Are we setting up Miss Universe Malaysia to lose?

BY CHEW WAN YING, Daily Chilli

Time and again we've seen beauty pageant contestants score in the swimsuit competition, entertain in the talent segment, and stun in the evening wear parade—only to falter at the finish line. That's the moment they emerge from the isolation booth to answer the question, "What would you do to prevent war?"

Instead of answering eloquently about battlefields and patriotism, most times you can see their eyes glaze over, or open wide like a deer caught in headlights as they stare dumbfounded at the host, and then giggle and plead, "Can say in Chinese please?" (Not that we're singling them out.)

But therein lies the problem. Contestants can be flawless and elegant in a beautiful gown, show-off their sexy bodies in an itsy-bitsy bikini, and flash a winning Vaseline smile. But when comes that make-or-break moment—speaking their minds intelligently and wittily—it's truly a nerve-and-soul wrecking moment for them and the audience.

There's a huge reason why the Q&A remains one of the most anticipated moments of any beauty pageant—right after the swimsuit competition.

And as long as the "I want world peace" joke has been making the rounds, Miss Universe has had an admirable history of posing the kind of questions that challenge our perception of these "beauties with no brains"—that they are indeed smart, clever, educated, informed women.

At times the questions have been tough, philosophical ("Who has it easier in life: men or women?"), driven by issues (the death penalty, same-sex marriages, public nudity), thought-provoking ("What is it about fame that makes many people, including you, want to be famous?"), creative ("If a man from the moon landed in your hometown, what would you do to entertain him?"), sweet and a little bizarre ("What makes you blush?").

Carey looks surprised that she beat Natalia for the crown.

May Salitah, Carey and Natalia are your Miss Universe Malaysia 2013 top three.

Carey kissed by second runner-up May Salitah and first runner-up Natalia. On the far left is third runner-up Symren Kaur.

We can only imagine what waits for Carey Ng if she makes the cut at the Miss Universe final next year.

At last week's Miss Universe Malaysia 2013 pageant, the last eight girls were lobbed softball questions that completely avoided national issues or world affairs—except for Symren Kaur who was asked, "What do you think is the biggest problem affecting the youth of Malaysia?" She ended up in fourth place. 

Instead, the finalists got run-of-the-mill questions like, "Why must you win?" to which comedian Douglas Lim answered later in a good-natured dig, "Because losing sucks!"

Other questions included "What makes you the happiest?" and "What would the win mean to you?" to which 23-year-old Carey gave an apparently crown-deserving answer about a "transformation for girls like me who are shy, introverted and lack self-esteem".

Carey does seem to have a good head on her shoulders, as shown at the press meet after the competition. She seems to understand the challenges that come with the Miss Universe Malaysia tiara and sash.

"It's going to be a lot to bear, so I'm going to step it up and channel 100 times more effort than what I put in today to show the best of Malaysian women," she said.

Despite declaring herself a nerd and "the worst" on the runway, Carey, an architecture graduate from KL, pretty much led the competition by winning four titles—Miss Crowning Glory, Miss Social Media Savvy, Miss K-Swim Best Body and the ELV Boditude Award—before beating the other 15 girls to the big prize.

She won RM200,000 in products, services and cash (RM48,000), a monthly salary from the Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation, and a full enrolment scholarship for any subject she chooses at the Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology.

And if for any reason she's unable to fulfil her duties as Miss Universe Malaysia, first and second runners-up Natalie Ng and May Salitah Naru Kiob, both 24, will be in the running to become the next Miss Universe Malaysia 2013.

One person noticeably absent from the final was outgoing MUMO national director Andrea Fonseka, also Miss Malaysia Universe 2004. She's now in Las Vegas with the reigning Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 Kimberley Leggett who's competing against 88 other women for the Miss Universe crown to be decided on Wednesday 19th December.

Images: Azman Ghani/The Star