Miss Grand International announces new fifth runner-up, braces amid controversies


Miss Grand Philippines Roberta Tamondong has been officially announced by the MGI organization as the new Miss Grand International 2022 fifth runner-up.

The 20-year-old environmental awareness advocate was part of the Top 20 semi-finalists during the Miss Grand International 2022 final competition in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 25. She replaced the "Miss Popular Vote" winner and Top 10 finalist Yuvna Rinishta of Mauritius, who refused to sign a contract and resigned due to personal reasons.

Roberta seemed to have accepted the replacement offer after posting the announcement on her social media and changing her bio. She is now expected to join the rest of the Top 10 in Bangkok, Thailand to assume the duties and responsibilities that come with her new position and also be part of the pageant's 10th-year anniversary world tour.

Amid the announcement, MGI has been receiving backlash from Vietnamese and Filipino fans calling the competition a "cooking show" and has also been the subject of criticism from the pageant community due to the "unnecessary" and "provoking" video graphics showing MGI crushing MU which appeared during the final show's broadcast.

MGI President Nawat Itsaragrisil, who was also slammed for "body shaming" the Vietnamese representative, defended his 10-year-old "grand the one and only" international beauty competition that boasts undeniable glossy and spectacular production and asserted it is not at all rigged and unfair. He also revealed the controversial video was only a retaliation for the Miss Universe lawsuit against MGI years ago and at the same time called out former Miss Universe Leila Lopes of Angola for publicly labeling his pageant a "circus" show.

As of this writing, MGI followers' count on Instagram appears to have dropped down to 4.1 million after significantly losing over 2 million followers in less than a week. The Miss Universe Organization has on its part remained unbothered and just celebrated reaching over 5 million followers, and announcing a new owner who also happens to be based in Thailand.

In case you missed it, here's the controversial video:

Photos: Miss Grand International

RELATED POSTS:



Popular posts from this blog

Miss Belgium 2025 is Karen Jansen of Limburg

Image
Karen Jansen, representing the Dutch province of Limburg, was crowned Miss Belgium 2025 on Saturday, February 15 in De Panne. The 23-year-old psychology student and freelance model from Lommel bested more than 30 other contestants to win the national competition. She succeeds last year's winner, Kenza Ameloot. Jane Baesen and Astrid Lafaut were named the first and second runners-up, respectively. Axana Carmoy and Kiana Verstraete were the other runners-up. The new Miss Belgium is now expected to represent "The Land of Waffles and Fries" at the Miss Universe 2025 pageant in Thailand this November. Road to the 74th Miss Universe: View this post on Instagram A post shared by MISS BELGIUM ORGANISATION (@missbelgium_official) Photos: Miss Belgium Organization
Read more

72nd Miss World final date and host country announced

Image
The Miss World organization has officially announced the final date and host country of the 72nd Miss World competition. According to MWO, this year's competition will last 28 days, from May 4 to May 31 in India. It will be held at various destinations in Telangana, a state with a rich legacy and modern vibe. The opening and closing ceremonies, including the final show, will take place in the state's capital city of Hyderabad. India's youngest state, Telangana, has made rapid strides and giant leaps in its first decade of existence. Its reputation for safety, tourist friendliness, and thriving international ecosystem make it an ideal destination for tourists from India and around the globe. "We are delighted to bring the 72nd Miss World Festival to Telangana, a state that beautifully represents its rich culture, innovation, and hospitality. Partnering with the Telangana government allows us to showcase its incredible heritage and dynamic growth to a global audience,...
Read more

Miss Universe Brazil 2025 is Maria Gabriela Lacerda

Image
Maria Gabriela Lacerda, representing the state of Piau铆, was crowned Miss Universe Brazil 2025 on Thursday, February 13 in Alphaville, S茫o Paulo. The 22-year-old journalist bested 23 other contestants to win the beauty title. She received her crown from Brazil's first Miss Universe winner, Miss Universe 1963 Ieda Maria Vargas. Aline Fritsch of Rio Grande do Sul and Ana Carolina Ceolin Com茅rio of Esp铆rito Santo were the first and second runners-up, respectively. "This crown is ours, my Piau铆. Let's go together to the Universe," the new Miss Universe Brazil shared online following her victory. Maria Gabriela previously placed first runner-up when she joined the national pageant in 2021. She will now prepare to represent Brazil at Miss Universe 2025 in Thailand this November. Road to the 74th Miss Universe: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maria Gabriela (@mariagabriela_lacerda) Photos: Maria Gabriela Lacerda / Instagram
Read more

Miss Universe 2025: Thailand to host the 74th Miss Universe pageant

Image
Thailand has been officially announced as the host country for the Miss Universe 2025 competition. The Miss Universe Organization unveiled the ultimate destination for the 74th Miss Universe pageant at a press conference in New York City. Before the exciting announcement, several countries were mentioned as possible hosts including Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Spain, South Africa, Nigeria, and the Philippines. Thailand will host the prestigious pageant for the fourth time. The last time was in 2018 when the iconic Catriona Gray of the Philippines emerged as the winner. Located in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula, Thailand, which was formerly known as Siam until 1939, is officially called the Kingdom of Thailand. Often referred to as "The Land of Smiles," Thailand earns this nickname due to the warm and welcoming attitude of its people, the significance of smiles in their culture, and the various cultural traditions and festivals that foster a strong sense of...
Read more

Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 is Dia Mat茅 of the Philippines

