Miss Chinese International 2018

[samuel]

The pageant will be held this Saturday! Time really flies. A lot has happened leading up to this year's pageant. Multiple contestants in regional competitions withdrew, e.g. 2 contestants in Miss Chinese Australia. Some fans considered them to be front-runners.

For a first in MCI history, TWO first-runner ups will be competing in Hong Kong. They were not the original winners of their regional pageants but received the chance to compete. Astro decided to send the first-runner up instead of the winner (who many considered to be a front-runner). Montreal withdrew because of studies and the first-runner up received the honor to represent Montreal. She previously competed at Miss Chinese Toronto 2016 but was unplaced.

Bangkok withdrew for the first time since 1989 (which is quite a pity) and Auckland withdrew for the first time since 2006! Both cities have been competing at MCI for a long time and is quite surprising that they are not represented this year. Johannesburg has withdrew despite competing for the past 2 years.

Instead, 2 cities make a great return to MCI - Hawaii returns since 2002 and Tahiti since 2010! Laos is also debuting at this year's pageant.

Sixteen contestants are confirmed this year and low participation rates seem to be the norm nowadays. Hopefully more cities return in the future, e.g. Auckland, Bangkok, Seattle, Chicago, Europe, Peru, and more

[samuel]

In terms of this year's contestants, I think this is the most non-competitive year since 2013! Many fans are noting about how various cities have crowned their least impressive winners in recent years.

I do have to say there are not a lot of standouts this year and their interview and performance during the final night will be more important than ever!
I have a lot of darkhorses and I expect a lot of surprises on Saturday. Here is my initial thoughts of the girls:

1. Foshan - She has one of the prettier faces this year. With a great performance, it is possible but her sash is not as strong as the other cities. Mainland China has only placed once in the top 3 and she will need to break that.

2. Hawaii - Many criticized her for her weight initially. I think she has one of the striking faces this year. Her height will also get her noticed and she seems to be quite friendly. Darkhorse.

3. Hong Kong - She received a lot of criticism initially for her persona and looks. While she wasn't my personal pick to win MSHK, she proves that she can put on a good performance. She has the figure, height, and confidence and in a non-competitive year, she will be among the top picks.

4. Kuala Lumpur - Many said she has a great talent and stage presence at Miss Astro. Many think she is not as facially strong as her predecessors but in a non-competitive year, it is possible.

5. Laos - A surprise debut this year, she has one of the prettiest faces but will need to overcome the language barrier. She doesn't speak Chinese and her English is not too good.

6. Los Angeles - She seems to have a good educational background but LA has not placed in the top 3 since 2000 and I don't think she'll receive adequate training. We'll see how she does.

7. Manila - The city has sent another winner that speak Chinese! I think that's her main advantage and it's great to see cities like Manila/Tahiti sending girls that can speak Chinese! Maybe Bangkok will send it's first Chinese speaking rep. someday?

8. Melbourne - The city is represented by the winner of Miss Chinese Australia after her predecessors represented Sydney for the past 3 years. She has one of the prettier faces but I don't feel it yet. We'll see how she does.

9. Montreal - Many didn't favor her after the original winner withdrew. But, I think she is a darkhorse. She speaks Cantonese and was a former Miss Chinese Toronto veteran so with a good performance, she can make it to top 5.

10. New York - One of the press favorites alongside Hong Kong and Vancouver. She has won 3 pageants already, one of them being Miss Chinatown USA. She has the facial beauty, experience, resume, talent, and fan support so she seems to be the one to beat. The only thing that will work against her is the reigning titleholder is from New York. Can she make it a back-to-back win since Vancouver did in 2005? New York has been an impressive streak since 2014 - with 1 winner, 2 runner ups, and one top 5 placement and will likely place high again.

11. San Francisco - Her main advantage is speaking Cantonese. With a great interview, making the top 5 is possible.

12. Singapore - She seems to have a great personality and looked great in the Tai O outdoor shooting.

13. Sydney - The organizers has great relations with TVB and Sydney has done well in recent years. I'm not sure if their top 5 streak will continue though.

14. Tahiti - She is the sister of Miss Tahiti 2010. She speaks Cantonese and that's quite rare for this French Territory.

