Backstage Pass is an exclusive web series produced by Star2 for TheStarTV.com, and in this show we reveal the behind-the-scenes secrets of a staged event, with candid fly-on-the-wall interviews and never-before-seen action. In this episode, we’re at the final audition in the search for a Miss Universe Malaysia 2017.

In five casting calls made by the Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation (MUMO) in Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur, over a hundred women walked and talked for the judges, which included Miss Universe Malaysia 2003-cum-MUMO national director Elaine Daly, beauty queen-turned-actress Debbie Goh, and actor-producer Hans Isaac.

“We want Malaysian girls who believe she has the confidence to impress us. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t speak English. As Malaysians, we speak different dialects and languages. What’s important is that the candidate be comfortable and confident,” says Daly. “Joining the pageant changed my life. It gave me a voice to speak on issues and causes close to my heart.”


So, did they find that unknown girl with the winning x-factor, who will follow in the footsteps of former pageant winners Kiran Jassal, Vanessa Tevi, Sabrina Beneett and Carey Ng, and walk the Miss Universe stage, and perhaps bring the Miss Universe crown to Malaysia for the first time?