Miss Supranational 2018 Review

The 10th edition of Miss Supranational took place in Krynica-Zdroj, Poland on December 7th. 72 young beauties competed for the title, which was won by Valeria Vazquez Latorre from Puerto Rico. With her win, she became the first winner from her territory and the Caribbean to capture this title. Puerto Rico also made history by becoming first to capture all the Grand Slam titles.

Global Beauties Review of Final Telecast:

Stage: Miss Supranational is known for spectacular stages and this year they did not disappoint. The stage looked incredible and the graphics were amazing. Year after year they deliver in this area and we have to commend them for that.

Opening Number: It was great to see the pageant start with a nice opening number. Could it have been more dynamic? For sure, but we also feel that the camera work did not do the choreography justice. The director could have tried to capture it better. Also, a bit more could have been done with the start of the show? Why not show a montage of some of the best moments of the past nine editions or the beautiful landscapes of Poland. More drama to build energy, please.

Hosts: A show on Polish television needs a Polish host and the two hosts did a commendable job. They were, however, held back with a rather poor script, which was obviously not written by native speakers. In the future, we expect a more polished script and also some fact checking. There were some very obvious errors, which would certainly have been picked up by pageant fans.

Judges: It was a nice touch to bring the formers back and it was beautiful done. It brought some nostalgia and introduced new viewers to the history of the contest. All the formers that attended were on form and we loved seeing them. Too bad Stephanie Stegman could not make it due to family issues but we were also disappointed that Poland’s only winner so far, Monika Lewczuk, did not make an effort to attend the event. A real queen never fails to support the launch pad of her success. The queens got plenty of time of screen time during the event and that was a classy move from the organization.

National Costume Segment: Some fabulous costumes this year and it was nice that each country got their moment. Perhaps again, there could have been more energy but hats off to Miss Supranational for giving each country represented an opportunity to shine. National organizations invest lots of time, energy and resources into getting their delegates on the international stage. Yes, we can argue that it takes too long to get to the first cut, but the organization is also showing respect to their franchise holders.

Swimsuit Competition: Two high energy songs and a fast paced swimsuit competition made it interesting to watch. The pairings were quite random and didn’t make much sense and once again, the camera work was all over the place. It could have been great if this was well thought out.

Musical Acts: Perhaps entertaining for the Polish audience, but we expect more international flair in the future. Bring back some Supra talent to really make it a Supra show.

VT Material: The inserts showed that Miss Supranational is a fun pageant and it highlighted the Supra Family theme the organizers are promoting. The ten tips inserts could have been done a bit better.

Backstage: The backstage inserts were done well but once again it could have been more dynamic. The online backstage feed was a nice touch, however, it was clear that the host was quite “green”. It was nice to have the former queens speak to the fans who supported them for so many years. Announcing the leaderboards were a great idea, but on a phone? Really? Why could the audience not see them. It would have helped to build more suspense.

Top 25: The announcement was same old, same old? It could be made so much more dynamic and the production team should think out of the box. Announcing 25 can be tedious, so make it more fun by playing with camera angles or making it more suspenseful.

Top 25 Message and Fashion Show: We loved the message that the ladies sent. It helped to give some substance to what has sometimes been called a superficial pageant. We loved the fun photos in on the screen but more could have been done with that. The runway show was fun and unique because not many pageants do that anymore and they should definitely keep this. Perhaps bringing in an international high fashion designer would make it even better.

Top 10: This was the first time we got to hear the ladies speak while they were walking in their stunning dresses and it was a lovely touch. It felt a bit rushed though. Also cutting straight after the parade was over seemed really odd. Perhaps this requires some thought from the organizers.

Top 5: It was really great to get questions from the former title holders and the ladies handled themselves with poise and grace. Mexico had a disadvantage because there was no translator for her. A Grand Slam pageant must have translators available, Miss Supranational!

Final Walk: We were disappointed that Jenny Kim was not given a proper final walk. This is something Miss Supranational must change. The outgoing title deserves more than just a quick walk on stage. Jenny was pure class and showed how sincere and lovely she is.

Crowning Moment: Once again, same old, same old. More could have been done to build suspense and drama. The lights, the camera angles, the energy. It seems like the crowning is just an after thought, but for pageant fans it is what they watch over and over again. Remember, it’s not just a variety concert it is an INTERNATIONAL beauty pageant. And that cheque must go!

Overall, it was a good and entertaining show - one that was filled with nostalgia and innovation. Well done, Miss Supranational and keep pushing your show in the right direction.