MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos have long been fascinated by pageants, and the coronation of Miss Universe 2016 on Monday, January 30, was expectedly a hot topic here in the country.
Miss Universe 2015, the Philippines’ own Pia Wurtzbach, ended her reign and passed on the crown to Miss France Iris Mittenaere. Miss Haiti Raquel Pelissier was first runner-up, while Miss Colombia Andrea Tovar was second runner-up.
As always, the pageant was a roller coaster of emotions – happiness, excitement, sadness, disappointment, and even anger filled social media as netizens watched the pageant unfold.
Check out the highlights on social media below.
Funny intros
The #MissUniverse hashtag trended immediately, getting hundreds of thousands of tweets even before the show started.
As usual, Filipinos found a way to inject humor into their social media posts. The hashtag #RhymingIntroForMissU trended in the Philippines as people suggested funny ways for candidates to introduce themselves.
Netizens were also keen on making their favorite candidates trend, and some of these candidates trended worldwide.
Among them was Miss Thailand Chalita Suansane, the winner of the fan vote, who was clearly very popular based on the tweets about her.
Miss Thailand – Curated tweets by donkevinhapal
The same goes for Brazil’s Raissa Santana, who was also trending throughout the pageant.
And, of course, Filipinos showed all-out support for their bet, Maxine Medina.
Maxine’s answer
Maxine’s answer during the Q&A portion, however, drew some negative reactions. She had opted to answer in English instead of relying on her interpreter – a topic of debate in recent weeks leading up to the pageant. Some believe her answer ultimately hurt her chances of advancing to the Top 3.
Maxine Interpreter – Curated tweets by donkevinhapal
But even though Maxine didn’t make it to the Top 3, her fans are still proud of her.
Where’s Miss Venezuela?
Earlier, too, netizens were shocked that Miss Venezuela Mariam Habach wasn’t included in the Top 13. She had been considered a frontrunner.
People were quick to react on social media, with some even saying that the competition was “rigged.”
Everybody is sad because maxine didn't make it to the top 3 while I'm here still hung up on why miss Venezuela didn't even make it to top 13
— Virgilio Manantan II (@popoymanantan) January 30, 2017
The saddest part of #MissUniverse venezuela didnt make it to top 13 why o why she is a total package.
This Miss Universe is lowkey rigged what happened with Venezuela tho I MEAN she looked good
Top 3 candidates
As the pageant was nearing completion, the excitement was high on Twitter with all 3 candidates trending worldwide.
Miss France’s translator also received flak on social media for allegedly mistranslating her answer during the last Q&A.
French Translation – Curated tweets by donkevinhapal
Despite this, Miss France went on to win the crown. Congratulatory messages poured in for the first European Miss Universe after more than a decade.
But, as expected in a tight competition, many felt Miss Haiti should’ve won.
Should have been haiti – Curated tweets by donkevinhapal
Goodbye, Queen P
The coronation also wouldn’t be complete without a tribute to Pia. The “confidently beautiful” queen was hailed as a great inspiration for women and all Filipinos.
No announcement gaffe
This year’s pageant, thankfully, was error-free during the announcement portion. In the previous edition, pageant host Steve Harvey had wrongly announced Miss Colombia as the 2015 winner – a gaffe that made headlines worldwide. Now, people said Steve redeemed himself.
Steve Harvey – Curated tweets by donkevinhapal
Did we miss a social media highlight? Tell us about it in the comments! – Don Kevin Hapal / Rappler.com
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