One can make it to the finals only from the storefront

Twenty-four girls, semifinalists of the Miss Mykolayiv-2002 beauty contest (photo), spent twelve hours in the storefront of a shop on Radianska Street, Mykolayiv’s main thoroughfare. Passersby and fans had a chance to select those who would make it to the finals scheduled for mid-December. According to Hennady Zadyrko, general producer of the contest, such a form of semifinals is due not only to the hype caused by the rage under glass, but also to the fact that virtually all beauty contests come hand in hand with talk of the backstairs selection of girls. Here anyone who fancied a contestant in the storefront could act as a juror and cast a vote right in front of the shop window by poking a special coupon on pales with numbers matching those worn by the girls. To prevent relatives and fans from going too far, the coupons were offered at the token price of one hryvnia. However, even this restriction did not discourage fans from bidding up. At the outset of the voting, one young man bought fifty coupons to support his girlfriend. On their part, the contestants tried as best they could to show off themselves and their special skills. They talked to the people crowding near the shop window, ate dishes from a nearby restaurant, sang in a karaoke contest, and drew self-portraits, which were later analyzed by a psychologist. Incidentally, most semifinalists appear in these portraits wearing the crown and ribbon of Miss Mykolayiv.