‘Enjoy Miss Gib journey’ says former Miss World
The nine Miss Gibraltar 2017 contestants drew their numbers on Wednesday evening at the City Hall marking the start of their pageant experience.
The event was hosted by the Mayor Kaiane Lopez in her first engagement as the mayor of Gibraltar.
Addressing this year’s contestants Mrs Lopez drew from her own experiences in both the Miss Gibraltar pageant in 2009 and the Miss World pageant the same year in which she was crowned Miss World. She encouraged the contestants to make the most out of the pageant journey.
“This is my first event as a mayor and I believe this is the first event for you as contestants. I can say that I know exactly how you are feeling,” Mrs Lopez said.
“Eight years ago I was one of you and I can tell you that it was the most exciting experience that I have ever had. Forget about winning. Everyone is going to gain something from this experience and you should all embrace and enjoy it.”
The contestants then drew their numbers in front of family, friends and pageant organisers, and posed for the cameras.
Contestant number one is Denille Patterson, she is followed by Sinead Benson, Sian Dean, Emma Buttigieg, Jodie Garcia, Janella Robba, Kylie Lavagna, Tessa Britto and Emma Jane Gaivizo-Victory.
Pageant organiser Christian Santos will be prepping the contestants and ensuring a smooth show on the final night.
“It is going to be a very intense 12 weeks. It is a lot of fun and it is a great experience for the girls. We have a great team that focuses on making the girls the best that they can be and we go through how to present themselves in the best light possible,” Mr Santos said.
“We prepare them for the interviews, we help them get their dresses ready, and we make sure that by the time the show comes they are the best that they can be. We have great outings and it is a great bonding experience and it is also a way for them to learn about themselves and to basically live these three months as a completely isolated experience that only they are living at this present time.”
In a change to the norm this year’s Miss Gibraltar pageant final will be held at the Tercentenary Sports Hall.
“I think it is the first time the show will be done inside the Tercentenary Sports Hall,” Mr Santos said.
“We face those challenges of basically creating a theatre in a sports hall but we think it is the type of show where you can get that kind of atmosphere. It is a challenge, it is my sixth show and I wanted to try something new as well and give the girls a grandiose show.”
The Miss Gibraltar pageant will take place on July 8.
