Michelle Dee. Image: Instagram/@themissuniverseph
MANILA, Philippines – Crossover beauty queen Michelle Dee revealed that she had experienced a sabotage attempt when she competed in Miss World 2019, her first international pageant.
Michelle, who finished in the Top 12 of the pageant, looked back at the sabotage attempt during the pageant’s national costume competition during a lie detector interview with Bea Alonzo on the actress’ YouTube channel.
“Have you ever been sabotaged during a competition?” Bea asked the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 titleholder.
“Yeah! Once lang (just once), during my first international competition. I was so careful with my final gowns and especially my natcos (national costume). They lived in separate luggages locked until I’m ready to wear them,” she said.
“During my natcos rehearsals, I was wearing a beautiful piece by Francis Libiran. I had two golden fans. So we had I think a group photo or something, so I had to put my fans down. When I went back, nawawala. As in nawawala ‘yung fans ko (it was gone. As in my fans were gone),” Michelle continued.
The actress-beauty queen then asked the help of Libiran to help in getting her fans back, although she noted that the designer was “ready to produce another set.”
She, however, was able to retrieve them with the help of Filipino pageant fans in the hotel.
“And I was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I gonna do?’ So I was texting Francis’ team. I was like, ‘Somebody got my fans.’
“So they were ready to produce another set. But thankfully, and this is why I love Pinoys all over the world, that hotel had so many Pinoys. I said my fans are missing, so they looked through all of the CCTVs for whoever got it,” she said.
Michelle, however, confessed that she didn’t know who got her fans, but was able to get them back on the same night.
“Hindi nila sinabi kung sino kumuha. Basta may kumatok that same night, and my fans were on the floor (They didn’t tell me who stole my fans. All that happened was that someone knocked on my door and my fans were on the floor),” she said. “Maybe kinabahan because I was like, ‘I need to see the CCTVs, I need to see where my fans are. So binalik naman (So it was returned).”
During the interview, Michelle also revealed that she was advised by Miss World 2013 Megan Young to “bring a backup all the time” when it comes to outfit changes.
“One of the things that Megan Young advised me is if there’s something very important for an outfit change, bring two, bring a backup all the time because [sabotage attempts] have been done [in pageants] before,” she said.
The beauty queen was possibly referring to her gold “Philippine Sun Princess” national costume which was described as an “art piece” created with “fine soft tulle, intricately embroidered with custom embroidery and hand-made beadwork,” as seen on Aces and Queens Instagram page.
Michelle will represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant in El Salvador this November.
The beauty queen is vying for the country’s fifth Miss Universe crown which was won previously by Gloria Diaz, Margarita Roman, Pia Wurtzbach, and Catriona Gray.