Miss France 2011 and the problems of Paris

Millions of French will undoubtedly be glued to their television screens on Saturday evening as the country searches for a successor to last year's Miss France, Malika Ménard.

Yes it's that time of year again when the annual jamboree to find the nation's most beautiful woman (or at least its representative in international Miss competitions) takes place.

And as usual the run-up to the contest has not been without its accompanying controversy.

Not least of which has been the difficulty in determining who will be representing the region of Ile de France, the area surrounding and including the French capital.

After the resignation of the region's first-placed Miss and the disqualification of her runner-up, Ile de France will now be represented by its third choice beauty.

Two contests

Put aside for one moment the confusing peculiarity that there will be two contests organised this year.

There's the official one by the Dutch TV production company Endemol which holds the rights to the trademark and that's the one viewers will be able to watch on TF1 on Saturday December 4.

Meanwhile a rival pageant run by the lady with the hat, Geneviève de Fontenay will take place the following day.

De Fontenay had organised the official Miss France for donkey's years but, after a mighty falling out with Endemol, resigned and set up her own "label" so to speak.

Famous connections

Forget also how much ink column writers have gleefully spilt over the potential string-pulling that could go on around two of the candidates because they have "connections".

Miss Rhône-Alpes, 21-year-old Elise Charbonnier, is the niece of the former international footballer Lionel Charbonnier.

Who?

Oh yes, the third choice goalkeeper in the squad that won the World Cup in 1998.

And Miss Normandie, Juliette Polge, is the great-niece of the former French president, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who is reported to be "delighted" over the participation of the 22-year-old.

No more Miss Paris

Instead, take a deep breath and consider the trials and tribulations of who'll be representing the Ile de France region.

A little bit of background before you plunge into the murky waters as to which girl the region will be sending to join the other 32 in Caen at the weekend.

In their infinite wisdom, the organisers decided that last year's Miss Paris, Kelly Bochenko, would be the last lass ever to represent the French capital after she posed for saucy pictures of a "pornographic nature" in the monthly magazine Entrevue.

Harsh perhaps as it was certainly not the first time (and doubtless not the last) that a contestant's past, present or future caught up with her.

Undeterred, Bochenko went on to make a name for herself by appearing in that cultural spectacle that was la Ferme Célébrités en Afrique (the French version of The Farm - produced by.....you guessed it...Endemol) and later revealing that she'd had a boob job and now "Felt closer to her ideal of what a woman should look like."

Are you still following?

Third choice Miss

So rather than two separate Misses (representing Paris and Ile de France) there will now be one.

Except who exactly it will be has been causing a bit of a problem.

Initially it was to have been Pauline Darles. The 22-year-old won her passage to the finals back in October.

But she decided to quit while the contestants were going through their paces in the Maldives because she reportedly didn't "appreciate the organisation and spirit" of the competition.

Up stepped her replacement Jessica Muzaton, who was quite literally flown in to fill her shoes.

But horror upon horrors, just as she was getting into her stride it was revealed that the 22-year-old had previously modelled sexy lingerie in a show which took place in a Paris night club last year, according to the national daily Le Parisien.

In case you haven't realised by now each candidate must declare when signing up for the regional competitions that she has never posed for erotic photos or taken part in racy video and the like.

Muzaton had fallen foul of the same regulation that had got Bochenko, Valérie Bègue (Miss France 2008) and Lætitia Bléger (Miss France 2004) among others into hot water.

So now it'll be Sabine Hossenbaccus, who finished third in the competition to find Miss Ile de France who'll be representing the region in Caen at the weekend.

Unless, of course, she has a skeleton or two in her cupboard