista and Cindy Madumma, our first Miss SCUBA International. Even our transgender women proved to be among the world’s most beautiful with our second Miss International Queen crown courtesy of Trixie Maristela.

Aside from Wurtzbach and Ong, we also had Miss Grand Int’l 3^rd RU Parul Shah, Miss World Top 10 Finalist Hillarie Parungao, Miss International Top 10 Finalist Janicel Lubina and Miss Supranational Top 20 Finalist Rogelie Catacutan.

Most notably, the Philippines is the only country to have placed in all six Grand Slam pageants for Year 2015! In second place for Country of the Year is Australia which placed in five of the six Grand Slam pageants. In third place is Spain which won its first Miss World crown. Venezuela is in fourth place with its seventh Miss International crown. 

Part 1: The Biggest & Most Controversial Pageant Stories for Year 2015

Year 2015 would always be one of the most memorable for Pinoy pageant fans. A lot of exciting things happened especially in December when three of the world’s biggest pageants were scheduled one after the other in succession. Records were broken and pageant history was rewritten in one of the most talked- about pageant years ever.

Let’s take another look at the past 12 months as we count down Year 2016's biggest pageant stories

 10 DONALD TRUMP LETS GO OF MISS UNIVERSE American billionaire Donald Trump had to let go of his co- ownership of Miss Universe Org pageants, namely; Miss Universe, Miss USA & Miss Teen USA after a racial slur directed towards Mexicans and to Latinos in general led to sponsorship withdrawal & NBC’s TV broadcast cancellation of Miss USA 2015.

WME/ IMG, top talent, artist & event management specialist, eventually bought the rights to Miss Universe

 Donald Trump with Paulina Vega, his last Miss Universe

9 PIA WURTZBACH WINS TOP BINIBINI TITLE AFTER THIRD TRY Getting inspiration from MJ Lastimosa, poster girl for persistence, perseverance & patience and who won the Miss Universe Philippines crown on her third try, Pia Wurtzbach enlisted for her third & final attempt at bagging the right to represent the Philippines in the most coveted pageant title in the entire universe.

Pia ignored her bashers &  forgot her heartbreaking loss at the 2014 Bb Pilipinas Pageant to sign up for Bb Pilipinas on her third and final attempt before she aged out. 

It was third times the charm for the Cagayan de Oro native. Right after her Bb Pilipinas 2015 triumph, she gave her 100%  focus and committed herself to a grueling & punishing training that eventually paid off 

 Pia reacts after clinching the top Bb Pilipinas crown

8 MISTER INTERNATIONAL STAGES 1OTH EDITION IN MANILA, PHILIPPINES Mister International cemented its status as the world’s most prestigious male beauty competition when it successfully staged the edition of the pageant in Manila, Philippines a couple of months back.

The pageant which attracted a top- caliber batch of gorgeous young men selected a very deserving winner from Switzerland whose victory was well- received by pageant fans all over the world.

 Pedro Mendes of Switzerland is Mister International 2015

UP NEXT: Numbers 7- 5 as we continue the countdown for the biggest pageant stories for year 2015

Why Steve Harvey Shouldn't Be Blamed for Miss Universe 2015 Crowning Fiasco

So much has been written and said about how Steve Harvey messed up big- time with the Miss Universe 2015 crowning fiasco but little has been said on the whys and the hows.

Ariadna is not choking Pia after she makes the Final Three

As far as I can remember, the announcement of winners in Miss Universe has always been in reverse order meaning they start with the 4^th RU up to the moment when there are two girls left onstage and the emcee announces that he will call the 1^st RU ahead of the winner and the girl whose name is not called is the new Miss Universe.

 

 Harvey exposes his mistake

 Paulina removes the crown from Ariadna

 Miss Universe crown is placed on Pia's head

 Paulina gives reassuring pat & comforting words to her
compatriot Ariadna while Pia beams with joy

All would have been okay had they not changed the usual way of announcing the results which began in 2011. When Miss Ukraine and Miss Angola were the only girls left onstage, the emcee said “We will announce the name of the new Miss Universe ahead of the 1^st RU so that means that the girl whose name isn’t called will be 1^st RU” I told myself that it was a disaster in the making and it did happen last Monday.

