Miss Universe Organization owner, JKN Global’s Anne Jakrajutatip, shared that she was also surprised when the Philippines did not enter the Top 16 of the competition.
In a sit-down interview with Filipina Olivia Quido, one of the judges of the competition, Anne said it was unexpected that candidates who were popular in international polls — such as the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, and Honduras — did not make the cut.
“I think I counted myself that 15 or 20 of them used to be in the poll internationally. Everyone just ripped out the poll, oh my goodness, everything just went upside down,” she said.
However, Anne said that she does not question how the Top 16 was chosen since the preliminary judges have very high standards.
“I’m surprised but I’m not shocked by the quality or the high standard of the judges… I’m surprised because usually they get in, but it’s good news for a lot of other countries. Because they usually say, ‘Oh right, Top 16 is always the same,'” she said.
“It’s the first time that we had Laos in the Top 16, and a few other countries like Australia,” she added.
“We have to give an equal chance to everyone,” Anne explained.
The new MUO owner also appealed to pageant fans to be rational on the results of the 71st edition of the competition.
“We’re going to improve, we’ll keep listening, but you have to be rational also. You must have reason. You cannot just have backlash all the time,” she stressed.
“The platform that we have aims to produce quality women. It’s not just the crown,” she ended.
Philippine bet Celeste Cortesi ended the 12-year semi-final streak of the Philippines in the pageant last weekend.
