The world met her in 1996 when she was crowned Miss Universe. Alicia Machado stepped onto the runway with admirable spontaneity, impossible to overlook. She was born to shine.
Alicia is also an actress, presenter, producer, and businesswoman. Additionally, the Venezuelan was the first winner of La Casa de los Famosos, and precisely after this reality show, she experienced a career renaissance.
During the 2021 show, Machado demonstrated her charisma, gala after gala, and thus won the audience’s support. With 67% of the votes, she was crowned the grand winner.
“It was strong, difficult, and different from any other project I had done before, but also very healing. It brought me positive things, mostly the people’s affection. Maybe I wasn’t so aware of all the love people had for me,” she said in an interview with ESTYLO Magazine.
The prize from that reality show was one of the most desired things; it was known that Alicia used that money for a very noble cause: she bought a house for her mother. She affirmed this in an interview on Al Rojo Vivo, where the Venezuelan expressed her gratitude to her mother, describing her as a magical woman who has been fundamental in her life. “My mom is something very wonderful, I wouldn’t be who I am without her,” she highlighted to La Nación.
“Oh, my love, I am from Maracay”
Recently, Alicia returned to Telemundo screens, this time for the show “Top Chef Vip,” a competition where various celebrities face demanding culinary challenges to prove their skills. They compete for the title of “Top Chef” and the prize of $200,000.
A clip of the Venezuelan during a challenge involving opening a coconut went viral on social media, showing two things: her personality and her ability to solve with what she has at hand. In a room, her teammates shouted instructions at her, but Alicia stood her ground with “I know what I’m doing.” Then came an iconic phrase that defines her well: “Oh, my love, I am from Maracay, Aragua state, Venezuela.”
Regarding this, the Maracayera assured that a duality lives within her. “I could tell you that I am totally a different person, or that I haven’t stopped being the same. I am in that duality. There are days when I am ‘totally Maracay’ and others when I am focused on everything I have grown and learned. But my essence remains the same. I am still the same girl, with the same dreams and the same desire to succeed as always.”
Past and Present
Alicia always keeps her origins in mind. She is proud to be Latina, Venezuelan, and now, of course, American. These are things that can coexist without a problem, but her roots are never forgotten.
“My grandmother Alicia, who is in Maracay, always told me that being an immigrant was like a kind of ‘nationality,’ a kind of culture, and that no matter how good a country is, no matter how well you feel and no matter how many papers you have, your homeland will always be a memory. Now her words are so true for me. She is 94 years old, she is Cuban, she arrived in Venezuela at 20, and now that she is so old, her accent has returned, she tells stories about walking on the Malecón with her sisters, and she tells them as if they were happening now. That means the soul and the brain will return. And I know that one day I will be the Venezuelan I always was,” she confessed to Estylo.
With those thoughts, she continues forward. The projects do not cease. Now she is Top Chef, but the audience knows it won’t end there. Additionally, her role as a businesswoman has brought her great opportunities, and she continues to receive the love of the people who have seen her evolve.
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