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==External links==
==External links==
{{commonscat|Miss Universe}}
{{commonscat|Miss Universe}}
* [http://worldofbeautypageant.phpbb3now.com/ WORLD OF BEAUTY PAGEANTS .]
* [http://www.missuniverse.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.missuniverse.com/ Official Site]


Revision as of 12:47, 16 September 2010

Miss Universe
Formation1952
TypeBeauty Pageant
HeadquartersNew York City, U.S.
President
Paula Shugart
Key people
Donald Trump
Websitemissuniverse.com

Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest run by the Miss Universe Organization.[1][2][3] The pageant is one of the most publicized beauty contests in the world with 600 million viewers.[4]

The contest was founded in 1952 by California clothing company Pacific Mills. The pageant became part of Kayser-Roth and then Gulf and Western Industries, before being acquired by Donald Trump in 1996.[5][6]

In 1998, Miss Universe changed its name from Miss Universe, Inc. to Miss Universe Organization and the headquarters moved from Long Beach, Los Angeles to New York City that year. Donald Trump brought in a new team of professionals to the contest headed by its new CEO, Molly Miles, and president Maureen Reidy. Miles coined the slogan "Redefined for Today" for promotion of the pageants. That year, the new Miss Universe logo was born: The Woman with the Stars, which is still used today.[7]

The current Miss Universe is Ximena Navarrete, from Mexico. She won the title on August 23, 2010.

History

The first use of the title "Miss Universe" was as part of International Pageant of Pulchritude which began in 1926. These events, the first international contests, lasted until 1935 when the Great Depression and other events preceding World War II led to their demise. This pageant had no direct relationship with the modern event.

The winner of the later "Miss America 1951" pageant, Yolande Betbeze, refused to pose in a swimsuit from its major sponsor, Catalina swimwear. As a result, the brand's manufacturer Pacific Mills withdrew from Miss America and set up the Miss USA and Miss Universe contests. The first Miss Universe Pageant was held in Long Beach, California in 1952. It was won by Armi Kuusela from Finland, who gave up her title though not officially to get married to a Filipino tycoon, Virgilio Hilario, shortly before her year was complete. Until 1958 the Miss Universe title (like Miss America) was post-dated, so at the time Ms. Kuusela's title was Miss Universe 1953.

The pageant was first televised in 1955. CBS began nationally broadcasting the combined Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants from 1960 and, separately, from 1965. In 2003 NBC took over the television rights.

Competition formats

In the early years of the pageant, the delegates who made the cut were announced after the preliminary competition. From 1965 to the present day, the semi-finalists were not announced until the night of the main event. The semi-finalists once again competed in evening gown and swimsuit and a top 5 were announced. An interview portion was introduced in 1960 to decide the runners-up and winner.

From 1959 to 1964, there were slight format changes. In 1959 through 1963, there was no cut to 5 finalists; the runners-up and winners were called from the assembled 15 semi-finalists. In 1964, the top 15 became a top 10, and after a round of interview, the winner and runners-up were called from the 10 finalists.

In 1965, the pageant returned to the original format of a cut to 5 finalists, and remained so until 1989.

In 1969, a final question was posed to the last five contestants. The final question was an on-and-off feature of the pageant. In 1990, it had taken root and every pageant since, the final contestants have to answer a final question.

In 1990, the pageant implemented major format changes in the competition itself. Instead of five finalists, the field was reduced from 10 semi-finalists to 6. Each contestant then randomly selected a judge and answered the question posed by the judge. After that, the field was narrowed down further to a final 3. In 1998, the number of finalists was reduced to 5, although there still was a cut to a final 3. This continued to 2001, where the final 5 format was re-instated.

In 2000, the interview portion of the semi-finals was quietly dropped and the contestants once again, as in the early days of the pageant, competed only in swimsuit and gowns.

In 2003, the Top 15 was again selected instead of the Top 10. Cuts were made to make the Top 10, and eventually the Top 5. The final question varied, each coming from the final delegates themselves and the current Miss Universe.

