Will Chantal Elise Schmidt give pageantry another shot? Miss Eco International 1st runner-up answers

Chantal Elise Schmidt happily shared that she is now feeling rejuvenated, almost a month after her Miss Eco International stint in Egypt where she finished as the first runner-up.

In an interview with GMA News Online, the Cebuana beauty queen said that she is "very, very happy to be home."

"I'm very happy to be eating Filipino food again, you have no idea," Chantal said, adding that the first thing she ate when she got home was a hotdog sandwich from a Filipino fast food chain.

Chantal has nothing but gratitude for her first runner-up finish in the international pageant.

"It was definitely a surprise—a pleasant one at that. For those who don't know, Miss Eco International has always been very kind to Filipinas," she said.

"We have won twice in the nine years that it has been around, so I had kind of an expectation that maybe I wouldn't win. But I wanted to make myself proud, I wanted to make the people proud, and I wanted to get as close as possible, and I would say I did. First runner-up is close enough, I would say," Chantal said.

When asked if she has plans on joining another pageant, she answered, "For now, no. But I'm not closing my door, I'm keeping it slightly open, but not all the way. We're exploring other options first."

Chantal also showed her interest in joining showbiz, saying that it "would be an honor."

"I think that's a dream of every girl growing up in the Philippines. Showbiz is the end goal for most people. Right now, I would like to explore singing actually, because that was my talent in Miss Eco International. But showbiz, like acting, that would be an absolute dream of mine," she said.

Aside from being the first runner-up, Chantal also won the Miss Eco International 2024 Best Evening Gown and the Best in National Costume awards.

Angelina Usanova of Ukraine won the title.

In 2018, Thia Thomalla won the Philippines' first Miss Eco International title. Kathleen Paton gave the country its second crown in 2022.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News