Miss World 1973 Runner Up Evangeline Pascual Competes Again?

Hi folks. I am very happy to be back after more than 2 months of hibernation. For those of you who have been following my blog, I apologize for not informing you prior about my absence in the world of blogging. I have been faced with problems lately and I am still trying to recover. So, I am asking your support by staying with me as I try to bring  you once more one of my most fun things to do -  writing.

That's enough as a segway to what I am going to write today. What is important is you know I have been busy with life and I never had plan of writing 30 here.

Well, I have been browsing the internet when I suddenly remembered the very famous Evangeline Pascual of the Philippines who almost won the 1973 Miss World crown. She ended up as a runner up to Marjorie Wallace of the United States of America.

That pageant was one of the most controversial of all the pageants in Miss World. It has been said that Misses Philippines and USA both garnered a tie scores after the finals and that the tie had to be broken. Miss USA was eventually proclaimed as the winner because of the presence of American judges who broke the tie. Later on, Wallace was fired but the crown was never offered to any of the runners up -  not even to the beautiful Evangeline Pascual.

There is an urban legend that after Wallace was dethroned, the crown was offered to Pascual but she begged off since she was becoming a popular actress back to her country at that time. The so-called refusal irked the Miss World founders and owners Eric and Julia Morley, husband and wife, who vowed to never ever crown any Filipinas in Miss World.

Since Evangeline was robbed of the title she deserved to have, is she back to the pageantry to avenge her loss? 

 

Wow, that's after 36 years!!! Yes, an Evangeline Pascual clone is about to conquer the elusive Miss World for the Philippines if this lady can conquer first the national pageant - the Binibining Pilipinas or Miss Philippines in English.

I can't help myself but to notice the strong resemblance of Evangeline to this girl who is also a television actress in the Philippines. The girl is Rich Asuncion in her screen name but Richell Angalot in real life. She is using her real name for the pageant.

Rich and Evangeline are like sisters. They both smile in the same way and their chin structures are the same. Both are also smart and intelligent.

Take a look at this video and see it for yourself. I am happy I found a video clip of the news in English.

Miss World Scandals and Controversies

Miss World is not only the oldest pageant among the Big Four, along with Miss Universe, Miss Earth and Miss International, but also the most controversial. The pageant has gone so many trials but all were surpassed with the management of Eric Morley and later on his wife, Julia Morley.

Since Miss World is fast approaching, let's a take a time to brush up ourselves with some of the controversies and scandals of this pageant.

1. In 1960, Argentina's Norma Gladys Cappagli was threatened with disqualification from Miss World when it was reported that she frequently drank alcohol.

2.Britain's Lesley Langley, crowned Miss World 1965, hit the front page of many tabloids for having posed in the nude. She was not dethroned.

3.Scandal broke out again four years later when it was leaked that Sweden's Eva Von Ruber-Staier, Miss World 1969, also had shed her clothes in a photo shoot. She was allowed to keep her crown.

4.When comedian Bob Hope stepped onto the stage of Royal Albert Hall in London to host the Miss World Pageant in 1970, he was bombarded by protesters hurling smoke and flour bombs. Feminists declared the protest a triumph. It became one of a handful of demonstrations in the early seventies that many believed strengthened the feminist movement in Britain.

5. Four months after United States delegate Marjorie Wallace was crowned Miss World in 1973, she was dethroned for dating too many high-profile men. But the crown was not given to the Miss Philippines, Evangeline Pascual who was that year's first runner up.

6. In 1874, Helen Morgan, Miss United Kingdom, relinquished her crown just four days after it was revealed she was a single mother.

7.In 1984, radical animal rights activists campaigned against Miss Venezuela, Astrid Herrera, for her support of toros coleados ("pulling the bulls' tails"), a popular South American rodeo sport. Bolivia's representative also that year was highly criticised by Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for wearing of leopard fur. Miss Venezuela went on to win the crown.

8. In 2002, Human rights advocates called for an international boycott of the contest, protesting the treatment of women under sharia, the code of law based on the Koran recently enacted in 12 of Nigeria's northern states. Some Miss World contestants answered the call to protest. Several countries' delegates dropped out of the competition and rallied behind the campaign to save a Muslim Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery. Amid growing international attention to the case, the Nigerian government promised that Lawal's sentence would not be carried out.

9. Also in 2002 in Nigeria, after a young fashion writer in Nigeria wrote that Prophet Mohammed probably would have chosen one of the Miss World contestants as his wife, old tensions between Christians and Muslims exploded. Riots erupted in the northern city of Kaduna, where two years before, 2,000 people had died in religious clashes. The trouble spread to Nigeria's capital, Abuja. The death toll exceeded 200 people, with hundreds of others reported injured. Miss World was then transferred to London where Miss Turkey, Azra Akin, was crowned the winner. Amina Lawal was freed on September 2003.

10.The 1980 winner Gabriela Brum of Germany resigned one day after winning, initially claiming her boyfriend disapproved. A few days later it emerged that she had been forced to resign after it was discovered that she posed naked for a magazine.

11. In 1976, several countries went on a boycott, because the pageant included both a Caucasian and African representative for South Africa. In yet another shut-out for the nation for its apartheid policy, South Africa competed for the last time in 1977, before it was welcomed back in 1991 as that policy disintegrated.

12. Just days after her 1998 crowning, Israel's Linor Abargil revealed that she had been raped only two months before the pageant. One of the highlights of her year was seeing her accused rapist convicted.

Miss World 2008 in South Africa

On 24 August 2008, Julia Morley, the owner of Miss World announced in the pageant's official website that this year's contest is moved to South Africa. Here is the statement of Morley:

Miss World 2008 will be hosted

by Johannesburg - World Class
African City.

We look forward to welcoming contestants in Johannesburg on Sunday 16th November.

The 58th Miss World Final will be held at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Saturday 13th December 2008.

Contestants will enjoy a full South African authentic experience and during their 4 week stay will visit many exciting landmarks of South Africa.

All details will follow.

Julia Morley

Yesterday, 29 August 2008, she released an official statement to the press. Here is copy of the statement from Julia:

It was decided that for reasons beyond Miss World's control, it was necessary to move the final from Ukraine. When this was announced in the media, several cities/countries approached the Miss World Organisation about the
hosting of Miss World 2008 Final.

Each city presented to Julia Morley, Chairman of Miss World Limited, their plan for hosting. This included details of hotel arrangements, a suitable venue to stage the final and the backing of all the parties necessary to stage a successful world class event in their city.

Julia Morley was very impressed with the bid from Lindiwe Mahlunga of the Johannesburg Tourism Company, as it not only fulfilled all the requirements to stage the final but also was backed by a young dynamic team who sincerely believe in their World Class City. Johannesburg is therefore the host city for Miss World 2008

" The speed with which they have implemented their proposal and the professional and dedicated support of Lindiwe and the JTC team have already demonstrated that we can stage the most successful Miss World in our history."

"We look forward to working with the city of Johannesburg to promote their World Class City in over 180 countries during our one month Miss World Festival. Our goal is to bring more visitors to your vibrant city so that they too can enjoy the sights and sounds of Joburg and the hospitality if its people."

Julia Morley