15. Toronto - There were a number of great contestants she beat out to win Miss Chinese Toronto. She speaks Cantonese and is trained by Fairchild so I expect her to make top 10 (if there is). But, the city has been overshadowed by Vancouver's success since the 2000s and has not done very well in recent years. The city has actually made the top 5 only ONCE since 2010 and it's surprising given their historical record at MCI (3 winners and beautiful winners in 2002-2010). We'll see if she can overcome this.

16. Vancouver - She has a great personality and is favored for looking like past MCI winners - Michelle Ye and Linda Chung. She speaks Cantonese and seems to be the type TVB likes to promote. I wouldn't be surprised if Vancouver wins again (8th winner if it does happen) alt. I think the one with the best performance should win. I have her as a favorite to win.

Final predictions will be posted hopefully sometime soon. Good luck to everybody!

P.S. It's reported that opening lives (receiving more hearts?) on TVB's Big Big Channel App will affect their final scores. Hopefully TVB can announce how such is scored if this rumor is true.

[samuel]

Miss Friendship will be elected hours from now! This award is hard to predict as only the girls know who is the friendliest. But, I came up with a shortlist and have 14. Tahiti winning this award followed by 7. Manila, 2. Hawaii, and 12. Singapore following behind.

Will one of this four girls win? Or will somebody else? We’ll know hours from now!

[samuel]

As TVB decided to change the judging format once again (from a panel of 5 judges last year to two panel of artistes), I will need more time evaluate and come up with the Predictions.

However, I think Vancouver’s chances has increased due to this new format. San Francisco is also one to look out for as she received the Most Liked By Live Audience award (aka Best Talent) at an event yesterday.

[samuel]

It’s time! The finals will be held tonight in HK after Kuala Lumpur hosted it last year. With a batch of underwhelming ladies (some considering it to be one of the weakest years in history), this year is quite interesting as possibilities are endless. Some favorites faulted while others floriushed and the unpredictability of the results will make this a nail-biter. After much consideration, here are my final predictions for Miss Chinese International 2018:

Winner: 10. New York
First-Runner Up: 3. Hong Kong
Second-Runner Up: 2. Hawaii
Top 5 Finalists: 16. Vancouver and 15. Toronto
Top 10 Semifinalists: 8. Melbourne, 11. San Francisco, 5. Laos, 6. Los Angeles, and 1. Foshan

Already announced:
Miss Friendship: 2. Hawaii

Before the Pageant started, it seemed like New York will win the title with not much difficulty - she has won 3 pageants already and has a lot of experience. She was a press favorite before losing some momentum and being overshadowed by Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Vancouver right now. With the panel of nine female judges, it seems uncertain if she can pull it off. And, the reigning winner (Stitch Yu) hails from New York so back-to-back seems to be an uphill climb. However, Rose has been under pressure before - she actually won back-to-back for Houston at Miss Chinatown USA. Let’s not forget Vancouver did it twice in 2002 and 2005 so why not this time? In a relatively weak year (I hate saying that but..), she is the most prepared and experienced and with the majority of judges being pageant veterans, they will notice New York’s hard work.

Juliette won Miss Hong Kong with a lot of controversy but there’s no denying that she looks fierce. She has one of the best bodies in MCI history and has a lot of stage presence and the media favors her as well. In a stronger year, she may not be as highly favored but with the panel of TVB artistes and field of contestants this year, things are working in her favor

Hawaii is the most pleasant surprise this year! After going on a hiatus for 16 years, the city sends arguably their strongest rep. in MCI history. Hawaii wasn’t expected to be represented this year and hence fans were pleasantly surprised to see her. Her height and busty figure drew a lot of press attention. With the momentum going her way, it is possible to see her win but I’m not sure if the female judges will like her voluptuous figure. And - Miss Friendship has never won before but has placed second and third and so I placed her here.

With her good looks, Vancouver was the major favorite to win up until yesterday’s swimsuit rehearsals. Her legs was criticized and with her hip-hop dance not being as entertaining as the other talents, she fell off my top three. But, she has one of the most down-to-earth personalities and fadan looks; if the judges like that, she can be up here. A lot of judges have Vancouver roots and hence I see her making past two elimination rounds.

