While there are a lot of pageant fans who respect the results, a lot of pageant fans especially from the Philippines got disappointed of Miss World Philippines Catriona Gray -- who despite of a standout performance and a very good answer to the final question -- not making it to the Top 3. At the height of the protests informally made online, one fan started a petition at Change.Org asking Julia Morley and the Miss World Organization as a whole to show the MW2016 Final Scorecards to the public. They were of the impression that the two national directors influenced other judges to vote in their hometown candidates' favor. Sounds absurd, isn't it?
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| Julia Morley in the early seventies |
On a personal note, yes, I find it absurd. However, if you look back at the past Miss World pageant finals, this controversy is reminiscent of what happened in 1970. Jennifer Hosten of Greanada won over an early favorite Miss Sweden - Marjorie Christel Johansson who turned out to be just the 3rd Runner Up. Protesters claimed --who called BBC -- that the Grenadian Prime Minister Sir Eric Gairy who sat as a judge tipped and influenced other judges to give Hosten token placings.
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| Snippet from a published article in 1970. |
The incident was published in a magazine published by African Drum Publications in 1971 showing that Julia Morley, who was then Miss World Organizing Director and the wife of Miss World Chairman Eric Morley to have resigned because of intense pressure from protesters. Eric Morley was then compelled to show to the public the actual scorecards of the Miss World 1970 pageant.
So this Change.Org petition may not be absurd after all. History repeats itself as they say. Oh, not just history but Miss World controversy history.
