Samantha Bernardo draws loud cheers for 'Lipad' gown, 'Grandnada' swimsuit walk at Miss Grand International preliminaries

MANILA, Philippines — With the crowning moment drawing much closer, the recently concluded Miss Grand International 2020 preliminary competition made it clearer which of the 63 candidates have a chance of making the cut to the semi-final and top five rounds.

If anything, the evening gown and swimsuit preliminaries showed which contestants were armed and ready to slay, and those who were simply there for the sake of representing their respective countries; but had to catch up nonetheless. This second to the last hurdle gave keen pageant observers the insight in separating the skilled contenders from those groping in the dark.

Glam parade

With beautiful sets and a well-shot production, the evening gown parade showed the elegant side of the contenders. Wearing mostly avante-garde creations, the gowns used diaphanous textiles and/or metallic hued fabrics that were embellished with a range of accents, which ran the gamut from cut-outs and appliques to crystals and gemstones.

Maximizing the use of color, the jewel-toned creations, whether gossamer or bouffant, were using varied details — back revealing, skin baring, off-the-shoulder, asymmetrical necklines, thigh-high slits and flowing capes or trains.

Miss Grand Philippines Samantha Mae Bernardo rocked the evening gown preliminaries with an emerald green Yeye Pantaleon creation. One of the most applauded presentation, Samantha was constantly cheered throughout her gown pasarela.

"This gown inspirits the small bird with broad wings that is undoubtedly recognizable by its green body color and yellow throat called 'Yellow-throated leafbird.' This bird is endemic to Palawan which Samantha Bernardo represents in her Binibining Pilipinas expedition. This emerald green-colored gown is premeditated with hand-embroidered beads and sequins. Accentuated with gold crystals as a representation of the yellow throat of the bird and feathers from fibers extracted by hand and worked into fine threads woven together in the lower part of the gown. Emerald green shows a woman’s growth, humility, and courage – characteristics that made our queen @samanthabernardo__ grand and awe-inspiring," Pantaleon said of his "Lipad" masterpiece.

Other noteworthy entrances included Miss Grand Kenya (despite a near slip), Miss Czech  Republic (who actually tripped), Miss Grand Thailand in an immaculate white, long-sleeved creation with a Thai-flag detail; Miss Grand USA in a topaz, single-sleeved number with an arm train, and Miss Grand Scotland who, despite recuperating from a mishap, was grandly received by the spectators of the show.

Other standouts were Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam, fan vote favorite Cambodia and Puerto Rico (who actually slipped while doing a turn). And a scandalous move from Miss Grand Panama who unskirted her gown, prior to exiting the stage.

Swimwear surprise

After the swimsuit preliminaries at the Lebua State Tower, there was nothing much left to show. So much so as the duo-toned green two piece bikini was now replaced by a striped maillot. The night time swimwear parade could not duplicate, even if it wanted to, the novelty of the daytime bikini competition that left very little to the imagination. Plus, the glare of the mid-morning sun already showed every little trick that the candidates had up their sleeves.

Much of the adrenaline has worn off at this point in the competition. Yet a few of the girls still managed to maintain their "warrior stances," so to speak. Miss Grand Philippines still wowed the crowd at the venue with her explosive "Grandnada" walk.

The other candidates who also maintained a good turn were the "usual suspects" like Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, a full-banged Miss Grand Thailand, Miss Grand Indonesia still doing the cha-cha step, and Miss USA, despite a near slip.

On a lighter note, a few of the girls had to employ tricks in a ploy to outshine the others. Miss Grand Bolivia gave an unexpected head bang to flip her lengthy tresses. Miss Grand Finland and Miss Grand Japan did multiple spins. But it was Miss Grand Scotland who redeemed herself beautifully. Despite a broken back from an injury, she gamely sashayed on the runway, albeit with a little difficulty on the short flight of steps, to the delight of the audience.

Beamed live to a global audience, the two-and-a-half hour extravaganza was hosted by Arthit Mekarkard and was broadcasted through Grand TV's Youtube channel and Facebook Live coverage. The 8th edition coronation night of Miss Grand International will unfold on March 27, 7 in the evening, Thailand time, from the Show DC Hall in Bangkok through the same viewing platforms.