Subject: WHEN DID MISS UNIVERSE & MISS USA START TO LOSE THEIR MAGIC? |
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MU_Critic [ Edit | View ]
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Date Posted: 19:06:32 12/08/20 Tue
Many of us have been lamenting the current state of affairs when it comes to MUO's pageants for a while now.
In a past post, we shared which specific Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants got us hooked (the good old days)!

So now, I would like to know which specific Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants prompted your disenchantment. Please state the specific years and moments which made you believe the magic was starting to disappear.
Last edited by author: Tue December 08, 2020 19:08:46
Edited 1 time. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]
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- I was just ready to answer your question to me in another post when I saw this. I got hooked watching Sylvia Hitchcock win MU in 1967. For the next several decades, I was glued to the TV, not only the night of, but waiting for the MUSA or MU commercials on CBS during the lead-up week. My decline in interest started in 1999 with the selection of Kimberly Pressler as MUSA and her failure to make the SF at MU. My interest took another hit in 2002 with MUSA again missing the cut at MU. I was good a couple of years after, but became disillusioned at Rachel’s and Crystle’s falls at MU. Trump didn’t help and being raised on the 70’s-90’s, the glamour and excitement was waning. Except for Olivia C., Nia, and possibly Olivia J, I feel the shows and our USA reps were subpar to other productions and national reps. I’m ok with this. I am more than happy to infuse my comments on this board about the older years. (NT) -- OldFan/NewName, 19:43:13 12/08/20 Tue
- I started to get disenchanted when Bob Barker left, and they reduce the semi-finalist from 12 to 10. Good question. (NT) --
WilliamNYC, 19:47:12 12/08/20 Tue
- I think pageants were doing fine util the mid to late 1980s. I think there were some great ones under Trump/Shugart both USA and Universe, at least better than in the 90s or early 00s but it's clear rating never really came back to a level where we could talk about pageant revival. (NT) -- HawtPlusSeksi (nsi)., 19:51:57 12/08/20 Tue
- For me, 2015. Up until the Reelz network fiasco, move to FOX and purchase by IMG, both pageants are boring. Prior, it was fun to predict and watch the girls compete. Now, you already know who will make the cut and let's be real Paula and her team are horrible at picking a top 15. (NT) -- Original Rican, 21:34:53 12/08/20 Tue
- I thought the magic started to disappear for both pageants around 1990-1992. With USA, I remember always being so excited in the late 80's to see if Texas was going to pull off another win, and I loved Carole in '90. 1991 was just a complete WTF and I never got Shannon Marketic a year later. With Universe starting in '90, I just felt four very mediocre winners were crowned in succession. There have been winners I've loved since then, but I just don't think the pageant "nostalgia" that ended in the late 80's will ever be recaptured. (NT) --
JustM, 22:42:57 12/08/20 Tue
- Other pageants lost their magic on me a long time ago. But not Miss Universe. I still like the excitement, glitz and glamour that MUO offers which let’s admit not - none of the other pageants out there could offer. I think we’re just being too hard on MUO that we forget how low and pale the rest are in comparison. That said, if they could go back to how they do it back in early 2000’s that would be great! I miss the productions ala Quito and Thailand. I miss the high quality winners like Oxana and Dayana. I loved it when b**ches win ala Amelia! In short, bring back the Telemundo days! When only the feistiest, fittest, prettiest, and sometimes dumbest make the cut! And no cry babies and their embellished sob stories should ever be called again. (NT) -- Alyssa’s Pinoy Fan, 05:04:54 12/09/20 Wed
- 2010 is when I think it really peaked. By 2015 that spark was completely gone. They started eliminating traditions like fadils. The pageant became way to obvious and not in a good way. (NT) -- South star, 08:52:32 12/09/20 Wed
- Just for me, my interest in Miss Universe and MUO pageants in general was from 1990-1996, which incidentally were the Dick Clark/Bob Goen years at Miss Universe. After Trump took over, the pageants were still great from 1997 to 2000. The turning point was 2001, on its 50th anniversary. The pageants were horribly staged and it never fully recovered for me. (NT) --
annie55, 13:44:35 12/09/20 Wed
- Incidentally, what's the story with that picture MU_Critic? It looks like someone passed out but the other contestants didn't give a damn? (NT) --
annie55, 13:45:44 12/09/20 Wed
- I started watching Miss Universe in 1970 and I was hooked. Being Hispanic I enjoyed seeing and hearing the Latina girls and their Spanish surnames. Back then there weren't many Hispanics on TV. Like OldFan/NewName I was glued to the TV all pageant week waiting for the pageant commercials and waiting for the TV GUIDE to come in so I could see the pageant ad and read the close-up. Pageant day was so long, but finally, the most beautiful night of the year was here! (NT) -- nostalgic, 14:57:55 12/09/20 Wed
- 4 years ago( both teen and Miss) when IMG decided they hated Texas so much they would never advance them. There is no USA without Texas (NT) -- Kirby, Brenna Kennedy Nancy Daniella Aliyah Taylor.., 16:15:30 12/09/20 Wed
