MGI 2022: A great Jakarta kick-off for a Grand event!
Miss Grand International candidates, after an exhausting flight delay from Bali, had a free morning to rest on their first day in Jakarta. At 11 am, one by one, the delegates started showing up in the hotel lobby or heading to the saloon to get some assistance to finish their hair and touch up their makeup. Apparently renewed, they began at that moment the second and decisive stage of the Miss Grand International 2022 contest.
Something we always like to point out is that videos and photos rarely manage to convey with full justice, for better or for worse, the true beauty and essence of women who compete for beauty titles of great magnitude. It is only face-to-face that we can really see who is who and, more importantly, who can manage to remain consistent after days of activities and competitions. After some personal observation and conversations with some of them, and with people who have been following the contest since the beginning, something seems to be unanimous: they all get along well, and the atmosphere is in complete harmony.
Then we notice that Miss UK appears with a Minie Mouse hairstyle, radiating good things. Her face, as Rafael Delfin, our judge and editor of Critical Beauty, has properly observed, reminds us of Miss World 2013, Filipina-stunner Megan Young. Miss Angola comes down the stairs wearing a huge red hat and immediately catches the attention of the many local pageant fans who cover the contest for their Instagram accounts. Miss Bolivia, who resembles Italian actress Claudia Cardinale when she was young, walks around serenely and looking good. She is a beautiful candidate still little noticed by the “experts”. We're keeping an eye on her though. Miss Brazil, one of the hot favorites for the title, opens a wide smile when she is told that she won another bouquet of flowers from Indonesian fans. She open a flower shop, with the many bouquets she has received so far! Miss Panama, statuesque and very elegant, joins us and comments that, to her surprise, the activities of Miss Grand International are much more intense than those of Miss Universe. Another participant in a past edition of Miss Universe, the Venezuelan representative suddenly appears and draws much attention: she is stopped by fans for selfies.
Who appears confident and smiling as always, is Miss Grand International 2014, Lees Garcia. She talks to some national directors and is keen to point out that she is proud to be part of this “Grand” family. Garcia opines that the group is strong and that the winner will be the one able to better connect with the judges and organizers of the contest. She reminds them that the contest is not defined only on stage, and that everyone is being watched at all times. “Here every detail counts”, she claims (if you want to truly understand how Miss Grand International works, take note!).
The chaperones begin to rush the candidates, who must head to the bus. Their first visit in Jakarta would be to the obelisk that commemorates the independence of the host country, Indonesia, conquered in 1945.
Meanwhile, in an open area of the Hotel Le Meridien, the structure for the reception gala of the candidates, which was to happen later that night, was being assembled. Not even the heavy late afternoon rain prevents all the details from being taken care of for a reception worthy of royalty for the competitors. Later, during the parade, in ecstasy, the hotel manager would say: “Never in the history of our hotel have we received so many truly beautiful women at the same time!”. He wasn't exaggerating. It is a stunning group.
During the party, which was themed “a touch of gold”, the candidates parade in pairs. Only Miss Peru paraded alone. Miss Philippines was not feeling well and was receiving medical treatment. She is already recovering, we´ve been told this morning. By the way, the Peruvian delegate, perhaps the candidate with the best projection when it comes to the catwalk, once again did not disappoint: she has absolute command of the runway!
Looking at the pairs, we confirmed favorites and noticed several “surprises” (remember what we said at the beginning of this article? In person, a lot changes!).
In the first pair, two candidates that do not necessarily appear on the favorites lists shine: Angola and Argentina. Australia has, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful faces in the contest, she should easily maintain its country's placement tradition In MGI. Not all pairs, however, parade in perfect harmony. Belarus and Belgium, for example, had nearly collided! But in the end, they found their way through. Brazil appears sovereign and exudes elegance in a brilliant purple dress. By her side, is the beautiful and sexy representative of Bolivia, who starts to appear strongly in the competition.
Cambodia is another candidate whose poise and beauty draw attention. She doesn't go unnoticed. The duo formed by the Latinas Colombia and Costa Rica pleases the crowd! Both know how to flirt with the camera and make it clear: they are in the fight for spots in the top 20, with a fair chance. Curacao and the Czech Republic, however, set fire to the runway and demonstrate why they are among the favorites. Curacao has each of her moves calculated and well-executed, clearly standing out! The Czech, meanwhile, is a Latina in the body of a European, an explosive combination when it comes to Miss Grand International.