In 2006, twenty semi-finalists were announced, with these delegates competing in the swimsuit competition. The number of competing delegates was then cut to ten, with those delegates competing in the evening gown competition. After that round of competition, the final five were announced, with the finalists competing in the "final question" or interview round. At the end of competition the runners-up were announced and the winner crowned by the outgoing queen.

In 2007 the format changed slightly with the top 15 moving to the swimsuit competition; from there, 10 selected contestants moved on to the evening gown competition where half were eliminated. The final five were competing in the "final question". At the end of competition the runners-up were announced an the winner crowned by the outgoing queen.

The contest today

The Miss Universe Organization, a New York–based partnership between NBC and Donald Trump, has run the contest since June 20, 2002. The current president is Paula Shugart. The Organization sells television rights to the pageant in other countries, and also produces the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA contests with the winner of Miss USA representing the USA in Miss Universe.

Contestant selection

Each year, bids are received by the Miss Universe organizers from organizations who wish to select the Miss Universe contestant for a country. This allows competition between different pageants to hold a country's license, as happened for Miss Italy and Miss France for example, when the licenses for their respective traditional organizations were revoked (the usual Miss France competition returned in 2004).

Usually a country's candidate selection involves pageants in major cities, with the winners competing in a national pageant, but this does not always occur. For example, in 2000 Australia's national pageant was abolished as a relic of a bygone era, with Australian delegates instead chosen by a modeling agency. Such "castings" are generally discouraged by the Miss Universe Organization, which prefers national pageants that preserve an aura of respectability and competition. Despite being "cast", Miss Australia, Jennifer Hawkins, was chosen as Miss Universe 2004. Later that year, Australia resumed its national pageant and chose Michelle Guy as Miss Universe Australia 2005.

Some of the most successful national pageants in the last decade have been Venezuela, USA, Puerto Rico, etc. which command consistently high interest and television ratings in their respective countries.[8] Recent arrivals in the pageant include China (2002), Albania (2002), Vietnam (2004), Georgia (2004), Ethiopia (2004), Latvia (2005), Kazakhstan (2006), Tanzania (2007), and Kosovo (2008); there have also been efforts to revive strong national pageants in South Africa, Canada, Spain, Japan; Latin America (especially Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil) among other regions. Prior powerhouses are Finland, Germany and Sweden. England is the most successful non-winning country with nine Top 5 positions.

There are continually efforts to expand the pageant, but the participation of some countries such as Algeria has proven difficult due to cultural barriers to the swimsuit competition, while others such as Azerbaijan, Mozambique, Armenia and Nepal have balked at sending representatives due to the cost (in fact, of all the major international pageants, the franchise fee for Miss Universe is the most expensive). As of 2010, only four countries have been present at every Miss Universe since its inception in 1952: Canada, France, Germany, and the United States. Many European countries allow 17-year-old contestants to compete in their pageants, while Miss Universe's minimum age is 18, so national titleholders often have to be replaced by their runners-up. Miss Universe also prohibits transsexual applicants and age fabrication.

Main pageant

The main Miss Universe Pageant, as of now, is held over a two week period in May and July. In the 1970s through the 1990s, the pageant was a month long. This allowed time for rehearsals, appearances, and the preliminary competition, with the winner being crowned by the previous year's titleholder during the final competition.

According to the organizers, the Miss Universe contest is more than a beauty pageant: women aspiring to become Miss Universe must be intelligent, well-mannered, and cultured. Often a candidate has lost because she did not have a good answer during the question responses rounds; although this section of competition has held less importance during recent pageants than it did in the twentieth century. Delegates also participate in swimsuit and evening gown competitions.

Currently, the final placement of the finalists is determined by a ranked vote, where each judge ranks each of the final three/five candidates, with the contestant posting the lowest cumulative score (thus often, but not neccessarily always, the contestant with the most number one votes) becoming the winner. If there is a tie, the higher semifinal scores become decisive.

The winner is assigned a one year contract with the Miss Universe Organization, going overseas to spread messages about the control of diseases, peace, and public awareness of AIDS. Since Donald Trump took over the pageant, the winner has been given the use of a Trump Tower apartment in New York City for use during her reign.

