Miss World 2017 Telecast Review: Miss World's Identity Crisis
The 67th edition of Miss World concluded on November 18th at the Sanya City Arena with the crowning of Manushi Chhillar from India as the 2017 title holder. Global Beauties' Andre Sleigh was there and in the coming days he will share his experiences about what happened behind the scenes during his time at the competition. For now, here is the conclusion of his final telecast review:
SIGNS OF REJUVENATION
- YET FACING AN IDENTITY CRISIS
TOP 5 ANNOUNCEMENT
The top 5 announcement was pretty standard. Nothing new, nothing excitement. The pace was a a bit slow for me. It almost felt at this point that Miss World had run out of steam. The pauses were too long and the announcement could have been done with a bit more energy. Speaking to the families was a nice touch but was there only one family present?
FINAL QUESTION
The questions were recycled as they were taken from the Head to Head Challenge Rounds. I thought the questions this year were better than in past years, so I kind of like that they used these questions, but fairness can also be questioned. India, for example, repeated Sri Lanka's answer which was shown earlier in the show. The music that was used in this segment added to the drama and suspense, so that brought a bit of excitement. My big question: Why wasn't there translators? Were France and Mexico disadvantaged because they couldn't answer in their mother tongues?
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: KRISTIAN KOSTOV
Eurovision fans will most certainly disagree with me, but I was not jumping for joy about this musical act. Is this the best and most current that Miss World can do? As an audience member, I was on my phone... however, having to watch it for this review, I do have to say that at least the song is current and it wasn't too bad. It was the most current performance of the night and it was great that the brought all the girls on stage one last time.
MISS WORLD 2016'S FINAL WALK
Some of the farewell's of past years have been very sloppy and rushed, so I felt Stephanie got a great send-off. Interviewing her mom was a nice touch. Stephanie looked incredible during her final walk in probably one of the most memorable gowns ever.
CROWNING
Miss World's crowning has always been spectacular. It's regal, royal and very dignified - a coronation fitting for a queen. I would not change anything about it. I have always (and probably always will) loved it.
SUMMARY:
While we recognise and commend the efforts made by the Miss World Organisation, we have to admit that the mission towards modernising the telecast is far from over. This year, with the generous support of the sponsors and some innovative thinking from the producers, the first part of the show improved. The problem is that it seemed like we were watching two shows, or perhaps even several shows, which leaves us with some questions. Who are you, Miss World? Who do you want to be? You can't most definitely can't be everything. You can't be an exciting pageant and a variety show. You can't be a thrilling competition and a tearjerker. You can't try to please a newer, younger market and please senior citizens. It's time to make some tough decisions. The viewing public wants, no they demand ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. It's time to revamp with the future in mind. You are on the right track, but it's time to crank it up a few notches and bring the whole show into the 21st century.