Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach has vowed to be a fair and honest judge at the new season of Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 which will start airing on April 5.
“Yung tricky part lang is not to get biased because may tatlong Filipina dun eh. But I never was biased,” said Wurtzbach in an interview on “Bandila” news program on ABS-CBN.
“Honest ako sa kanila pagka-maganda sinasabi ko talaga, pag may nakita akong pwede pang ma-improve sinasabi ko rin,” the beauty queen said.
Angelica Santillan, one of the Filipino contestants, said: “May pressure talaga kasi yung mga Pinoy gusto ng iuwi yung title.”
Santillan is a former volleyball player and wake boarder.
Jenica Sanchez, who claims to be victim of bully, said: “I took all the negativity in my life to positivity and then now andito na ako inspired.”
Maureen Wroblewitz reacted when she was told she looks actress Liza Soberano, “I take it as a compliment because she is beautiful.”
So far, no Filipino has won in the modelling competition.Thailand has won twice (2012, 2016), Malaysia (2014) and Singapore (2015).
Among the Filipino models who competed in the contest include Stephanie Retuya, Jodilly Pendre, Monika Sta. Maria, Gwen Ruais, Katarina Rodriguez, etc.
Aside from the Filipinos, other contestants are: Alicia Amin and Shikin Gomez, Malaysia; Cindy Chen, Taiwan; Clara Tan, Valerie Krasnadewi, and Veronika Krasnasari, Indonesia; Dorothy Petzold, and Heidi Grods, Thailand; Layla On and Rajinkath Nametha, Singapore; and Minh Tu Nguyen, Vietnam.
Other judges in the new season of the reality show are Cindy Bishop, Cara G. Mcllroy and Yu Tsai.
Prizes include a Subaru Impreza, a cover and fashion spread in Nylon Singapore, and a modeling contract with Storm Model Management in London.