Media Room

The Star | 8 May 2009

Final three

by: YAM PHUI YEE

IN JUST a week’s time, one young aspiring model will achieve her dreams when the winner of Malaysian Dreamgirl (MDG) Season 2 is announced.

She will walk away with a brand new Chevrolet Aveo Lux 1.4 (A), RM10,000 cash, a spread in InTrend magazine, an exclusive Andrews Models portfolio and a world of opportunities in the modelling industry.

With 21-year-old graphic designer Chiang Lee Ming booted out of the online reality competition in yesterday’s episode, the race is now between accountancy graduate Juanita Anushya Francis Jacob, 22, economics and international business graduate Dawn Lim Yeen Sze, 23, and make-up artist Liew Mee Han aka Pinky, 21.

The girls were sad to watch Ming leave, having lived in the same house for the past 11 weeks, but they are also excited to inch closer to their dream.

Dawn

“We had to surrender our cellphones at the beginning of the competition. Just before I did that, my sister texted me to say that she dreamed that I got into Top Three and wow, it’s happening now,” Dawn shared.

All three girls’ desire to win is obvious.

Out of determination to pursue their ambition, two of them auditioned without their parents’ knowledge; one of them learned make-up skills to enhance her future modelling jobs; and all three are already planning to scout for agencies as soon as the competition ends.

“I’ve always loved modelling since I was a kid. I remember using my mum’s make-up secretly and she caught me,” says Juanita. The competition gives contestants a taste of what it is like in the modelling world. It is not enough to just have a pretty face and love the runway and camera flashes, they also need a good measure of communication skills, tolerance, hard work, and boldness to embrace challenges thrown at them.

During a recent Safari-themed photoshoot (footage of which will be released tomorrow), the show’s host Elaine Daly announced that they will be joined by a special guest, “Ricardo”. Turning around to meet Ricardo, the girls went hysterical, screaming their lungs out when they were greeted by a Burmese python.

Pinky was overcome with tremendous fear causing her to burst into tears. It took a while before she could muster her courage and pose with the reptile (whose real name is Grumpy).

“For me, the best thing in the show is photoshoots, although each one is a challenge for me because it determines who gets eliminated. Whether your clothes or make-up are nice or not you have to pull it off,” Pinky said before she met Grumpy.

Obviously, the competition poses many challenges to contestants. For one, they have to live under the same roof with 10 other girls from different backgrounds. Catfights ensued and Pinky, a self-confessed mummy’s girl, was involved in an argument over missing food in the house once.

Pinky

“Having no cellphone was very, very difficult for me. We were only allowed to call for five minutes per week,” she said. “I really had to learn to be nice to people and negotiate things! There were many misunderstandings but now everything has been cleared.”

As the winner is solely determined by public SMS votes, what happens in the house and how each contestant carries herself matters.

Of course, it’s a modelling competition and the most important thing is to be able to model well – to strike the right pose and pull off that sultry, sexy or fierce look.

“I was very timid before this but the competition has made me a confident person. I take criticism better and work on it. Even if people say I’ve done well, I say I can go another notch,” says Juanita, the optimistic go-getter from Johor Baru. On the show, the girls get help and tips from the show’s judges — Elaine; fashion stylist Lim Jimmy; Andrew’s Models founder Andrew Tan; and Beautilicious cosmetics CEO Julie Wong. In a recent episode, the girls got the chance to chat with pop singer Reshmonu and find out what the entertainment industry is like.

Dawn found assurance in the session. “I love to laugh out loud and I get comments that I should restrain myself or people might get scared. So I asked him, ‘Can you be yourself totally?’ and he said ‘Yes, you can’t please everyone’. So I’m still laughing out loud,” said the bubbly girl.

Whether that tip pays off, we’ll only know during the finale event at The Curve in Mutiara Damansara, Selangor, on May 15. The next couple of weeks would be all about getting ready for the big day. Pinky is working on her catwalk and practicing different facial expressions from her usual soft and cute look.

Dawn is preparing herself mentally and doing stretches to help her sway with style on the runway. Juanita posted notes on Friendster and Facebook to ask her friends to come to the finale and vote for her. The girls look forward to going back to their family and friends when the competition ends.

Juanita

“I’m going to rest for two weeks. This is the most tiring and challenging competition I’ve ever been in. I’ve never made it this far in a competition,” says Pinky.

As for Dawn, she will be gobbling down a bowl of her favourite pan mee while Juanita wants to start going for castings and agency hunting.

“I’ll be knocking on doors after this. I will have a lot of rejections in this business but I won’t give up,” she says.

A title like the Malaysian Dreamgirl 2009 will surely help any of these girls in their future modelling jobs. Who will it be?

Log on to www.malaysiandreamgirl.tv to watch new episodes airing Thursdays and Saturdays. You can also get information on VIP passes to the finale on the website.