The queens spill the beans: What was it like competing with Catriona Gray?

Competing with someone who already wore the Miss World Philippines crown has to be daunting.

Every major pageant forum was predicting another big win for Catriona Gray and she eventually walked away with the coveted Miss Universe Philippines crown during the 2018 Binibining Pilipinas coronation night. 

If you're not her, what was the pageant like?

The five other queens in an #AskAway session with GMA News said that Catriona being a favorite was on their mind, but the competition remained healthy.

For Binibining Pilipinas Grand International 2018 Eva Psychee Patalinjug, going up against a strong contender was an honor. "More than that, it was a great honor competing with all the other girls, because this batch is very strong," she added.

Eva praised her Binibini batchmates — with and without crowns — as beautiful and intelligent women with admirable advocacies. She also believed that although Catriona was a "favorite", it was still anybody's ball game.

 

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But more than that, Binibining Pilipinas International Maria Ahtisa Manalo said that Catriona was actually rather sweet and helpful behind the scenes. 

"We learned a lot from her, she always gave [us] tips," Ahtisa revealed. 

Apparently, Catriona would give makeup and hair styling suggestions. She even recommended beauty products! 

Binibining Pilipinas Supranational 2018 Jehza Huelar added that during the pageant, what most of the candidates really think about is being the best version of themselves.

"We focused on ourselves, not on competing with others," Jehza said. "We're not thinking na, 'kailangan natin siyang awayin kasi siya ang malakas.' Walang gan'on, kasi ang iniisip namin we need to be better for ourselves."

It's safe to say that this batch of queens would fix each other's crowns! — Aya Tantiangco, GMA News