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Miss Philippines Catriona Gray competes during the final round of the Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 17, 2018. Athit Perawongmetha, Reuters
BANGKOK -- Catriona Gray torched the competition in a smoldering red gown to win the Philippines' fourth Miss Universe crown, just a month after Ahtisa Manalo nearly bagged the country's seventh Miss International title, a hot streak that cemented the Filipina beauty queen's status as the best in the world.
Before Venus Raj's drought-breaking fourth runner-up finish at Miss Universe in 2010, Miss Philippines was a clapper for years, failing to crack the semifinals. Now, the country of 104 million people is a pageant powerhouse alongside Venezuela, Colombia, and the US.
Since that breakthrough, the Philippines won 2 Miss Universe crowns, 2 Miss International crowns, 3 Miss Earth crowns and 1 crown from Miss World. In 2017, actress Teresita Ssen Marquez won the Reina Hispanoamericana title in the country's first ever participation in the Bolivia-based contest.
From a minefield of blunders, pageant interviews have become a showcase of wit and months, even years of preparation in local boot camps that have also attracted students from Indonesia, Japan, and Ecuador.
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Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach breezed through questions on US military bases and managed to fit in the pageant's HIV AIDS advocacy in her answers, which she ended with a play on the pageant's slogan, "confidently beautiful with a heart."
Rife with nationalist symbolism and with a knack for virality, Gray's Miss Universe campaign started months before she arrived in Bangkok in December to size up her over 90 opponents.
The 24-year-old model and singer made ear cuffs trendy, walked in the New York Fashion week for Miss Universe dress sponsor Sherri Hill, and documented her tour of Thailand's White Temple and her time with the elephants of Chiang Mai in a video blog.
By the time she did her 'slow-mo twirl' and walked on stage in a gown inspired by the erupting Mayon Volcano during the finals, Tyra Banks and US Vogue were already taking notice.
From less than a million in the days leading to her crowning, Gray now has 3.6 million followers on Instagram, more than the 1.3 million combined following of her runners-up, South Africa's Tamaryn Green and Venezuela's Sthefany Gutierrez.
Puerto Rico's Stephanie del Valle, who beat Gray in the Miss World 2016 contest, has 83,000 followers.
Janine Tugonon, who was first runner-up in Miss Universe 2012, called Gray the "most prepared Miss Philippines we’ve ever sent."
Contestants selected for the top 5 are pictured during the final round of the Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 17, 2018. From L-R: Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutiérrez, Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green, Miss Philippines Catriona Gray, Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie and Miss Puerto Rico Kiara Ortega. Athit Perawongmetha, Reuters
Gray's win also sealed the pivot for the 67-year-old Miss Universe pageant under its new owner, New York-based entertainment firm IMG.
In a first for Miss Universe, the 20 semifinalists were given 15 second each to speak their minds, on top of their banter with host, Steve Harvey.
The first transgender woman to compete at Miss Universe, Spain's Angela Ponce, was also honored with a video montage and was given a standing ovation at the packed IMPACT Arena.
Miss Spain Angela Ponce competes during the final round of the Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 17, 2018. Athit Perawongmetha, Reuters
It was not until halfway into the 3-hour broadcast did the contestants parade in their swimsuits designed by Thailand's Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana.
Two more rounds of interviews followed before Gray was crowned.
Until the 64th edition, when Miss Universe was still owned by US President Donald Trump, then a reality TV star and real estate mogul, candidates were interviewed only once and camera shots sometimes focused on long, bronzed legs and tight abs.
Gray's win also underscored the Philippines' clout in the pageant. Her first destination since the coronation was Manila, a trip reserved for the winner regardless of nationality.
Two Filipinos were part of the 2018 selection committee, designer Monique Lhuillier and aviation executive Richelle Singson-Michael.
Michael's father, former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singon, who helped finance Manila's 2017 hosting of the pageant, was reportedly offered the Miss Universe Philippines franchise, held for decades by the Araneta family.
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