Miss Universe in Manila 2016: The Dress Rehearsal

One of the perks of doing your job well is being given the opportunity to experience once-in-a-lifetime events that are just wished for by many. In my case, I had the chance to get three complimentary tickets to watch the dress rehearsal of the Miss Universe candidates just a few hours before the most awaited coronation day!

Upon receiving the tickets, I contacted a number of relatives and friends who I thought might be interested to go with me at the Mall of Asia Arena on a Sunday. Those who were almost instantaneously free to give in to my short notice invitation were my two single friends from U.P. – Tim and Cling. Tim is my daughter’s godmother, who’s an excellent photographer and a marketing strategist in a private firm. Cling on the other hand is a junior professor at U.P. DSCTA who used to help me sort my paper during my last attended M.A. class.

 

With Tim

With Cling

Not too many people watched the dress rehearsal. So even if our seats were located in a not so comfy side of the arena, we were able to move a bit to have a better view of the stage. Some of the audiences I noticed include model-like Caucasians, fabulous ladies in gown, tons of gays who were obviously pageant enthusiasts, Miss U fanatic teenagers with their families, women-government employees, and familiar faces from Valenzuela who perhaps were given free passes too.

I’d say Steve Harvey is really a seasoned show host. His voice inflection and intonation were very professional sounding, and I could see that he’s so much eager to correct his past mistake through this pageant. Pia’s scripted gesture in trying to help him become more careful in announcing the finalists worked so well at the rehearsal so I wasn’t surprised when their witty tactic really made some buzz on the news and the social media.

Unlike other beauty pageants that I have watched before on television, I noticed that this time, the stage design didn’t include a lot of steps for the candidates to catwalk on. The stage was almost bare of physical ornamental yet it remained posh and colourful because of the fabulous computer effects that play on the background. The lighting and the video coverage were impeccable as well.

The Candidates at the MOA Arena

Until the end of the dress rehearsal, I remained ecstatic for having seen all the beautiful candidates on the Miss Universe Pageant 2016 in person! My thrill was doubled for in one free show, I have also seen the live performances of Flo Rida and Boyz II Men.