The pre-production stage of the 2012 Miss Hong Kong Pageant was currently under way. With the pageant criticized as being boring and yielding low-quality winners in recent years, TVB will be revamping the pageant rules this year. Reality TV show elements, reflective of America’s Next Top Model, will be added to the 2012 Miss Hong Kong Pageant. Unsatisfactory contestants will die “an immediate death” and removed from the competition! A fierce round of eliminations–in which candidates will be repeatedly tested–will take place. TVB will select 30 qualified women from Hong Kong and overseas to meet with the press. Ten women who perform poorly before the press will be ousted, leaving behind 20 applicants. On June 12th, the applicants will fly to London to film on location footage for the pageant. The women will be tested at the airport, in which 4 applicants will be ousted for poor responses. While in London, the women will be continually tested, whereby 2 applicants will be kicked out and sent back to Hong Kong with their suitcases! This will leave approximately 14 applicants to compete in the pageant in Hong Kong. Through the fierce elimination rounds, TVB hoped to increase the entertainment value of the 2012 Miss Hong Kong Pageant. This method was extremely popular among reality TV shows such as America’s Next Top Model, which increased the competitive spirit among the contestants and suspense in selecting the winner. Past Miss Hong Kong Winners Support New Pageant Rules Asked if the new elimination rounds of the 2012 Miss Hong Kong Pageant were considered to be too cruel, past Miss Hong Kong winners did not think this was the case. Rebecca Zhu (朱晨麗): “Reality TV shows are quite interesting. You can see how they transform from regular women to Miss Hong Kong.” Sire Ma (馬賽): “The pageant format will increase the involvement of the audience. Hopefully, the contestants will not feel stressed out, while enjoying and learning from the process.” Samantha Ko (高海寧): “I think it’s quite fun! We can see the progression and growth of the contestants. If the footage behind the scenes can be filmed, then it will be more interesting!” Tracy Ip (葉翠翠): “This adds a refreshing feeling to the show. They have many similar reality TV shows overseas; the contestants did not regret joining. I do not find it to be cruel!” Lisa Chong (莊思明): “When I competed in 2010, the contestants were slowly phased out. This year, the elimination rounds will be made public. It is most important to be yourself!” TVB Director of Production, Sandy Yu (余詠珊) decided to incorporate exciting reality TV elements into the 2012 Miss Hong Kong Pageant to salvage ratings. She denied that the new rules were cruel, stating, “The Miss Hong Kong Pageant will retain its elegant air. We will not portray the contestants in an unflattering light. The quality of this year’s pageant is quite good. Hopefully, this will not scare the women away!” Meanwhile, the contestants have undergone image makeovers, in which their hairstyles have been upgraded to combat the upcoming elimination rounds. Creds: Oriental Daily