Aside from the main winner and her runners-up, special awards are also awarded to the winners of the best National Costume, Miss Photogenic, and Miss Congeniality. Miss Congeniality is chosen by the delegates themselves. In recent years, Miss Photogenic has been chosen by popular internet vote (the winner used to be chosen by media personnel covering the event).

Final judgment

The competition for the Miss Universe title has seen many changes, although there have been several constants throughout its history. All the contestants compete in a preliminary round of judging (nowadays called the "Presentation Show") where the field is narrowed to a select number of semi-finalists. This number has fluctuated over the years. The very first Miss Universe pageant had ten semi-finalists. The next two years, the number of semi-finalists grew to 16. In 1955, the number dropped to a stable 15, which remained through 1970. In 1971, the number was reduced to 12. That number was further reduced to a mere 10 in 1984. This lasted until 2003, when the number of 15 was re-instated. In 2006, there were 20 semi-finalists, the highest number ever. In 2007, the Organization announced the Top 15 system would be back, which was also used in 2008.

In the early years, the contestants were judged in swimsuit and evening gown only. In later years, the contestants also competed in a preliminary interview round in a one-on-one meeting with each individual judge.

In 2007, 77 contestants started the competition; the top 15 moving to the swimsuit competition. From there, 10 were selected for the evening gown competition which halved the contenders to 5. These final five then answered a final question to decide the winner.

Crown

The Miss Universe crown used from 2002–2007 was designed by Mikimoto, the official jewellery sponsor of the Miss Universe Organization, and depicted the phoenix rising, signifying status, power and beauty. The crown has 500 diamonds of almost 30 carats (6.0 g), 120 South Sea and Akoya pearls, ranging in size from 3 to 18 mm diameter and is valued at $250,000. The Crown was designed specifically for the pageant on Mikimoto Pearl Island in Japan with the Mikimoto crown and tiara being first used for Miss Universe 2002.[9] Since 2009, Diamond Nexus Labs made Miss Universe crown. The crown is set with 1,371 gemstones, weighing a total of 416.09 carats (83.218 g). It contains 544.31 grams of 14k and 18k white gold as well as platinum.

Musical score

2004 marked the first year for the Miss Universe pageant to use the Orenté musical score, the official Miss Universe soundtrack. The Orenté musical score is divided into eight sequences: the Orenté Introduction — the musical score played during the live telecast as the voice over begins the Miss Universe pageant, the Orenté Major — used for the cue after commercial and during the announcement of the newly crowned Miss Universe, the Orenté Elimination — used for the announcement of semi-finalists, the Orenté Fashion Presentation, the Orenté Interlude — used while showing the ten finalists, the Orenté Pregunta Final — used while the final five finalists answer the final question the Orenté Final Look — used for the final look of the five finalists, and the Orenté Announcement — used while announcing the positions of the final five delegates. In 2008, a new Orenté Fashion Presentation was played during the Fadil Berisha swimsuit photoshoot, the 2007 version was now the called the Orenté Curtain Call, which was used as Melanie B and Jerry Springer called out the delegates just before they made the first cut, making the Orenté musical score divided into nine sequences.

Recent titleholders

Further information: List of Miss Universe titleholders
Year Country/Territory Miss Universe National title Location
2010  Mexico Ximena Navarrete Nuestra Belleza México Las Vegas, U.S.
2009  Venezuela Stefania Fernandez Miss Venezuela Nassau, Bahamas
2008  Venezuela Dayana Mendoza Miss Venezuela Nha Trang, Vietnam
2007  Japan Riyo Mori Miss Universe Japan Mexico City, Mexico
2006  Puerto Rico Zuleyka Rivera Miss Puerto Rico Universe Los Angeles, U.S.
2005  Canada Natalie Glebova Miss Universe Canada Bangkok, Thailand
2004  Australia Jennifer Hawkins Miss Universe Australia Quito, Ecuador
2003  Dominican Republic Amelia Vega Miss Dominican Republic Panama City, Panama
2002  Russia (Dethroned) Oksana Fedorova Miss Russia San Juan, Puerto Rico
 Panama Justine Pasek Señorita Panamá
2001  Puerto Rico Denise Quiñones Miss Puerto Rico Universe Bayamón, Puerto Rico