- As a fan of the telecast mainly, the politics doesnt really bother me. I’m not disenchanted. Also, I cant be indignant since I’m a lazy fan. I know about 10-15% of maybe 4 or 5 girls going into prelims. That includes going through their socials. Then, I don’t see nor hear anything else about them unless something is posted on usb. I skip through a lot when I go through candidates’ profiles on the muo website too. If you dont have a good headshot, you’ll have to prove it on stage during prelim instead bec I prob wont click on your profile. I am that lazy. But, I LOVE watching the show. The less I know, the more live it seems. That’s when I truly pick my favs and my villains. Not sure how a show without a raucous audience will entice me though. That’s not just with pageants. If there is disenchantment, it is directed at the semi—final and top 10 call outs. I find the chit chat dulls the excitement. Lol I totally answered your question. (NT) --
eloise, 18:12:20 12/09/20 Wed
- I wouldn't say I am disenchanted with Miss Universe. I still prefer it over the commencement exercise that is Miss World and the snoozefest that is Miss International. Miss Universe still gets me excited. I would say that it is not as much as before though where I would follow all the activities (although lately there hasn't been a lot of activities), make predictions or have watch parties. (NT) -- Still a fan, but not a very avid one., 20:30:38 12/09/20 Wed
- As bad as MU has become, MUO is lucky that the other main pageants have become worse. lol Today's MW and MI aren't even pageants by my definition. (NT) --
MU_Critic, 22:46:49 12/09/20 Wed
- Miss World reminds me of a big graduation fashion show from those modeling schools like Barbizon or Casablancas. Everyone shows up all dressed up, no one knows what's going on or where to go, and everyone knows that someone is going to get an award in about 5-6 hours. (NT) -- No Name, 23:53:46 12/09/20 Wed
- Haha! So true. MW was doing okay when they still had competition on stage. Nowadays, it is just soooooo boring. MI has on-stage competition, but must they do that for all the contestants on a single night? I mean, it is okay if there are like 20 maybe even 30, but 70 or so women? Gaaah!!! I tried watching Supranational before. I applaud them for great stage, but for some reason, it still doesn't capture that magic of pageantry that I have been so accustomed through Miss Universe. Maybe because I can't stand the music they use. They use an international pop song but not the original. They let some eastern European singer sing it and then use it as background music. Feels very karaoke. Why can't they just pay the rights to use the actual music? (NT) -- Sheree Hell, 11:33:20 12/10/20 Thu
- I forgot about these two: Not saying “Miss” before a state or country and not saying the name of the 1stRU and then the winner were bummers for me. “The first runner-up is…Miss Austria; Miss Trinidad-Tobago is Miss Universe.” (NT) -- OldFan/NewName, 10:37:30 12/10/20 Thu
- For me it got messy around the time 2001/2002, when the org. became more of a corporate-extensive pageant. The Trump era was what made me lose interest. I still love pageants and continued watching, don’t get me wrong, but it was like “eh”. It almost came back in 2006. The new IMG is trying to present itself to be different than the Trump era, but it still needs work as it’s fairly similar. I do like who IMG has crowned so far, but it’s becoming more like who is more of a communicative/eloquent speaker rather than mixing in beauty. I think IMG should actually tap in to pageants past and see what worked. A lot of fans are nostalgic. (NT) -- My Take, 13:01:01 12/10/20 Thu
- 1990. There have been a few good winners in the last 30 years. (NT) -- But, many of the results and placements have been WTH?, 19:02:17 12/10/20 Thu
- Probably Trump left, although really, I think it was the early 90s, so many strange wins and confusing placements... Kelli and Shannon didn’t help, plus Chelsi was pretty but she wasn’t a beauty, nor was Brooke, and they didn’t help the brand - most people didn’t even know USA won Universe twice... also I think JonBenet Ramsey hurt pageantry in the 90s -- Old fan!, 11:58:41 12/11/20 Fri
- For myself, there were a number of times where I felt the MUO pageants lost it magic and I was ready to give up on them. The first time was the 1998-2001 redefinition era where the USA girls were made to look like soccer moms and the shows started having mini concerts. More magic was lost was during the Telemundo-Trump Era, when the shows became more about who moved like a model and also being the time when Trump started getting too involved by picking some of the semifinalists and having too many voiceovers during the shows and Telemundo having influence on who made the cut. But the worst era overall is the current IMG era. Long boring shows that barely focus on the contestants, Steve Harvey, too much PC, same countries making it every year, the regional format, and mediocre winners for Miss USA (Miss Universe had deserving winners under IMG). SInce IMG took over, the excitement factor that I used to feel weeks before the pageant was to air on TV is completely lost (NT) --
Cali_Dude, 20:42:18 12/11/20 Fri
- Btw, can someone explain what's goin on in the picture above?? (NT) --
Cali_Dude, 20:58:24 12/11/20 Fri
- They all went down when IMG took over. (NT) -- Can't wait for them to sell the MUO, 08:39:06 12/12/20 Sat
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