The Dominican representative is imposing, while Denmark has a beautiful face. More Latins and more Power: Ecuador and El Salvador. The Salvadoran is another candidate that deserves more attention. Her beautiful smile is constant and shows that she is enjoying every moment of this experience. Another gorgeous duo, with distinct beauty styles, is formed by Ghana and Guatemala. Both were extremely well prepared for this contest and have been delivering what is expected here. Honduras shows up on the runway with a lot of presence and attitude, and shortly after, the hometown girl, Miss Indonesia, draws well-deserved applause from her fans: she has been conquering her space among the favorites by merit, in addition to being an excellent hostess.
Miss Jamaica is another very pleasant surprise: she is beautiful and very elegant. Japan, as always very charismatic, also stands out for her very good catwalk. Miss Malaysia has some excellent stage presence, Miss Laos shows us a great sense of style, Mauritius is quite elegant and Mexico has a soft beauty that pleases many. The Netherlands generally does well at MGI, and it looks like this time will be no exception: the Dutch beauty is very pretty. Nigeria is beautiful and walks with great confidence and poise. Pakistan may be coming as a surprise, she has a beautiful face and attracts attention. Panama is not surprising as she stands out as one of the most elegant women of the night. Paraguay is pure charm, she has that special quality, or “it factor”, you cannot buy.
Another candidate who stood out for her beauty was Miss Poland. She walked a little fast, but with the attitude that is expected in this contest. Another big favorite, Miss Puerto Rico oozed elegance: she looked like a Hollywood star on a red carpet! Miss Singapore presented one of the most extraordinary gowns of the night and floated on the catwalk, proving to be one of the most elegant and well-dressed candidates this year. South Africa can once again place in MGI, her face is stunningly beautiful. Spain and Sri Lanka walked in sync and even played around, drawing applause and smiles from those present at the event. The very tall Spanish candidate is very beautiful and is in the fight to get very far in the competition.
Thailand is a doll on the catwalk, another stunner that confirms her status of favorite without much effort. The Turkish delegate exudes self-confidence and has some clear fun on the catwalk! Uganda surprised everyone by entering the catwalk with golden wings, looking like an ebony baroque angel! She paraded alongside Miss Ukraine, who looks confident and resembles actress Jennifer Aniston when she was younger. Miss United Kingdom parades with one of the most beautiful golden dresses of the night and makes a great duo with the American delegate, who also shines on the catwalk. The presentation ends with another duo of strength: Venezuela and Vietnam. While the beautiful Vietnamese runs after the back-to-back title for her country, the Venezuelan beauty queen, a big favorite for the title, delivers a lot of beauty and confident movements that impress the local audience.
After the candidates´ parade, presenter Lees Garcia announces the entry of the current MGI queen, Tienn, who says she is not ready to pass the crown! The president of Miss Grand International, Mr. Nawat Itsaragrisil, talks about the difficulty in choosing a winner among so many spectacular candidates this year. Nawat, we should point out, seems to multiply himself by 10! He is everywhere at the same time, all the time, taking care of details of the event, committed to making everything go the best possible way. At the main table of the evening, we can also find always elegant and smiling Teresa Chaivisut, vice president of Miss Grand International, and Ivan Gunawan, the man responsible for bringing the contest to Indonesia, who has contributed brilliantly to the realization of a historic event.
Many national directors and even misses from other franchises, such as the extraordinary Miss World Czech Republic, Krystina Pyszková, attended the event and applauded everything they saw standing up.
This Jakarta stage of Miss Grand International is off to a good start and the Grand Slam contest which celebrates its tenth edition makes it clear: it represents a revolution in the beauty pageant industry and became a power in a very short time. Imagine what we can expect from the grand finale that will take place on the 25th… We'll be back at any time with more information and opinions.
Misses the show? WATCH IT BY CLICKING HERE. See exclusive videos of all delegates by GB on our Instagram account: @globalbeautiesgrandslam.