Social media posts of news outlets reporting Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray‘s advancement and victory at the pageant that year gained traction anew after the announcement of the Miss Universe 2024 Top 12.
Philippine bet Chelsea Manalo ended her Miss Universe 2024 journey as a Top 30 candidate in the finals of the pageant’s 73rd edition on Sunday, November 17.
READ:‘Sure na yon?’: Pinoys in disbelief after Chelsea Manalo ends Miss Universe 2024 journey in Top 30 | ‘Epitome of strength, beauty’: MUPH org thanks Chelsea Manalo for representing Philippines
It was won by Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark.
This made some Pinoy fans search for streams of the pageant’s 67th edition, the last time that a Filipina won the competition with Catriona as representative.
This was some of their reaction after Chelsea was not included in the next Top 12 roster of the recent edition.
RELATED: Pinoy pageant fans rewatch Catriona Gray’s Miss Universe 2018 performance after Top 12 result
Others revisited old social media posts of news outlets reporting Catriona’s advancement to higher rounds or her win as Miss Universe 2018.
A Dec. 17, 2018 Facebook post by a news outlet reporting her entrance to the Top 5 roster gained traction again when Filipinos dropped recent comments.
“Congratulations, Cat,” a Pinoy wrote on Nov. 17, 2024.
“Congratulations!!!” another Facebook user commented last Sunday.
“OMG! Go Philippines!” a different Pinoy said.
“Siya pa rin ang standard talaga,” another Filipino said in a reshare of another 2018 post reporting Catriona’s victory.
A Facebook page also congratulated the beauty queen in jest for being “Miss Universe 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.”
“You made us all feel Calm. ‘Di ka muna magpapahinga this [year]!” the page quipped.
The post has earned 20,000 pure laughing reactions, 3,700 shares and over 260 comments.
Since winning in 2018, Catriona has been trending among Filipinos for almost every edition of Miss Universe, with Pinoys considering her the “standard” of a worthy titleholder.
In 2023, Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel, a half-Filipina, revealed that Catriona was her “inspiration” when she was just training for the beauty pageant before.
ALSO READ: R’Bonney Gabriel bares Catriona Gray is her Miss Universe ‘inspo’
Even as a backstage host for the succeeding Miss Universe editions, Catriona has found herself trending among Pinoys who found her performance noteworthy even as a commentator.
RELATED: Catriona Gray steals spotlight as Miss Universe 2022 backstage host | Catriona Gray trends for energetic backstage Miss Universe 2023 hosting
A 2023 feature about the beauty queen said that Catriona “redefined the pageant narrative” by “meticulously” curating her presence in every part of the competition — from imbuing her outfits with meaning to communicating eloquently.
The beauty queen also put her advocacies into action, forging partnerships to raise HIV awareness with LoveYourself Philippines and turning personal celebrations into fundraisers for organizations like Make a Wish Foundation and Smile Train.
Meanwhile, Chelsea, despite not advancing to the higher rounds of Miss Universe 2024, was given the title Miss Universe Asia as part of the pageant’s new “Continental Queens” title.
Similar to the duties of the reigning Miss Universe, a Continental Queen will serve as an ambassador for the continent she represents.
Chelse will travel around Asia and join the new Miss Universe, Victoria of Denmark, on some trips.
