ST PHOTO: SAMUEL HE This year’s 20 finalists – who range from bank interns to future teachers – being introduced to the media at Sentosa’s Wave House yesterday. Joining the Miss Singapore World pageant al- most cost finalist May Hsu her life. The avid swimmer had taken to doing her laps in the pool before sunrise and during the evening to avoid a tan. “The water was so cold I got cramps and seized,” said the 21-year-old student and private tutor, laughing at the memory. “That would have been a stupid way to go.” But that, and the bad press that came with the pageant before, has not stopped this year’s 20 finalists – who range from bank interns to fu- ture teachers – from taking a shot at fame. Miss Ng Shi Wah, 20, a biotechnology stu- dent at Republic Polytechnic, said it was unfortu- nate that the competition had been tarred by previous contestants such as former winner Ris Low. The 2009 winner was dethroned after a crimi- nal conviction came to light, and became infa- mous for her mangled English in an interview. “All of us have lives outside of this,” Miss Ng said, referring to the pageant. She was later over- heard discussing medical breakthroughs and the best ways to conduct experiments with fellow fi- nalist Shwu Ping Lee, 20, who recently graduat- ed with a diploma in chemical engineering from Temasek Polytechnic. Miss Jaye Luo, 22, is studying to be a chef at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy. “I like travelling and cooking,” said Miss Luo. “I would be happy wandering around the world, cooking wherever I go.” All the finalists were sure that, if nothing else, the contest would be good for their confidence. “You try answering questions about things like infanticide while stripped down to a bikini,” said 21-year-old marketing student Suzanne Chu of her experience during the auditions. “What doesn’t make you collapse can only make you stronger.” Feng Zengkun MISS SINGAPORE WORLD Out with ‘showgirl club image’ Finalists unfazed by pageant’s Ris Low blow House to unveil this year’s 20 final- ists yesterday, he said the judges would evaluate their physiques at a separate beach event instead of at the final show, to be held at Suntec City in September. “We are going to try not to arouse the audience during the fi- nale,” he said jokingly. Earlier this year, Miss World CEO Julia Morley had slammed the local pageant as “having a showgirl club image” and chose Mr Ooi to re- vamp it. The previous franchisee was Mr Alex Liu, managing director of ERM World Marketing, which had run the contest for the past seven years. In February, Ms Colleen Francis- ca-Mason, the 2006 winner, said she had written to Ms Morley about the pageant’s decline. “I had to parade in a bikini at Eastpoint Mall and was gawked at by old men taking pictures with their mobile phones,” she said then. The pageant was already reeling from a blow in 2009 when winner Ris Low became infamous for speak- ing mangled English in an inter- view. She was later dethroned after a previous criminal conviction came to light. Since taking charge, Mr Ooi, who owns event company Limelite Productions, has brought national fund-raiser Community Chest on board. The finalists will go to three chil- dren’s homes to learn how to take care of spastic children and chil- dren with intellectual or physical disabilities. They will also undergo four training sessions, half of which will be devoted to coaching the contest- ants on the question and answer segments of the finale. Unlike in previous years, this year’s finals will have two ques- tion-and-answer segments, one which the finalists can prepare for beforehand and the other im- promptu. The finalists will also make pres- entations about themselves to the judges. “Intelligence is not just about an- swering two questions on stage,” said Mr Ooi. “Hopefully, this will let the judges know how they see themselves.” Mr Ooi has also assembled a team of trainers and stylists, includ- ing former Miss Singapore World Teo Ser Lee, to make sure the final- ists are up to scratch. Among the strict rules they have to follow: No wearing of dark bras under the white Miss World T-shirts, avoid wearing hotpants and shorts, make your Facebook page private, avoid pictures that show you drunk. No cheeky pic- tures with the boyfriend either. “We’re not here to create an an- gel,” Mr Ooi said. “But the finalists should understand that they will be scrutinised.” During the makeover sessions which started last week, words like “wholesome” and “sweet” were used often. The contestants were al- so constantly reminded of The Sun- day Times’ presence. The wariness is understandable. For the team, the stakes are high and the hyenas many. Even before yesterday’s unveil- ing, the finalists had also experi- enced the bite of the pageant’s bad reputation. “My butt was on the front page of the newspaper,” one of the con- testants said, referring to the June 20 edition of The New Paper. “It was like being ambushed. The same day my boss came and had a chat with me about appropriateness.” Biomedical student and private tutor May Hsu, 21, said some of her students’ parents looked at her dif- ferently after learning she was in the pageant. “The kids are funny. They say things like ‘teacher, why you so sexy?’ But I can see why the parents don’t find it funny,” she said. One of the contestants also said that online comments have bor- dered on “misogyny”. Another contestant said: “We’re all Singaporeans. I don’t get the From >>Page 1 Continued on >>Page 3 2 prime thesundaytimes July 17, 2011