Toronto wasn’t really on my radar up until yesterday. She suddenly starting getting media attention and is now listed as a top 3 favorite. This drew some similarities to past years, e.g. Gloria Tang in 2013 (who became a favorite one day before finals) and Linda Chung in 2004. I consider her to be one of the stronger Cantonese speaking girls so she can pull a surprise. The city has not made the top 3 since Candy Chang in 2010 and their recent winners have been underwhelming so let’s see if she can do it.

Melbourne is a fan favorite but I don’t quite see it, San Francisco may make top 3 if she has the opportunity to perform her talent, Laos, Los Angeles, and Foshan have one of prettiest faces this year.

I wouldn’t be surprised if any one of the 16 girls make top 10 as they all seemed prepared to compete. May the best girl win!

P.S. Foshan and New York share the same Chinese name so it will be interesting if both make it and I’m glad Karl Ting is part of the “Glamorous Panel of Judges” this year. Their scores will not count, only the “Diamond Panel of Judges” determine the final results.

[samuel]

Edited the last post as I forgot to put in the top 10’s numbers 😅

[samuel]

It’s time! The finals will be held tonight in HK after Kuala Lumpur hosted it last year. With a batch of underwhelming ladies (some considering it to be one of the weakest years in history), this year is quite interesting as possibilities are endless. Some favorites faulted while others floriushed and the unpredictability of the results will make this a nail-biter. After much consideration, here are my final predictions for Miss Chinese International 2018:

Winner: 10. New York
First-Runner Up: 3. Hong Kong
Second-Runner Up: 2. Hawaii
Top 5 Finalists: 16. Vancouver and 15. Toronto
Top 10 Semifinalists: 8. Melbourne, 11. San Francisco, 5. Laos, 6. Los Angeles, and 1. Foshan

Already announced:
Miss Friendship: 2. Hawaii

Before the Pageant started, it seemed like New York will win the title with not much difficulty - she has won 3 pageants already and has a lot of experience. She was a press favorite before losing some momentum and being overshadowed by Hawaii, Hong Kong, and Vancouver right now. With the panel of nine female judges, it seems uncertain if she can pull it off. And, the reigning winner (Stitch Yu) hails from New York so back-to-back seems to be an uphill climb. However, Rose has been under pressure before - she actually won back-to-back for Houston at Miss Chinatown USA. Let’s not forget Vancouver did it twice in 2002 and 2005 so why not this time? In a relatively weak year (I hate saying that but..), she is the most prepared and experienced and with the majority of judges being pageant veterans, they will notice New York’s hard work.

Juliette won Miss Hong Kong with a lot of controversy but there’s no denying that she looks fierce. She has one of the best bodies in MCI history and has a lot of stage presence and the media favors her as well. In a stronger year, she may not be as highly favored but with the panel of TVB artistes and field of contestants this year, things are working in her favor

Hawaii is the most pleasant surprise this year! After going on a hiatus for 16 years, the city sends arguably their strongest rep. in MCI history. Hawaii wasn’t expected to be represented this year and hence fans were pleasantly surprised to see her. Her height and busty figure drew a lot of press attention. With the momentum going her way, it is possible to see her win but I’m not sure if the female judges will like her voluptuous figure. And - Miss Friendship has never won before but has placed second and third and so I placed her here.

With her good looks, Vancouver was the major favorite to win up until yesterday’s swimsuit rehearsals. Her legs was criticized and with her hip-hop dance not being as entertaining as the other talents, she fell off my top three. But, she has one of the most down-to-earth personalities and fadan looks; if the judges like that, she can be up here. A lot of judges have Vancouver roots and hence I see her making past two elimination rounds.

Toronto wasn’t really on my radar up until yesterday. She suddenly starting getting media attention and is now listed as a top 3 favorite. This drew some similarities to past years, e.g. Gloria Tang in 2013 (who became a favorite one day before finals) and Linda Chung in 2004. I consider her to be one of the stronger Cantonese speaking girls so she can pull a surprise. The city has not made the top 3 since Candy Chang in 2010 and their recent winners have been underwhelming so let’s see if she can do it.