Add to the mix the fact that Steve Harvey was a first- time pageant emcee and the perfect recipe for the fiasco was created.

 

 Miss Universe 2015 results card: Recipe for Disaster

When a photo of the cue card that had the winners’ names was posted on the Internet, my suspicions and nagging feelings were validated.  The pageant emcee was given a card where the names are listed in a different order than he has to announce them.  The card could have been scripted so Steve Harvey just had to read from it. "The second runner-up is USA. Our new Miss Universe is Philippines."  

If the name of the winner was going to be announced from the final two, the name of the first runner-up shouldn't be on the card at all, unless it can be said after the winner is named "this means Colombia is the first runner-up" just like how Guilliana Rancic said “congratulations to Janine Tugonon of the Philippines the 1^st RU” after Miss USA Olivia Culpo was proclaimed Miss Universe 2015 

 Pia's roommate Miss Myanmar leads well- wishers

Oh well, all’s well that end well. If it’s any consolation for Miss Colombia, she is now the most famous Miss Universe 1^st RU in the pageant’s 64 year history.

As for Steve Harvey, well, ha has the last laugh. You see, it has been confirmed that he will be hosting Miss Universe 2016 in the beautiful Caribbean island of Belize next year

Merry Christmas everyone!   

Controversial Miss Universe 2015 Crowning!

Nothing can top the embarrassing & humiliating finale of Miss Universe 2015. Not even the 2006 Mrs. World crowning fiasco & Australia’s Next Top Model wrong announcement of winner can beat what just happened in Las Vegas today. 

But regardless, the outcome can’t be changed and you can’t deny that Pia Wurtzbach is the Philippines’ third Miss Universe.

But I have this icky feeling that what just happened was a planned publicity stunt that went awry. Poor poor Miss Colombia who had to bear the humiliation. I also believe that the Miss Universe  fan vote didn’t really count nor did they matter. It was more of a marketing strategy to keep the viewers tuned in & glued for the entire three- hour show but everyone had fun including Your Roving Eye. 

Regarding the twist in the final judging where the 77 girls were supposed to cast their votes for who they think should be Miss Universe, I don’t think so. How could or how did they vote when they were just standing on the stage while waiting for the results?

 Miss U host Steve Harvey about to deliver the bad news


 

The emotional highlight of the night was the tribute for Miss Slovenia who was unable to compete after slipping at her hotel bathroom after suffering an epileptic fit. It was such a moving sight.

Your Roving Eye has nothing but praises for Paulina Vega who handled the situation in a gracious manner and prevented it into becoming an uglier situation. Truly the embodiment of Miss Universe; elegant, classy and a quick thinker

Now for the facts & figures:

1.       The Philippines currently has the longest streak with six consecutive placements

2.       Southeast Asia is slowly rising as a pageant powerhouse with Indonesia and Thailand joining the Philippines in the Top 15.

3.      North & South America dominated the Top 15 with seven girls followed by Asia with four. Europe had two and Oceania & Africa had one each

4.      India and Vietnam were the biggest casualties among the heavy favorites. They failed to advance to the Top Fifteen.

5.      There was no announcement of Miss Photogenic and Miss Congeniality or was it an oversight among the organizers?

Here’s the updated ranking of the countries with the most number of wins in Miss Universe:

RANK	COUNTRY	MISS U	1ST RU	2ND RU
1	USA	8	9	7
2	VENEZUELA	7	6	6
3	PUERTO RICO	5	1	2
4	PHILIPPINES	3	2	-
5	SWEDEN	3	1	2

Thank you Pia for giving your countrymen the best Christmas gift for 2015! And what a year indeed with a Miss Earth winner, Miss Globe winner, Miss Universe winner, Miss Intercontinental 1^st RU, Miss Grand Intl 3^rd RU, Miss World Top 10, Miss International Top 10 and Miss Supranational Top 20!

Here's an interesting Trivia: Did you know that Miss USA Olivia Jordan was a Top 20 Finalist in Miss World 2013? This means that she is a lucky charm for Filipinas who competed with her. First it was Megan and this year, it's Pia