By Number of Wins

Country/Territory Titles Winning years
 United States 7 1954, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1980, 1995, 1997
 Venezuela 6 1979, 1981, 1986, 1996, 2008, 2009
 Puerto Rico 5 1970, 1985, 1993, 2001, 2006
 Sweden 3 1955, 1966, 1984
 Mexico 2 1991, 2010
 Japan 1959, 2007
 Canada 1982, 2005
 Australia 1972, 2004
 India 1994, 2000
 Trinidad & Tobago 1977, 1998
 Thailand 1965, 1988
 Finland 1952, 1975
 Philippines 1969, 1973
 Brazil 1963, 1968
 Dominican Republic 1 2003
 Panama 2002 (Inherited crown after Russia was dethroned)
 Russia 2002 (Dethroned on September 23, 2002)
 Botswana 1999
 Namibia 1992
 Norway 1990
 Netherlands 1989
 Chile 1987
 New Zealand 1983
 South Africa 1978
 Israel 1976
 Spain 1974
 Lebanon 1971
 Greece 1964
 Argentina 1962
 Germany 1961
 Colombia 1958
 Peru 1957
 France 1953

Source:[10][11]

By Country Tally

Anyone who follows the Olympic Games or other sporting events will be familiar with the concept of the Medal Table, which ranks countries based on their first (gold), second (silver) and third (bronze) place finishes. Below is a similar table of the top rankings for the Miss Universe pageant, based on all results from the first event in 1952 to the most recent competition in 2009. Note that, from 1990 to 2000, there was only a "Top 3" with the third and fourth runners-up positions eliminated.[12]

Rank Country/Territory Miss Universe 1st Runner-Up 2nd Runner-Up 3rd Runner-Up 4th Runner-Up Semifinalists Total
1  USA 7 8 6 1 5 27 54
2  Venezuela 6 6 5 4 2 13 36
3  Puerto Rico 5 1 2 1 3 6 18
4  Sweden 3 1 2 3 4 16 29
5  Brazil[13] 2 5 0 2 3 17 29
6  Finland[13] 2 3 5 1 1 6 18
7  Australia[13] 2 1 3 1 2 5 14
8  Japan[14] 2 1 1 2 3 9 18
9  India 2 1 1 1 1 13 19
10  Canada 2 1 1 1 0 11 16

Trivia and statistics

Scores

  • Electronic voting was introduced to television viewers in 1978 when the pageant was held in Acapulco, Mexico: for the first time in a televised pageant, the audience got to see how the judges voted. This system was temporarily suspended from 2003 to 2006, where the traditional ballot system was implemented. The pageant restablished a computer voting system in 2007.
  • There is a team of three people who install, maintain, and operate the voting system. They sit somewhere in the audience area with a view of the stage, usually just in front of the accountants. They are listed in credits as “Computer Score Operators.” The same system is used for Miss Teen USA and Miss USA.

Locations

For the full list of venues, see List of Miss Universe winners and venues.
  • Miss Universe was first held outside of U.S. territory when it held the pageant in Athens, Greece, for the Miss Universe 1973 pageant. It is also the only pageant wherein contestants were not allowed to wear the traditional swimsuit because it was held in Odeon of Herodes Atticus, where religious rites were performed in the ancient times.

