Miss Colombia Has the Best Answer When Asked if She’d Save a Dog or Art From a Museum Fire

The interview portion of a beauty pageant can be a make-or-break moment. A bad answer can make you lose the entire competition, despite your talents and good looks, while a good reply can demonstrate intelligence, quick thinking, and charm—earning you much more than the crown. For Tatiana Castro, who competed in Miss Colombia 1994, her thoughtful answer not only helped her win the title; it continues to spark conversations over 30 years later.

On the final round of the competition, Castro was posed the following question: “A museum is on fire, and you have the chance to go in only one time. Before you, you have some famous paintings of this museum, and the guard's dog. Which one would you save?” Without missing a beat, Castro exclaimed “Oh my God! The dog!”

The contestant then elaborated. “The paintings are art. Art is to be given away, like love and peace. Animals, plants, and people are life. Life is to be kept.” Her answer made the entire audience erupt in cheers, as the camera pans to people cheering, clapping, and raising their arms in approval. Only minutes later, Castro was crowned as Miss Colombia. The title allowed her to compete in Miss Universe the following year, where she made it to the top 10 in the competition.

Fast forward three decades, and Castro is now a successful speaker, financial coach, author, and a mother of two. In a recent interview with CityTV, she looked back at the beauty pageant that shot her to stardom, saying she stands by her answer to this day. For her, her iconic answer was part of her growth as a person, adding that life should be respected and protected.

Her answer once again sparked conversations after Miss Universe shared a subtitled video of her response in her native Spanish, which earned a nod from Castro herself. One user confessed, “I wouldn't be able to come up with such an answer if I knew the question three months in advance,” while others praised her for having her heart in the right place. One commenter put it simply by saying, “If you don’t have a soul to save a dog, you truly wouldn’t have the capacity to admire or understand art.”

Tatiana Castro competed for Miss Colombia in 1994. Her answer during the interview portion of the competition was so eloquent it continues to spark conversations today.

“A museum is on fire, and you have the chance to go in only one time. Before you, you have some famous paintings of this museum, and the guard's dog. Which one would you save?” Here's the video:

Without missing a beat, Castro replied “Oh my God! The dog!”

Fast forward three decades, and Castro is now a successful speaker, financial coach, author, and a mother of two.

Tatiana Castro: Instagram

Sources: Miss Universe Trivia on Instagram; Una de las respuestas más icónicas que han pasado por el #CNB y fue la de Tatiana Castro Abuchaibe; Reina de belleza, pastora y sanadora: El increíble viaje de Tatiana Castro; Tatiana Castro on Instagram; Miss Universe 1995 on Wikipedia 

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Regina Sienra

Regina Sienra is a Staff Writer at My Modern Met. Based in Mexico City, Mexico, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications with specialization in Journalism from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She has 10+ years’ experience in Digital Media, writing for outlets in both English and Spanish. Her love for the creative arts—especially music and film—drives her forward every day.
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