That’s what red-faced organizers of the 2013 Miss Universe Canada pageant were saying Tuesday, after admitting that a technical glitch named the wrong contestant the winner of its annual competition.
No matter that Denise Garrido of Bradford, Ont., had been crowned, photographed and feted at a victory party on Saturday night. She didn’t come in first, though: heck, the poor gal came in fourth. The real winner was in fact Riza Santos, a 26-year-old Calgary beauty and engineering student.
Surprised? Not as much as Santos was Monday afternoon, when Miss Universe Canada national director Denis Davila reached her on her cellphone. “I was sitting by the pool at my hotel,” says Santos, currently in Las Vegas. “I had to go to a washroom so I could hear him, the music was so loud by the pool. He asked, ‘Are you sitting down?’ so I sat on the sink.”
What he said next nearly knocked her off that sink. “I was in a complete state of shock.”
Since that call, Santos — in Sin City to attend meetings and relax after the pageant — has found herself the darling of the world’s media. “I just did an interview with Yahoo and I’m going on CNN tomorrow,” says the longtime Calgarian who is represented as a model by Calgary’s Sophia Models International.
“I feel like I’m on a roller coaster, but it’s a fun ride. It’s a mixture of shock, relief and happiness.”
These days, beauty pageants are a dime a dozen and either reviled as antiquated, sexist displays or ignored altogether by the general public. Last year, though, Beauties of Canada — the organization that puts on the Miss Universe Canada event, among others — was in the spotlight when transgender competitor Jenna Talackova was first banned from competing. After pressure from various rights groups, Donald Trump, the head honcho of the Miss Universe Organization, overturned the decision.
The 2013 incarnation has gotten off to another controversial start. By Tuesday afternoon, the international attention being paid to Santos and Garrido was well on its way to fever pitch, with publications like London’s Daily Mail and Fox News talking about the beauty boondoggle — which resulted from a typo in the computerized scoring results of the top five contestants — with the ubiquitous “Ugly Mistake” headline.
For the first time in its 11 years, wrote Davila in a press release, a wrong winner was announced in what he called a “highly embarrassing” and “very unfortunate” incident.
One person’s moment of utter humiliation, though, is another’s unexpected vindication. “After hearing everyone’s responses to the question and answer session,” says Santos, “I felt mine was the best. When they announced the winner, I have to admit I felt quite disappointed.”
Still, Santos — who bears an uncanny resemblance to Garrido — quickly accepted the fact that such a life-changing opportunity was not to be. She went on the business trip to Las Vegas, she says, “and thought about the year ahead, which would be all about working in oil and gas in Calgary’s corporate sector.”
Now the next few months will be filled with travel both at home and abroad, going to Nicaragua to visit the charities Beauties of Canada raises money for, modeling at Canada Philippine Fashion Week in Toronto and other appearances across the continent.
“It will be a whirlwind,” says Santos of the hectic schedule that will take her back to Las Vegas in December, for the Miss Universe pageant. “I’ve been preparing for it all year, both mentally and physically.”
Santos, in fact, has been preparing her whole life for this almost-missed reign. The daughter of Isabel and Ruel, both engineers, she began modeling as a teenager, combining her runway and posing duties with theatrical and musical training. The 2006 Miss Earth Canada and 2011 Miss World has also appeared on both the big and small screens in her parent’s native Philippines.
“They follow pageants widely in the Philippines and invited me to appear on a reality TV show,” she says of her 2007 foray into television on that country’s version of Big Brother. “I ended up winning one million pesos for a charity, and got my own TV show in Macau,” she says of an overseas career that earned her a best actress nomination at the Film Academy of the Philippines’ Luna Awards.
Not only that, Santos has military training under her belt, learning how to shoot a C7 service rifle as a Canadian Forces reservist. Then there is her volunteer work with a wide variety of charities, including Special Olympics Canada, the Lions Club and the Canadian International Development Agency.
“Women who are leaders can utilize this and make an even bigger impact,” she says of her commitment to the world of beauty pageants. “I know not everyone dreams about being a beauty pageant winner, but everyone should be allowed to pursue their dreams.”
Less than 48 hours ago, Denise Garrido had those dreams taken away from her, a fate that Santos says she understands only too well. “I left feeling so disappointed, while she went through all of that only to find out she didn’t win,” says Santos. “My heart goes out to her.”
And as for that gently used crown and sash back in Toronto? “They tell me it’s in the mail.”
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| Riza Santos crowned Miss Universe Canada 2013 |
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