It was a beauty queen-filled week on The Morning Rush! On Wednesday, April 29, the hosts were joined by Miss Universe 2015 herself, Pia Wurtzbach!

The TMR hosts are known to be Miss Universe fans, and they couldn’t contain their excitement. Chico, Markki, Rica, and Hazel all dressed up in “Pia Blue” to honor the beauty queen’s iconic Miss Universe look, and Pia was loving it!

Pia shared a lot of insights and funny stories with the TMR gang, catching up on how quarantine life has been and giving us a behind-the-scenes look at what the life of a beauty queen is like. Here are some things we learned about Pia Wurtzbach during her special appearance on The Morning Rush:

1. Pia has dreamt about joining Miss Universe since she was a little girl.

Like many of us Filipinos, Pia and her mom would stop everything to watch Miss Universe when she was much younger. She would even try to copy the beauty queens she’d see on TV. When she became a teenager, these dreams were put aside for her to focus on other things, until she was scouted by her now-manager in a mall. “They just saw potential in me, I tried it out, and I kept on going,” Pia said. “It was a childhood dream that I forgot about for a while, then I came back to it when somebody said, ‘you could win.’”

Chico, however, complained that “Mall naman ako nang mall, wala namang nagsa-scout sa akin, nakatambay ako buong araw!” 

2. She had a back-up plan if she didn’t win Bb. Pilipinas the third time.

 “What would have happened if I didn’t win Miss Universe or Bb. Pilipinas?” is a moment of reflection that Pia admits she often has. It’s important to her to think back on her journey, and encourages people to do the same. “We forget to stop and think about how far we’ve come already.”  

Most of us know that Pia’s Bb. Pilipinas victory was her third round in the pageant, but did you know she had planned on becoming a flight attendant if she didn’t get the crown? She would’ve wanted to still have a job that allowed her to travel around the world, like she gets to now. Funny thing is, Pia actually has a fear of flying! To help ease her mind, she makes conversation with the flight attendants, who she says tell very interesting stories. 

3. She’s heard both very nice and very sassy comments from co-contestants.

The Morning Rush got Pia to spill the tea on the nicest and the meanest things fellow contestants have told her during pageants!

The nicest: Pia was walking next to a Latin American contestant who asked her “Is this your dream? I think you’re gonna get it.” Aww, so sweet coming from another Miss U contestant! Pia said, “I wasn’t even very close to her. Na-surprise ako sa sinabi niya, because technically we’re in competition. I found it very sweet.”

As for the meanest? The beauty queens were trying on swimsuits for Miss Universe, and Pia being, well, “blessed,” had a hard time fitting in to her top because the swimsuits were all one size. One girl saw her and commented, “Sometimes smaller is cuter.” The look on everyone’s face when Pia told that story! Well, it looks like she got all the good karma, anyway!  

4. Pia is always down for a fun little pageant Q&A.

In the spirit of pageant week, the Top Ten topic for the day was #ThankYouForThatWonderfulQuestion, and they got Pia to join in one batch of the entries! She even commended a bunch of the entries, saying they were totally pageant worthy. A little bit of ~shade~ was thrown when Markki asked her: mahal mo o mahal ka? And she answered, “Pipiliin ko po yung mahal ako. Kasi naranasan ko na yung mahal ko siya, pero nganga. Joke!”  

5. She experiences all the ups and downs of being Miss Universe.

Chico asked Pia what the best and worst parts about winning Miss Universe are. According to Pia, the best part was how all the years of training paid off, and that it was a victory not only for her, but for all the Filipinos! She described how unbelievable the homecoming parade was, seeing everyone’s smiles and thinking “This is because of me?”

But there are some not so great things too, which were put into words by another Filipina Miss Universe. Gloria Diaz said that winning the competition is both a blessing and a curse – Pia wouldn’t use the word ‘curse’ because she’s forever grateful, but she does see the downside of being known as Miss Universe for the rest of her life. If one day, she wants to move on from pageants and go in another direction, she has to reinvent herself, or “erase” the pageant part of her so that she can start from scratch.

6. She keeps strong relationships with those who knew her before Miss Universe days.

Maybe she doesn’t have as much time to hang out with old friends, but she cherishes the people who know her as “just Pia,” and keeps those relationships solid. Side note, Chico said he would like to apply as one of those close friends and told her, “After this, I’ll tell people you’re my friend na!” 

7. Pia has a great perspective when it comes to bashers and negativity.

This beauty queen is the type to let hateful comments fuel her! She shared her mindset: “Kapag meron akong kailiangang gawin na work, ‘yun yung iniisip ko, at ‘yun yung magiging motivaton ko para gumaling pa lalo.” We LOVE that attitude, and so did the listeners, who praised her outlook in the comments. What Would Pia Do? could totally be a new motto.

8. If someone offered to make a TV series about her life, Pia would be game.

A fan asked if she would be down for a Netflix series about her life, and the idea excited Pia! A series would tell the story better than just one Maalaala Mo Kaya episode, right? You could fit in little details and kwento that people don’t really know yet! If she could choose someone to play the part, Pia said she would love for Bela Padilla or Maymay Entrata to portray her. She loves Liza Soberano, too, who played her in the MMK episode. If it were a Hollywood actress, Pia is a big fan of Jennifer Lawrence! But really, Pia isn’t choosy about any actress in particular. “Alam mo, kahit sino, okay na!”

9. Pia has an ongoing fundraiser for COVID19 relief efforts.

When The Morning Rush hosts asked Pia to give a message to her fans tuned in, she took the opportunity to tell everyone about her fundraiser for hospitals and health workers.

"Every week, nagpa-pack kami ng mga N88 & N95 mask, mga face shield, tapos pinapadala sa mga ospital. Ang dami na naming natulungan, siguro naka 45,000 masks na kami, more than 20 hospitals. We hope you continue helping us with this, kasi ‘di pa tayo tapos sa laban na ‘to hangga’t ‘di tayo nakakalabas!"

For more details on the fundraiser, you can check out her social media pages. 

10. She loves to do what she can for her fans.

Throughout the livestream, Pia didn’t hesitate to give special and personal shout outs to the fans tuned in! She gave hello’s, and happy birthday greetings, and answered fan questions, too. Those lucky fans! Even on a regular day, when Pia encounters fans while she’s out, she never says no to a selfie, group pic, or video greeting unless she’s sick or in a rush. “I am an extrovert for sure!” Pia said when Hazel asked.

The livestream ended on a high note, with happy fans, happy Monster Jocks, and happy Pia! She even told everyone that once Markki asked her to come on The Morning Rush, she said yes right away because of how much fun she has at RX. Nakakakilig! We’re so glad Miss Universe 2015 got to join the show, and hopefully she can come visit the station once we’re back (as Chico’s new BFF)!

 Watch the full interview on our Facebook page: