Instant Beauty Pageant seeks to focus on assets

Ruth Myles, Canwest News Service

Published: Saturday, October 11, 2008

CALGARY -- Debbie Matenopoulos breezes into a closed retail space at a Calgary mall in her Pucci-esque maxi-dress, cork wedges and oversized aviator sunglasses. The Daily 10 host and former The View panellist is in town shooting an episode of Instant Beauty Pageant, a reality series she co-hosts with Canadian Cameron Mathison (All My Children).

"It's The Amazing Race does the mall," says Matenopoulos, 33, insisting the show is "anti-pageant."

On Instant Beauty Pageant, five unsuspecting women are shanghaied into participating in a pageant for which they have three hours and $400 to find three outfits -- swimsuit, evening, talent -- in which to compete for a crown and a trip to an exotic destination. They also spend three hours with a choreographer, learning a routine for the show, which is staged in front of a live audience of shoppers. Contestants' ages range from 20 to over 35 and participants' sizes have gone as high as 40.

"I don't want any of these girls to look anything less than phenomenal," Matenopoulos says. "You see in those hours that something starts to shift. They are that surprised at themselves. By the end of it, they feel great. It's all about focusing on your best assets."

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Instant Beauty Pageant seeks to focus on assets

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