- During the 3 weeks of the competition, what did you enjoy and what was the biggest challenge you faced?

Runner-up Mook Karnruethai Tassabut: What I like most is the sisterhood among the contestants. I have never had a sister before, so spending nearly 3 weeks living and sharing with girls from many countries was very interesting.

It was a big competition with 58 people and many different personalities. We tried to keep things fun, even make each other laugh. The biggest challenge was the language barrier, but we all overcame it.

Runner-up Mook Karnruethai Tassabut (nickname Mook) and Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid (nickname Tata).

Miss Cosmo 2024's coronation moment:

Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid : My favorite part is getting ready together. It's so cute when my roommate messes up her eyeliner or eyelashes. She's Miss Cosmo Vietnam Bui Xuan Hanh.

The biggest difficulty was the 3 very tiring weeks, working with people of different personalities, cultures and habits.

- Did anything unexpected happen during your journey at Miss Cosmo and how did you deal with it?

Runner-up Mook Karnruethai Tassabut: I prepared well after graduating from Miss Universe Thailand training school and had no trouble, but I was wrong. The competition lasted 3 weeks and in Miss Universe Thailand, I had a support team. But here, I had to take care of everything myself, including 105kg of luggage. Although it was quite chaotic, I still tried my best to achieve good results.

Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid: My biggest challenge is to control my emotions, as Mook said. This is important not only for myself but also for my sponsors and support team. My sponsors have believed in me and supported me since before Putri Indonesia, even though they are not big companies. Their support and love from Indonesian beauty fans have given me strength.

The new Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid is 21 years old this year, 1.74m tall, born and raised in Bali, Indonesia.

- Did you connect with other candidates before coming to Vietnam?

Runner-up Mook Karnruethai Tassabut: We talked to each other through Instagram and text messages. I even live-streamed with Habu (Bui Xuan Hanh's nickname - PV) once. While I was live-streaming, fans saw Habu also live-streaming and suggested we go live together. I thought why not and we live-streamed together, it was spontaneous and very interesting.

Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid: I was one of the first contestants announced for Miss Cosmo. When I saw other girls being announced, I tried to follow them, texting them good luck and hoping to see them soon. Sometimes I accidentally missed a few people, but I tried to contact them every time I saw the announcement.

Runner-up Mook Karnruethai Tassabut is 29 years old this year, currently a freelancer, bilingual MC and model.

If I had memorized it, I would have answered better.

- Is there any pressure when you represent Thailand and Indonesia, both powerhouses in the beauty industry?

Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid: Definitely. The pressure comes when you want to do something great. You set standards and goals for yourself, which leads to overthinking and expecting everything to be perfect. I realize that this can be a drain on confidence, so I remind myself to calm down, trust the process, and surrender to a higher power.

Runner-up Mook Karnruethai Tassabut: For me, the pressure came because this was supposed to be my last competition so I wanted it to end well. I took the initiative to let everything reflect my true self. Although I was very cheerful, fans advised me to be calmer and more polite. However, I believe they like me for who I am, energetic and genuine. It was difficult to balance the expectations of fans and myself, but I am happy that everything ended well.

- Did anyone advise you to learn about Miss Cosmo before the competition?

Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid: Yes, some people advised me to find out what Miss Cosmo wants in a beauty queen, but they forgot that this is the first year! I couldn't find out much. They advised me to be more elegant and calm, but I didn't want to suppress myself. If I did that and won, I would have to live a fake life, not being myself for a whole year.

I wanted to show who I was, like Mook. I was loud but she was louder! I remember one time, we were on a boat, it was so hot. I was exhausted, but Mook was on another boat, full of energy and cheering for me. It was amazing!

The two beauties have been close since participating in Miss Cosmo 2024.

- Miss Cosmo is the first beauty pageant to introduce a debate competition in the final night. How did you prepare and what did you think about this competition?

Runner-up Mook Karnruethai Tassabut: After the competition, some people agreed and some people disagreed with this performance. I looked at the comments to see the reactions. One comment said: "Everything was memorized". That's not true, if I had memorized it, I would have answered better. The performance was completely new and challenging, I looked at the audience, the CEO, the judges and her ( the beauty queen - PV ) and had to handle everything in just 90 seconds.

You have to bring all your ideas and present them well. It is difficult because English is not my first language, so there will be mistakes. But we need to convey the message in an understandable way to get the audience's support. The cheers of encouragement give us energy and we return that energy.

Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid: Exactly! When people cheer, we get a lot of energy. Comparing the final and the preliminary round, I noticed that the audience at the preliminary round was more lively because it took place in a closed space. The final round was outdoors, I couldn't hear anything so I was more nervous.

When you think of a debate, you imagine it being fast-paced and very intense. How do you get your message across without coming across as aggressive? I didn't want to come across as, "Look Mook, I disagree with you," or belittle another contestant.

From the first day, when I heard about the debate, my heart was pounding. I told the coaches: "Oh my gosh, I don't know how to debate. What if I forget my English?" They said: "It's okay, you have to believe in yourself." Hopefully we did well (laughs).

- The competition schedule is usually very tight, how do you maintain your physical and mental health?

Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid: Start by being mentally ready. Even if you are tired, like Mook Karnruethai Tassabut said, you have to gather your energy. You can scream if you need to and I am sure she screamed 5 times in the room before going out ( laughs ).

We all face smaller personal challenges. I'm sure Mook has had wardrobe malfunctions or bad hair days! As a beauty queen, looks aren't everything, but they are important.

Runner-up Mook Karnruethai Tassabut: You always have to be present. If you are not confident, how can you stand in front of the camera or people? With Miss Cosmo, there are many media outlets that want to interview us and introduce us to the world. That really challenges me to always be ready.

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They admitted that they were the noisiest contestants in the competition.

- Miss Cosmo is demanding but also an opportunity to explore Vietnam. How do you stay focused while still enjoying the experience?

Miss Ketut Permata Juliastrid: What I like about Miss Cosmo is that it combines all the activities. The contestants have to stay focused when they go sightseeing or attend events like fashion shows. We get to perform and show a different side of ourselves, more calm and model-like. The activities are fun, but also help people focus.

Photo: Sang Dao - Video: Thanh Phi

Miss Cosmo Organizing Committee talks about translation problems, reveals why Indonesia won The Miss Cosmo 2024 Final took place on the evening of October 5 with the victory of beauty Ketut Permata Juliastrid from Indonesia. At the press conference after the final, the Organizing Committee shared about the difficulties and future directions.