Miss Philippines’ trainer Maggie Wilson reveals strategy to win Miss Universe 2017

MANILA, Philippines — Even before Rachel Peters joined Binibining Pilipinas, beauty queen and “Philippines’ Next Top Model” host and mentor Maggie Wilson knew Rachel is destined for the crown.

“When I first met her, she wasn’t even a candidate yet. But I already think she’s gonna win. When you meet someone like her, you’ll know right away. You can tell she’s a winner!,” Wilson told Philstar.com in a recent interview following the launch of Gatorade’s G Active, a sugar-free, lightly flavored electrolyte water that helps replace what people engaged in fitness activities lose in sweat.

Maggie and her camp then went on to become among the trainers of Rachel and Elizabeth Clenci, who recently won as Miss Grand International 2017 second runner-up.

“There’s only so much that you can do as a trainer, but what I love about the girls is that they’re hungry for it. They want to win, and so they’ll do anything and everything to win,” Maggie said of Rachel and Elizabeth.

During training, Rachel and Elizabeth were prepared more on what to expect during the pageant night, said Maggie. Maggie is half-British like Rachel.

“Sometimes, because of stress, girls tend to over-think. And maybe that’s one thing. Maybe our girls are over-thinking things too much. I think that the more that you’d be yourself and you go with the flow with what’s happening, you’ll end up being a winner,” said Wilson, who was crowned as Binibining Pilipinas World 2007.

According to Maggie, though she already knows Rachel has the makings of a winner and being a model could help her, Rachel still needs to be trained because “pageants and modeling are two completely different things.”

“Although a lot of models do eventually venture into pageantry, that is a different kind of world. That’s a different kind of ballgame. And the things that we look for in a beauty queen are very different from the things we look for in a model,” Wilson further explained.

Thus, like what Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach has said, Maggie and her camp has been focused on training Rachel to stay focused and true to herself.

“For me, a true winner is someone who knows herself inside and out. That’s kind of like what I want to prepare in them. I wanna make sure their vision and their mind is clear – who they are and what they want,” Wilson elaborated.

She admitted that a big part of Rachel’s training also focused on the Question and Answer portion.

“Absolutely! I think every winner must have substance because you become a spokesperson. You must be able to speak well and be able to answer questions eloquently,” Wilson said.

“Q&A is a huge factor. And for me, the higher the percentage in the scoring, the better because for me, personality and a smart girl will trump a girl who is pretty. I always say, ‘It’s never really the prettiest girl that wins, but the girl who knows herself well’.”

According to Maggie, being a mentor to would-be models or beauty queens gives her fulfillment because whether they win or lose, she is able to help them become a better model, or even a better person. 

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