Melbourne is a fan favorite but I don’t quite see it, San Francisco may make top 3 if she has the opportunity to perform her talent, Laos, Los Angeles, and Foshan have one of prettiest faces this year.

I wouldn’t be surprised if any one of the 16 girls make top 10 as they all seemed prepared to compete. May the best girl win!

P.S. Foshan and New York share the same Chinese name so it will be interesting if both make it and I’m glad Karl Ting is part of the “Glamorous Panel of Judges” this year. Their scores will not count, only the “Diamond Panel of Judges” determine the final results.

[samuel]

With the girls departing yesterday and today, the pageant concluded with a consecutive win for New York! Here are some trivia and records:

This is the first time since 2005 where a city has won back-to-back. This is also the third win for New York, equaling the success of Toronto and Sydney which won three titles in 2009 and 2015 respectively.

It is an amazing run for this American city as prior to 2016, NY has only won once (back in 1999) and was 8th in terms of top 3 wins at MCI. Now, it is 3rd place, behind Vancouver with 7 wins and Hong Kong also with 3 wins (but more 1st RU titles - 10). NY has three 1st RU titles.

Los Angeles recorded this first placement since 2013. This is their highest placement, tied with 1999 and 2000 placements - also first runner up. LA is currently the city with the most first runner up titles but no wins. Send us a winner Los Angeles!

Hong Kong records their fifth second runner up placement and it's a consecutive one as well! The top 3 rankings this year were the same as 1999! This has never happened before.

Vancouver and Toronto make the top 5 but did not make the top 3. The last time this has happened was in 2006. It is also the 2nd year in a row where Canada is not represented in the top 3, the last time this has happened is way back in 1996! Canada is indeed a dominant force at MCI and recorded many wins in the late 90s-2010s, but Montreal and Toronto have not performed as well as they did in the past. We'll see if they come back strong next year. An interesting trend for Vancouver is that since 2005, their performance is like a roller coaster, after a win, the city performs not as well the following year, and then they gradually work their way up to another future win. This seems to be the case again after 2016's win, so we should look out for Vancouver next year. Their 3 year pattern of wins is still intact - 2010, 2013, 2016 - so let's see if Fairchild can find another winner.

Toronto returns to the top 5 for the first time since 2013 but has not placed in the top 3 since 2010. Will Fairchild find the right girl this year? There were a lot of promising girls last year but Tiffany won and took many fans by surprise. But, after watching her performance at MCI, I can see why she won Toronto. She was poised and articulate and likely won in interview.

The reason why I placed both Canadian cities in the top 5 was that I thought both had potential to do well (which they did) but had not as strong talents. It seems like talent is becoming more and more important now.

Foshan and Manila recorded their first consecutive top 10 placements ever. San Francisco places in the top 10 for the second year in a row as well. The last time this has happened was back in 1992-1993, when the city performed quite well at the pageant.

Singapore places for the first time since 2014 and in the top 10 since Cheryl Wee placed as 1st RU in 2012.

Hawaii, a city that has not sent a rep. since 2001, wins Miss Friendship and makes top 10. The last time Hawaii competed was in 2002 when Marjorie Wu also won Miss Friendship! Coincidentally, both ladies were the recipients of the Miss Friendship title at Miss Chinatown Hawaii. Crystal also made the top 10 and ended a non-placement drought since the city last placed back in 1995! Crystal definitely would've made top 5 had she not dropped the microphone. She also gave a slightly weaker interview. She had the figure, height, and stage presence and I would consider her to be the strongest reps. Hawaii has sent.

This seems to be a handful already, more commentary to come in the later days.

[samuel]

I would add though, the results were good given the performances witnessed although many were surprised that Los Angeles placed so high. I thought she didn't stood out particularly in any segment - I liked her angel costume though.
She seemed demure and had a sweet aura and likely stood out in a year where most ladies were fierce and confident. Angela also has one of the prettiest faces in the pageant.

It seems like a good decision to choose pageant winners as judges because they have experience before; they know which ladies prepared the hardest and what to look for in a winner.

Congratulations to all the contestants, more commentary to come later.