Interview with Tímea Gelencsér regarding Miss Balaton

I’ve been a Miss Balaton cast for a long time. How do you see how much applicants have changed in recent years, what is their position?

I feel this year’s applicants have been looking forward to the competition, having unfortunately missed out on the past three years. If a person approaches the age limit, he obviously wants to avoid exceeding it, because in this way a good opportunity will be missed. Another notable difference is that the girls attended the playoffs very well. Everyone who has an acquaintance or friend who has already applied for the contest before and tell them what to expect. They know what their profile is best, which suits them best, so it was much easier to work with them.

You’ve already won a beauty pageant, you know what that preparation entails. What does it feel like to be on the other side?

I would do many things differently now than I did when I was on stage as a competitor. Today I see that nature is doing better,

Many girls say that they want to work in the media. OK, but what and how exactly? It is not enough to see the goal, you also have to persevere on the path leading to it, and the key to this profession is that you do not give up despite the difficulties. At the time, I knew exactly what I wanted and worked hard for it, encouraging them to do the same. I also teach social media classes, which I would have been very happy with at the time, as it’s a whole different world that you have to learn to really get into.

What do you think it takes for girls who have been left out of beauty pageants to stay in the spotlight and really gain a foothold in the media in the long run?

Many people think this is an easy course, but it is not. Some value must be given. If someone is beautiful and is photographed a lot, that means they are a model, not a beauty queen. In order to achieve the latter, he has to express his opinion, defend important issues, be charitable. You need an added value that will allow you to gain a foothold in the media later. For me, it was clearly a sport, as I grew up as a professional athlete, and to this day, my image is that of a sports beauty queen. I try to guide people towards exercise, I participate in all the major sporting events, and I am also an ambassador for charitable running. A healthy lifestyle is also very important in today’s world, I try to encourage my followers to do the same. I would say I didn’t want to get the flu, it came with the rest. I see that a lot of people want to become influencers, but there is no content behind them. She also asked the girls to start doing something valuable, and to return the favor to those who believed in it. In return, the audience will follow them enthusiastically.

Many people believe that beauty queens promote world peace, but in recent years it has become important to share their own view of life with people, as this is how they can stand out from the rest. What do you think of this?

I think this is the biggest change compared to the old beauty pageants. While in the past, perfectly edited and edited photos were great – also on Instagram – nowadays the focus is on nature. The public can recognize these. They no longer like dolls that have nothing behind them. It is good to show your natural self: for example, everyone should do whatever they want for the sake of their personality. But if a person has hereditary cellulite, then there is no problem with that, in fact, if you accept this and others see you as confident, you can greatly help those who have similar problems.

Photo: Timi Gelencsér

You mentioned social media. In recent years, it has gained more and more space, but this has been accompanied by more and more hatred. Some people find it difficult to accept criticism, so how can that be changed?

For a healthy person, it is incomprehensible why he scolds another, especially when they are strangers. I always try to pay attention to the good, but unfortunately, the human brain often works in such a way that it detects very little of the bad out of so many good things. It’s very hard to rule it out, I struggle with it to this day. It hurt terribly at first, but the worst of it was that my parents suffered because of it. After a while I let him go, but they were still sore and I felt bad that they were put in this situation because of me. Anyway, you can’t do anything with it if someone wants to hold on to it without any justification, you just let them go. If a commenter crafts a real critique, it’s a different category, one that you can learn from.

The public recognized you as a beauty queen, but since then you have shown many sides in you. How much has people’s opinion of you changed since the beginning of your career?

I’ve always wanted to be seen as an athlete. The audience got to know me through Magyarország Szépe, but I tried to show my other side as well, for which Exatlon was the perfect opportunity. Whatever task I have been entrusted with in life, I rely on my experiences gained in sports. It is good to be congratulated for the competition, I am happy with that, but I have done a thousand times of work in this sport, and the recognition is even better.

Photo: Timi Gelencsér

What is going on in your life right now, how much time will you spend on screen?

Not many things have been announced yet, but there will be some shows I’ll be on. We have already filmed Asia Express, it will be released in the fall, and I will remain the online presenter of Dancing with the Stars. More projects will be revealed soon, but that’s all I can say for now. I’d definitely like to let go of the character line, since I’ve already been to several shows, the end goal has always been to host the show.

How was your summer?

Very good, especially in terms of work. I was able to host a program at several events, including the Blue Ribbon, where I felt very comfortable. I think I’ve improved as I move up, which I will strive for in the future as well. Television is an unpredictable profession, you do not know in advance what will happen, so it is difficult to plan only for this, you always need a plan “B”.