Image
Dia Mat茅 of the Philippines was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana 2025 on Sunday, February 9 at the Sal贸n Sirion贸, Fexpocruz in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Cavite became the second Filipina to win the international pageant next to Teresita Ssen Marquez who won in 2017. She also bagged the Best in National Costume award. Her costume "Banaag" by Ehrran Montoya was inspired by her country's baroque churches recognized in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Sofia F茅rnandez of Venezuela was named Virreina while Sharon Gamara of Colombia, Carolina Barroso of Spain, Nikita Palma of Peru, Julia de Castro of Brazil, and Zuzanna Balonek of Poland were the runners-up. Completing the Top 12 were Estefan铆a Ibarra of Bolivia, Catalina Murillo of Costa Rica, Dagmar Prieto of Ecuador, Elizabeth Blanco of Guatemala, and Daniela Cardona of Mexico. This year's competition marked the 33rd edition of the annual Reina Hispanoamericana pageant. M...
Read more

Mr World 2024: Meet the Top 12 finalists of the Top Model competition

Image
The Mr World 2024 Top Model competition was held during the Vietnam Beauty Fashion Fest on Saturday, November 9 at the spectacular Villa Blanche in Vung Tau, Vietnam. Over 50 contestants vying for this year's title walked the runway wearing creations by talented local designers and outfits they prepared specially for the challenge. The fast-track event culminated with the announcement of the Top 12 finalists: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mr World (@mrworld.official) Italy - Bruno Barbieri Northern Ireland - James Moody Spain - Antonio Company China - Wei Zihong India - Gokul Ganesan Philippines - Kirk Bondad T眉rkiye - Ege Karabenli Vietnam - Pham Tuan Ngoc Kenya - Teddy Rossiter Colombia - Juan Esteban Rodriguez Mexico - Alan Salazar Venezuela - Juan Alberto Garcia The winner of the Top Model competition, to be announced during the final in Phan Thiet this November 23, will automatically advance to the Top 20. Photos: Mr World / Instagram
Read more

Miss Venezuela 2022: Meet the 24 official contestants

Image
The highly anticipated official presentation of the 24 contestants vying for Miss Venezuela 2022 took place on Saturday, November 10 in Caracas. Hosted by "Súper Sábado Sensacional" presenter Henrys Silva, the special show aired on Venevisi贸n with simultaneous live streaming on missvenezuela.tv . The reigning queens, Miss Venezuela 2021 Amanda Dudamel, Miss Venezuela World 2021 Ariagny Daboin, and Miss International Venezuela 2020 Isbel Parra were also present for the sashing ceremony. Miss Venezuela 2022 final night will be held on Thursday, November 16 at Poliedro de Caracas. As usual, the winners are expected to compete in Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International 2023 pageants. Here are the 24 finalists representing the regions and states of Venezuela: Miss Amazonas - Katheryne Bello Miss Anzo谩tegui - Mari谩ngel Tovar Miss Apure - Luisana Siso Miss Aragua - Jessica Alaimo Miss Barinas - Jenyfeer Baudin Miss Bol铆var - Ana Elena Erazo Miss Carabobo - Lorena ...
Read more

Miss Connecticut USA 2025 is Jenna Hofmann

Image
Miss Fairfield USA Jenna Hofmann was crowned Miss Connecticut USA 2025 on Sunday, January 26 at the Marriott Hartford Windsor Airport in Windsor, Connecticut. The 23-year-old real estate professional, originally from New York, will now prepare to represent Connecticut at the Miss USA 2025 pageant. She succeeds last year's winner Shavana Clarke. Amber Corbett (Fairfield County) was named first runner-up while Samantha Labonne (Southbury), Christina Judd (New Haven County), and Samantha Sarelli (Westport) were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jenna Hofmann (@jennahofmann) The new Miss Connecticut USA is a communications graduate of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. She is no stranger to pageantry, having previously competed in Miss New York USA and Miss New York Teen USA and finishing second runner-up in last year's Miss Connecticut USA pageant. Also crowned on Sunday was Mi...
Read more

Miss Universe Hungary 2021 is J谩zmin Vikt贸ria Elizabeth

Image
J谩zmin Vikt贸ria Elizabeth was crowned Miss Universe Hungary 2021 in a special event held at Gigi's Budapest on Saturday, November 6. The 20-year-old model and student from Budapest bested 13 other beauties to win her national title. She will now prepare to represent Hungary at the 70th Miss Universe pageant in Eilat, Israel this December. Edina Maronka and Nina Tobias were the first and second runners-up, respectively. "I’m beyond blessed and honored that I will represent Hungary," the new Miss Universe Hungary shared on her social media account. "Everything happened so fast so it’ll definitely take time for me to process what happened," she added. The last time Hungary joined Miss Universe was in 2018 with Enik艖 Kecsk猫s, who placed in the Top 20, before taking a two-year hiatus from the competition. Hungary's highest placement at the Miss Universe pageant was Top 10 with 脕gnes Konkoly in 2012. Photos: J谩zmin Vikt贸ria Elizabeth / Instagram
Read more

The Miss Globe 2024 is Diana Moreno from Colombia

Image
Colombia's Diana Moreno was crowned The Miss Globe 2024 in a glittering competition held on Tuesday, October 15 at the Tirana Olympic Park in Albania. The 27-year-old international business professional bested over 40 competitors to win the global title. She made history as the first Colombian woman to become The Miss Globe. Prada Thansita Dilhokanansa of Thailand was named first runner-up while Jasmin Bungay of the Philippines, Andromeda Schuster of Germany, and Ha Trang Do of Vietnam were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. The contestants from Italy, Cameroon, Belgium, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Albania, Montenegro, and the USA were the rest of the Top 16 semifinalists. This year's competition marked the 21st edition of the annual The Miss Globe pageant. Last year's winner from Malaysia, Manvin Khera, crowned her successor at the end of the event. The new "The Miss Globe" winner hails from Barbosa in the northea...
Read more