Reigning Miss Cosmo 2024 Ketut Permata Juliastrid of Indonesia. Image: Facebook/Miss Cosmo
The Miss Cosmo pageant was full of promise when it was launched, presenting itself as a viable alternative to the ones that have been dominating the industry for decades. But did it live up to the expectations it set out for itself?
What greeted spectators at the coronation night at the Saigon Riverside Park in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Oct. 5 was a massive stage with sky-high LED panels, while those watching at home got a bird’s eye view of the magnitude of the entire setup, assembled by the picturesque Song Sai Gon, or Saigon River.
As the pageant’s title suggests, the general design theme was outer space, with the main LED panel at the center of the stage made in the outline of a rocketship. However, the floor’s layout appeared to be inspired by the stages seen on the Miss Supranational and Miss Grand International pageants.
The “inspiration” from other more established international pageants does not stop there. Miss Cosmo also debuted its theme song “Into the Cosmo” like the Miss Earth pageant has its “Woman of the Earth.” And the song was interpreted by American singer Shontelle, who has graced the Miss Earth stages in both Manila and Ho Chi Minh City for several editions already.
The Vietnamese organizers invited Filipino actress and 2016 Miss International Kylie Verzosa to serve as one of the hosts, sharing chores with three Vietnamese presenters.
Miss Cosmo also tapped popular Miss Universe figures, former Pres. Paula Shugart and 2021 queen Harnaaz Sandhu, for the lean jury panel, which also included Vietnamese beauties H’Hen Nie and Kim Duyen, both Miss Universe alumnae.
The show was fast-paced, and finished in under three hours, with segments that are the staple in most other global tilts – introduction, swimsuit, gown and interview – nothing really different or groundbreaking for a pageant that promised to revolutionize the industry.
But what a lot of the viewers appreciated, including seasoned Filipino “pageantera” MJ Lastimosa, was the evening gown parade of the eliminated delegates. Although similar to the practice in other contests, the Miss Cosmo pageant gave the ladies significantly more screen time.
What could be considered an innovation of sorts was the selection of only two delegates for the final round of competition, who the contest pitted against each other in a debate. Most other pageants have three or five ladies in the crucial stage, with the exception of the Miss Earth pageant with four ladies in the final moment.
Some netizens, however, noted how similar the Miss Cosmo pageant’s Final 2 debate is to the “Beklaban” segment of the “Miss Q&A” contest in the daily noontime variety show “It’s Showtime.”
When the dust settled, Song Sai Gon illuminated with an expansive fountain exhibition
Though grand, the display was already executed in the 2023 edition of the Miss Earth pageant, which was incidentally held in the same city.
Indonesia collected its second international pageant crown for the year with Ketut Permata Juliastrid receiving the Miss Cosmo title. Thailand’s Karnruethai Tassabut settled for the first runner-up spot.
After getting her crown, Juliastrid delivered a victory speech, similar to the practice observed in the Miss World pageant, the longest-running international beauty contest.
Host delegate Bui Thi Xuan Hanh advanced to the Top 5, while the Philippines’ Ahtisa Manalo finished in the Top 10, and was also proclaimed as “Cosmo People’s Choice” and “Cosmo Tourism Ambassador.”
Two more Asian delegates made the cut, Bangladeshi Farzana Yasmin Ananna who finished in the Top 21, and “Cosmo Social Ambassador” winner Leakena In advancing to the Top 10.