Joey Mead-King returns to Miss Asia Pacific International with Marc Nelson

Joey Mead-King (left) returns as host of the Miss Asia Pacific International coronation night with Marc Nelson, together with drag queen Myx Channel (insert) as backstage correspondent./MISS ASIA PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL FACEBOOK PHOTO

This year’s comeback edition of the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant will also see the return of a familiar face in the global tilt’s previous editions–international TV presenter Joey Mead-King who will once again serve as coronation night host.

The global pageant made the announcement on social media on Monday afternoon, Oct. 7, also sharing that seasoned international presenter Marc Nelson will share hosting chores with Mead-King, ushering his return to international pageantry. He had previously served as host in several editions of the Miss Earth pageant.

“Our comeback wouldn’t be complete without the return of the iconic Joey Mead-King to our stage, as she joins the charismatic Marc Nelson to host the coronation night!” the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant said on social media.

READ: Blessa Figueroa starts strong in Miss Asia Pacific International 2024 pageant

“Also adding celebratory hues to this evening is the energetic Myx Chanel as she gives us a peek of the high-octane behind-the-scenes!” the social media post continued, announcing the inclusion of the popular drag queen in the show.

This year’s competition is held five years since the Manila-based international pageant last mounted a contest in 2019, also in the Philippines. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted organizers to take a break from 2020 to 2022, then underwent a reorganization in 2023.

In February, the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant announced that it would be back this year, under the leadership of beauty queen and lawyer Eva Patalinjug, who took over the presidency after Jacqueline Tan-Sainz, who stays on as CEO. Former Mutya ng Pilipinas Kristine Caballero-Aplal, meanwhile, was appointed as general manager.

Thirty-three delegates from around the world are competing this year for the title currently held by Chaiyenne Huisman, the first winner from Spain. The new queen will be crowned at the culmination of the coronation show at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay City on Monday night, Oct. 7.

Blessa Figueroa will try to post the Philippines’ sixth victory in the international competition, after Maria del Carmen Inez Zaragoza (1982), Gloria Dimayayac (1983), Lorna Legaspi (1989), Michelle Aldana (1993), and Sharifa Areef Mohammad Omar Akeel (2018).