The most beautiful day in the universe—the Philippines rather

In the Philippines, there are what we call the “Big three B’s” namely: Basketball, boxing, and beauty pageants. Last April 30, 2022, the Miss Universe Organization held its 3rd Miss Universe Philippines coronation night.

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Filipinos are known to be the biggest pageant fans and critics. The four Miss Universe titles indeed prove the country to be a beauty pageant powerhouse—the reason behind the grand preparations for the most prestigious pageant in the country.

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The organization started accepting applicants until February 22, 2022 and went through rounds of online challenges as they were eliminated until there were 32 candidates left to compete for the finals at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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One of the candidates, however—Shawntel Cruz of Benguet—did not make it to the finals despite making it to the top 32 due to medical reasons. That though did not stop the organization from holding a glamorous event.

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The most beautiful night in the country began through a dance number by the top 31 candidates as they were serenaded by Sam Concepcion. Strutting the runway in their Victoria’s Secret—inspired wings, they made their first impact as they introduced themselves.

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What is a most beautiful night without the most gorgeous girls to ever win Miss Universe, hosted the country’s most prestigious pageant Miss Universe 2015, Philippines’ very own Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2016, Iris Mittenaere of France, and Miss Universe 2017, Demi Leigh Tebow all hosted the event. The ever-gorgeous current Miss Universe 2021, Harnaaz Sandhu of India is also present as a judge.

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As the competition became fiercer, the swimsuit segment made the event hotter than ever. The top 16 semi-finalists were announced and shortly after, they filled the arena with oozing hotness as they strutted their two-piece violet swimsuits.

 

Right before the most-awaited evening gown competition, the reigning Miss Universe Philippines, Bea Luigi Gomez, made sure to leave a legacy in the pageant’s history. For the first time ever, a reigning queen wore an all-black suit as her final gown.

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Of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without the most extravagant evening gown competition. Each candidate stunned their way to the judges and to the crowd as they left the audience in awe with their stunning walks and gowns.

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Even if all the candidates stunned the judges with their elegant walks, only ten girls could make the next cut. These ten were announced shortly after the evening gown segment—they even had a quick chit chat with Pia. 

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The top 5 candidates then showed their eloquence as they made it through the Q and A segment. It was indeed a tough decision for the judges because each candidate made sure to leave the audience's jaws hanging in awe.

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The highlight of the event is remarkably Morissette’s performance of “Power” as all the candidates make their final walks as well as the three queen hosts—Pia, Iris, and Demi. Miss Universe Philippines reigning queen Bea Luigi Gomez and reigning Miss Universe 2022 Harnaaz Sandhu also made their statement with Morissette’s powerful singing. Indeed an iconic moment!

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32 gorgeous ladies but only one shall bring home the crown. The candidate that made the most impact—frontrunner Celeste Cortesi made sure to bring home the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 crown. From the preliminaries to the finals—she definitely was made to be the queen of the night!

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Michelle Marquez Dee of Makati was crowned Miss Universe Tourism, Bohol’s representative Pauline Amelyncx was crowned Miss Universe Charity while Miss Miami’s Oriental, Anabelle Mcdonelle, and Katrina Llegado of Taguig were crowned 1st and 2nd runners up respectively.