1.00AM: In an expanded 2005 pageant which broke new boundaries of elaborate costuming and stage performance, it was 'Miss India' who emerged victorious from the year's rigorous Queen of the Whole Universe fundraiser pageant. It was a closely fought competition which saw Miss Kenya as first runner-up, Miss Egypt as second, and Miss Holland as third. Head judge Judith Tizard MP also gave a special commendation to Miss Brazil, who eschewed lip-syncing in favour of live singing, accompanied by piano. The near-capacity crowd at Auckland's Aotea Centre enjoyed main performance pieces from all four winners which were musical tour-de-forces, ranging from the sexy to the extravagant, the humourous to the surreal – with a touch of overwrought emotion thrown into the mix for good measure. But despite the array of glamour and talent on display it was 'Miss India,' Iona Dairy, who would take the top prize, with an outrageous array of costumes which saw her dressed at various times during the show as a giant elephant, a multi-armed goddess, and a sensual Bollywood temptress. Her solo performance opened with a video segment made especially for the evening, in which she locked lips with notorious celebrity hunk Marc Ellis, although the connection was simply a casual meeting at the local dairy. Surrounded by fans at the after-show function, it was difficult for GayNZ.com to get comment from Miss India, but she did manage to gush that she was delighted to win, sending best wishes to all her sisters. When asked if she bore any relation to 'Miss Russia,' last year's pageant winner, "I couldn't possibly comment" was the answer before she was swept away in a tide of adoration.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Sunday, 27th November 2005 - 12:00pm