By Ho Lian-Yi

Singapore Institute Of Management (SIM) students Jezreel Tan and Chloe Yan, both 21, came in first and third at Seventeen magazine's Queen Of Queens pageant, which was held at St James Power Station on Friday.

During the SIM-UOL Pageant in 2007 - when both girls also competed - it was Chloe who won; Jezreel had to take second place.

But there was no rivalry on display.

Chloe, a business student, said: 'It was very fun to join this with her again.'

Jezreel, a banking and finance student, said that in SIM, the students know how to play and study at the same time. 'We're more streetwise compared to (students in) the other universities,' she said.

Is that an advantage when it comes to beauty pageants?

She replied: 'I guess so?'

The Queen Of Queens pageant is an inter-varsity beauty contest.

Other than SIM, Singapore Management University (SMU), National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) also had representatives.

Now in its fifth year, it is organised by SPHMagazines. The competition results were based on online voting and the ratings of the fivejudges who were present.

One of the judges was Ms Sasha Gonzalez, editor of Seventeen magazine.

She said: 'Jezreel had this spark about her from the start that made her different from the other contestants.'

The editor found her vibrant, outgoing and fun and was especially impressed by her confidence in the Q&A segment of the show.

No 1's a bikini babe

The question she got: What was the most adventurous thing you have ever done?

Her reply: Running down Siloso Beach in a bikini in 2006 for the Siloso Beach Babe competition (she won that contest).

Sadly, the crowd did not see the new Queen of Queens in swimwear.

It was about being young and having fun, so the 11 girls taking part showcased their sweet, sunny side.

After the event, though, Jezreel took the chance to present her horribly corny side.

When asked how she was feeling after the win, she replied: 'Can I say I'm feeling very cold?'

Why?

She said: 'Because there were so many fans in there!'

Chilling.

The beach babe intends to pursue a master's in two years' time in investment or finance.

A self-described go-getter, Jezreel has been working in an asset management firm as a secretary for six months while studying full-time, and she is transiting to become a junior trader.

So ask her if she thinks the pageant is in any way a showcase of bimbos and she says: 'We aren't getting our degrees for nothing.'

Second-placed Jalene Seah, 19, a business student in SMU, gave a more conventional answer: 'I guess I feel excited and happy - the usual feeling.'

But she is an unconventional beauty contestant.

At first, Jalene's hobbies sounded conventional - she loves fashion, she is learning sewing on the side with a tailor, hoping to one day set up a fashion-related business, and she likes shopping.

Then she revealed that she was a former computer gamer (with the emphasis on 'former'), playing the previously hugely popular first-person shooter Counter-Strike competitively.

In 2004, she was interviewed for a Straits Times report on the World Cyber Games. She was then part of an all-girls gaming team.

She stopped playing competitively after her O levels (though she restarted briefly during her Alevels) because of school work.

'And also because we didn't win, so we didn't have motivation,' she said, chuckling.

Irys See, 22, an arts and social sciences student at NUS, was the other big winner on Friday, although she was not in the top three.

She won two of four subsidiary prizes, including Ms Photogenic by ZA and MsFreshLook Personality by Ciba Vision.

It was her first beauty contest - as a contestant. She has hosted a pageant in NTU before.

'As a contestant, I feel less stress as compared to being a host!' she said.

There was a greater sense of responsibility as a host, she explained. But as a contestant, she could relax and have fun.

The remaining two subsidiary prizes went to Chloe, who was named Ms Vibrant by ZapCode, and Candice Cheong, 19, a business student at NTU, who was named MsGlamorous Hair by Hoyu Professional.

The winner took home $2,000 worth of products and services and $300 cash.

The first runner-up won more than $1,000worth of products and services, and the second runner-up, $500 worth.

Everyone else took home $300 worth of products.

Each subsidiary award is worth $100 in products, services or cash

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 14, 2008.