If you think last year’s finalists were great, wait till you feast your eyes on this new batch. The male finalists are Ritchie Odejar, 6,’ a hunk-to-the-core future entrepreneur; Ton Lao, 5’11," a chinito hunk and aspiring architect; Adrian Ceniza, 5’9," an extreme sports and music enthusiast; Don Panganiban, 5’11," a classic Pinoy looker; Jasler Ubaldo, 6,’ a typical boy-next-door Tarlac native; Dos Qoung, 6’2,"an unpretentious outdoorsy guy who loves to eat, hang out with friends and meet new people; Kelly Davis, 5’11," a classic mestizo looker; Edward Bunugan, 5’11," a potential matinee idol; Mark Hernandez, 6,’ a tall, dark athlete oozing with sex appeal; and Bim Cecilio, 5’11," a charming native of Albay who aspires to be a top lawyer.
The female finalists are Riva Parkinson, a meek-looking 5’9" model who is vivacious and outgoing; Cecil de Guzman, 5’8," gifted with lips to die for; Monica Padilla, 5’7 1/2," brown eyed, well-traveled princess from Ayala Alabang with passion for arts, soccer and scuba-diving; Bambi Abdulsani, 5’8," a beauty from South Cotabato; Nikki Quesada, 5’7 1/2," a simple girl with angelic features; Francesca Briñas, 5’9," a seraphic-looking beauty who’s very Filipina; Love Bacallo, 5’9," a talented morena, a writer and future doctor; Duckee Timaro, 5’7," a very esoteric girl with an aura of mystery; Gilmarie Pacamarra, 5’9," a model who hails from Bicol who loves traveling; and Ella Evangelista, 5’8," a sports and outdoor lover who dreams of having her own modeling agency someday.
For the coming weeks, these MTV Fashionista Best Model Search 2002 Finalists will be exposed to the press and the public through bar tours, fashion show, a MAC store visit, a Lux Academy seminar and a press conference on Oct. 24 at the poolside of the Hotel Intercon.
The MTV Fashionista Best Model Search 2002 will culminate with a finals night on Nov. 12 at the NBC Tent. It will be directed by the ingenious Robby Carmona. The event will be an explosive night of glitz, glamour and entertainment that will award one male and one female finalist the title "MTV Fashionista Best Model." They will be the Philippine representatives to the Best Model of the World contest to be held in Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 29.
MTV Fashionista Best Model Search 2002 is presented by Smart Simply Amazing, Samsung Color Phone True 1, Nivea Visage and Jag Jeans. It is co-presented by Block & White Deo Whitening Stick, No Curfew Watches and in part by Diet Snapple, MAC Cosmetics, Canon Digital Camera, Hotel Inter-Continental Manila and Cosmopolitan, Preview and Seventeen magazines.