Miss Earth 2018 is the best edition of the environmental-themed pageant. The 18th edition was an upgrade from all its past editions in terms of concept, execution, stage design, and even the pre-pageant activities and the set of winners. 

Pre-pageant Activities

The Philippines hosted again Miss Earth for the 16th time. Following past editions held in this corner of Southeast Asia, the pre-pageant activities are again both rich and relevant. The 86 delegates toured the archipelago, visited various tourist destinations, and were cheered and welcomed by the locals like true blooded royalties. 

Following the selection process in 2017, the semi-finals were selected by three pre-judging rounds: Beauty and Poise, Figure and Form, and Intelligence. All of these pre-judging rounds were live streamed online, giving fans the opportunities to follow and make their own list of favourites.

The video quality of most of the streams were really not good. The cameras used are not even steady and the panning caused dizziness and pixilation of the video quality. Nonetheless, Miss Earth provided updates to various activities in various locations, so logistics must have been a challenge, so the live streaming’s quality is just passable. 

After all, even the British-owned pageant Miss World has the same quality of live stream. If the bigger and richer pageant like Miss World does it, why criticise Miss Earth for it, right?

What sets apart Miss Earth from its rivals like Miss Universe and Miss World is the amount of pre-pageant activities that keep its contestants busy. They are doing so many things, and every other day there will mini-contests and group sub-competitions. 

While these various events are commendable for making the month-long pageant memorable for all the delegates, MEO should rethink to scale down the number of these events to avoid fatigue among the girls. This year, Miss Cyprus was hospitalised before the finals night and Miss Venezuela collapsed backstage just before the announcement of the Top 4.

MEO should also give ample time for the girls to rest and relax to avoid the same incidents in the near future. 

Stage Design

The 2018 stage is without a doubt the best ever design that Miss Earth did. The stage design was both aesthetically or visually stunning and also relevant to the pageant’s cause. 

Pageants are increasingly utilising LED screens for their stages. Now, it’s easy for pageants to create visually stunning stages with the use of LED screens and amazing visual effects. However, a decade of LED technology and pageant stages have now become some sort of generic. 

With Miss Earth’s incorporation of recycled materials vis-a-vis clever lighting and strategically positioned LED screens. The result was a fantasy-inspired stage with an elegant effect on the television screens. 

Opening Number

The Miss Earth’s opening dance was really one of the most exciting portion of the pageant. Miss Earth has pioneered the concept of having the girls do “full blown” dance numbers, showcasing their dancing prowess. Still a top favourite was the 2011 edition.

But this year, the girls walked on stage per continent and had a pre-recorded introduction of their goddess name and country. While it was not as energetic and electrifying as the previous editions, the execution was excellent and the concluding dance steps of the opening number was a delight to see.

This year’s camera execution gave the stage an airy and spacious appearance. The girls looked stunning and their dance was both sensual and elegant.

Final Competition

The unique format of Miss Earth which was started last year continued in 2018. I love this innovation because it gives Miss Earth its very own identity. As the Top 16 were called, they were already being judged on Beauty and Poise criteria. Afterward, the Top 8 were announced and the contestants were then judged on Figure & Form. 

Finally, Miss Earth is no longer similar to Miss Universe. Now, it can be safely said that Miss Earth has shed off its initial Miss Universe format similarity and the pageant can now stand with the two oldest and biggest pageants as one of the original pageant formats.

Elemental Winners

This year’s four elemental queens are one of the strongest sets that Miss Earth had. All of them answered the question excellently, and no one actually faltered. Austria, Mexico, Colombia, and Vietnam are all complete packages and anyone could be a great choice for the crown. 

During the Final Question, their answers were all on point and their delivery were truly commendable. The judges really did a great job of selecting from the Top 8 the potential four to become the next Miss Earth.

Vietnam won their first ever Miss Earth crown, 8 years after the country hosted the Miss Earth pageant. She has the makings of a great environmental ambassador. She’s stunning, smart, and a very sweet and likeable demeanour.

Conclusion

Miss Earth 2018 is definitely a very entertaining pageant. The final show was excellently executed and the musical number was an internationally recognised artist, Grammy nominated singer Brian McKnight no less.

Definitely, Miss Earth has come a long way. The pageant had come past its shaky 2012 and 2013 editions which were heavily criticised for the execution of what could have been a great concept. But these editions obviously failed to measure up to fans high standards.

But the 2018 editions is without any argue an excellent edition which can easily rival that of Miss World, which has become some sort of awarding ceremony. 

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