Did Toni Gonzaga Cost Hannah Ruth Sison a Binibining Pilipinas Crown?

At left, Toni Gonzaga sits off-stage during a commercial break. At right, Hannah Ruth Sison looks visibly disappointed after being announced as the 1st runner-up during the Binibining Pilipinas 2015 coronation night on Sunday. 

Image courtesy of Rhoy Cobilla/InterAksyon

Source: www.interaksyon.com

For most of the pageant fans who trooped to the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday for the grand coronation night of the 2015 Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant, host Toni Gonzaga was pretty much the life of the party.

But while her spiels and ad-libs were a big hit with pageant audiences, some of the Top 15 semifinalists who found themselves at the receiving end of her punchlines during the critical question and answer portion looked visibly uncomfortable even as they tried to maintain their composure.

During the turn of Binibini No. 25 Rogelie Catacutan, Toni quipped. “I love your last name Rogelie Catacutan. But red might be your lucky color for tonight.”

After Rogelie answered the question of judge Frederick Go as to whether she would marry a man who was less successful than her, Toni was asked by co-host Xian Lim how she would answer the question.

“You don’t marry a man because he’s successful, you marry a man because he’s faithful,” she responded as the approving audience, who had forgotten Rogelie’s own answer, roared with applause.

But as much as Toni clearly upstaged Rogelie, her remarks might have actually boosted the latter’s chances as she went on to win the Binibining Pilipinas-Supranational title.

The effect might have been the exact opposite in the case of Binibini No. 28 Hannah Ruth Sison. One of the pre-pageant favorites who placed 2nd runner-up last year, Hannah was the picture of confidence in the days leading up to the coronation night.

Hannah Ruth Sison's earrings catch Toni Gonzaga's attention during the interview portion as co-host Xian Lim looks on.

Image courtesy of Rhoy Cobilla/InterAksyon

But that was until Toni took notice of Hannah’s earrings and cracked, ”Wow, your earrings, they have their own theme song” before singing “I’m gonna swing from the chandelier,” a line from Sia’s hit song, “Chandelier.”

After that, most of the crowd at the Big Dome never looked at Hannah the same way again as reflected in these tweets:

When Hannah’s name was announced as the 1st runner-up, she tried to keep her smile but looked stunned and disappointed.

Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 1985 Joyce Ann Burton-Titular, now an actress and pageant blogger reported that after all the winners had been announced, Hannah ran backstage where she broke down in tears.

She did not join the winners’ circle during the post-pageant photocall and was also a no-show at the victory party that followed. Unlike fellow contestant Wynwyn Marquez who quickly accepted her loss, Hannah had yet to post anything in her social media accounts since pageant night.

Whether or not Toni’s chandelier joke had any effect on Hannah’s final scores will remain subject to speculation.

One thing is certain. As much as there are people who clearly enjoyed Toni’s antics, there were also many who took offense. Clearly the most vocal was Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 2000 Nina Ricci Alagao who called Toni’s conduct “appalling” and slammed her “overconfidence to the point of arrogance” in a strongly worded Facebook post that she had since deleted.

Alagao received flak from Toni’s fans and later posted an apology while still maintaining her opinion about the latter’s hosting job.

She is not the only one who were not impressed with Toni. Outspoken filmmaker Jose Javier Reyes, quoted by Burton-Titular, said, “The role of the host is to make the girls feel comfortable in the most difficult and nerve-shattering portion of contest. Unfortunately, Ms. Gonzaga unwittingly foisted the most unprofessional thing one could fathom. Her attitude was condescending, her stance was belittling — and she humiliated the contestants, turning the segment into a Comedy Bar routine.”

While it might not have been Toni’s intention to humiliate anybody, not everyone was happy with her irreverent approach.

Image courtesy of Rhoy Cobilla/InterAksyon

A former DJ and news anchor who knows a thing or two about hosting, Burton-Titular agreed with Direk Joey’s views and had this to say: “It’s not just about our perceptions. It is also about how we treat other people. If someone was hosting me at their home and had great entertainment but made me feel uncomfortable with their comments then that host is only doing 50 percent of their job,” she noted.

“You only realize it when you are at the receiving end. Since we are the audience, okay lang. But if that contestant was us, or someone dear to us, we would feel it.”