The Miss Universe competition isn’t a stranger to having Filipinos among their selection committee. With the likes of Marian Rivera and Filipina-American physician Dr. Connie Mariano having taken the mantle as judges, another local name was actually raised: Boy Abunda, who was eventually disqualified due to the pageant’s rules.
READ: Why Boy Abunda Was Invited But Disqualified to Judge Miss Universe 2023
In the recent episode of his GMA talk show Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, the veteran TV host addressed a PEP.ph report that disclosed that he was invited to be among the 72nd Miss Universe’s selection committee.
“Totoo po 'yun, I confirm that. Ako’y inimbitahan but I was also disqualified from judging this year’s Miss Universe dahil I did an interview with one of the candidates,” he said, referring to his interview with Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee prior to the official competition.
“Nasa kanilang rules ay bawal,” the host explained. “Sabi ko, okay lang. It was worth it and I was really going to vote for Michelle whatever happened.”
Boy later congratulated the Philippine bet for her Top 10 finish, while acknowledging that viewers and netizens had “a lot of questions” about the results with Michelle’s absence in the Top 5 roster. The Miss Universe 2023 title eventually went to Sheynnis Palacio of Nicaragua.
During the same segement, the host also noted the difficulty that comes with being part of the selection committee. “Nai-imagine ko because everybody is so invested about beauty pageants, I can imagine how difficult it is to judge,” he expressed.
This isn’t the first time that the host was linked to the Miss Universe pageant. Earlier this year, reports circulated that the King of Talk was also offered to be one of the hosts for Miss Universe 2022, which he reportedly turned down due to scheduling conflicts. The pageant ended up pursuing an all-female lineup for their hosts, which continued for this year’s edition. Filipino representation still came through, however, as the emcees also included Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray.
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