From swimsuit to Q&A: How Maureen Montagne aced Miss Globe 2021

Even before winning the Miss Globe 2021 title, Philippine bet Maureen Montagne had proven herself as one of the frontrunners in the competition when she turned heads in various pre-pageant activities.

Montagne started her road to the crown on a good note when she successfully made it to the final round of the head-to-head challenge.

The beauty queen, who hails from Batangas, delivered a powerful closing statement about her advocacy to clinch the second place behind the eventual challenge winner from Malaysia.

“To be the next Miss Globe is both an honor and a great responsibility. I hope to share my advocacy of feeding the hungry with everyone all across the globe. I hope to inspire everyone in different nations to help their communities. Our micro actions can help macro, real-world effects, and I really hope to share all of soul and energy with you all,” she said.

Philippines and Malaysia bested candidates from Ukraine, Guyana, USA, Romania, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, Canada, France, Bulgaria, Denmark, Tatarstan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Latvia, and Albania in the challenge.

In another runner-up finish, Montagne flaunted her impressive physique in the swimsuit competition before the coronation night.

Montagne, who won the Superbods competition in the Philippines, was named second best in the pre-pageant activity behind the winner from Guyana.

Vavavoom! 🔥✨🔥#BbPilipinas2021 #TheNewBinibini #HomeOfTheQueens #MissIntercontinental #MissGlobe2021 #MaureenMontagne pic.twitter.com/PB2q2LXNKJ

— Bb. Pilipinas (@RealBbPilipinas) November 5, 2021

Both the Philippines and Guyana received a perfect 30 score from the judges but the latter had higher points during the tiebreaker.

Meanwhile, in a surprising twist, Estonia's representative surpassed Montagne in the Miss Globe 2021 fan vote, giving her an automatic spot in the Top 15.

Maria Heleen Toniste topped the leaderboard during the coronation night in Albania, getting a score of 17%. Montagne, meanwhile, ended with a score of 16%.

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Many Filipino pageant fans took to social media to express shock over the results, but were nevertheless relieved that Montagne was still in the running for the Miss Globe 2021 title.

Hours before the finals, the Pinay beauty queen was lording over fan votes with 18% of the total. She was ahead by a good margin against the second running Canada (11%), England (10%), and Mexico (9%).

She also impressed the judges with her music skills after making it to the top 10 in the talent competition. In the final round, Montagne sang “Build Me Up Buttercup” while playing a ukulele.

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Miss Siberia won the contest with a rhythmic gymnastics routine while Greece took second place with a dancesport performance.

In the end, Montagne showcased her winning form where it mattered most when she aced the question and answer portion of the coronation night en route to winning the country’s second Miss Globe title after Ann Colis in 2015.

Her runners-up include candidates from Nigeria (first runner-up), Turkey (second runner-up), Venezuela (third runner-up), and Canada (fourth runner-up).

During the question and answer round, Montagne was asked about beauty and how it could be enriched.

She replied: "I think that true beauty comes from within. To be a Miss Globe is to be a beauty that inspires. What makes us beautiful is our smiles, it's what we do for our community. It's how we give back to others, and it's how we carry ourselves through life."

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"I believe that everyone has beauty in inside of them, and I believe it is our duty to share it with the world, and to give back, and to truly inspire others."

Montagne, 28, is a commercial model and professional host, and has also worked as a magazine writer.