Competing states

See also: List of Miss Universe countries
Winners of Miss Universe by country.
  • The United States has performed the best throughout the pageant's entire history, with seven winners, eight first runners-up, six second runners-up, one third runner-up, five fourth runners-up, six finalists, and seventeen semi-finalists. Miss USA has missed the semi-finals only four times: 1976 (Barbara Peterson, from Minnesota), 1999 (Kimberly Pressler, from New York), 2002 (Shauntay Hinton, from District of Columbia), and 2010 (Rima Fakih, from Michigan). In 1957, Leona Gage, from Maryland, was disqualified from the semi-finals after it was revealed that she was married and a mother.
  • After the USA, Venezuela is the next most successful nation in terms of overall placements in the semi-finals (36); it is followed in turn by Brazil, Colombia, and Sweden (29 each), Germany (21), Israel (20), England and India (19 both), Finland, Greece, Japan, Puerto Rico, and South Africa (18 each), Canada, Mexico, Norway, and Peru (16 each). Of these countries, only England has yet to win the contest (though now competes as part of Great Britain or United Kingdom)
  • The United States has been the most successful nation to compete in Miss Universe in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Venezuela won two crowns in the 1980s becoming the most successful country that decade. Puerto Rico and Venezuela have been most successful in the 1990s and 2000s with 3 crowns each.[15]
  • The nations that have competed every single year of competition (from 1952 to date) are Canada, France, Germany, and the USA. Sweden lost this distinction when it failed to send a contestant in 2005. Israel missed the pageant in 1953, while Greece was absent in 1988 (its delegate withdrew because of illness) and Brazil in 1990 (Miss Brasil pageant wasn't contested).[16]
  • Before becoming states in 1959, Alaska and Hawaii both sent delegates to the pageant during the 1950s. In fact, Miss Hawaii was 1st runner-up in 1952 and 2nd runner-up in 1958 (before winning Miss Universe as Miss USA in 1997), while Miss Alaska reached the semi-finals in 1957.
  • After the USA, Venezuela ranked second in terms of consecutive placements in the semi-finals: 21 years, from 1983 to 2003, nearly beating the United States' 22-year streak between 1977–1998. Of those 21 years, 13 times in a row Venezuela made the top 6 or higher (1991–2003).
  • Other than the USA and Venezuela, the countries that have made the semi-finals the most in a row are India (who in recent years has emerged as a pageant powerhouse) with 11 (1992–2002) consecutive placements; Germany with ten (1952 to 1961); and Finland with 8 (1962–1969). Now that record belongs to USA, which delegates have placed consecutively in the semifinals the last seven years (2003–2009).
  • Colombia had three first runner-up placements in a row (1992–1994) a streak that has been unparalleled in competition history. However, Venezuela had 3 in four years (1997, 1998 and 2000). Also, between 1996 and 1998, Venezuela had three consecutive placements in the top two with Alicia Machado winning the crown in 1996 and the first runner-up the next two years being Venezuelan.
  • Finland has had the most consecutive runners-up. For five years, from 1965 to 1969, its delegates placed among the five finalists without interruption (1965: Virpi Miettinen, first runner-up, 1966: Satu Östring, first runner-up, 1967: Ritva Lehto, third runner-up, 1968: Leena Brusiin, second runner-up, and 1969: Harriet Eriksson, first runner-up).
  • Both Puerto Rico and Venezuela have had at least one winner in each of the last four decades, the only two nations/territories to accomplish this feat.

Delegates

  • Miss Universe 1955, Hillevi Rombin of Sweden, is the only deceased Miss Universe title holder since the pageant's inception. She was also the first winner to witness her victory being aired on television.
  • Miss Universe 1957, Gladys Zender from Peru was the youngest Miss Universe in history. She was 17 when she won the title.
  • Miss Universe 1997, Brook Lee from United States was the oldest Miss Universe in history. She was crowned at the age of 26.
  • On three occasions, contestants that did not place in Miss World: Georgina Rizk, Angela Visser, and Mpule Kwelagobe, won Miss Universe. However, no contestant who failed to place at Miss Universe has ever gone on to win Miss World.
  • Eight Miss Universe delegates placed as runner-up or semi-finalist in that pageant and later won the Miss World title. They were: Susana Duijm - semi-finalist, Venezuela 1955; Corine Rottschäfer - semi-finalist, Holland 1958; Rosemarie Frankland - first runner-up, Wales 1961; Madeleine Hartog Bell - semi-finalist, Peru 1966; Eva Rueber-Staier - semi-finalist, Austria 1969; Helen Morgan - first runner-up, Wales 1974 (dethroned); Gina Swainson - first runner-up, Bermuda 1979 and Agbani Darego - semi-finalist, Nigeria 2001.
  • At 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall, Miss Thailand 1965, Apasra Hongsakula was the shortest Miss Universe ever crowned.
  • At 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall, Miss Dominican Republic 2003, Amelia Vega was the tallest Miss Universe ever crowned.
  • In 1957, Miss USA Mary Leona Gage was disqualified for being married and a mother, though she had qualified for the semi-finals. She was replaced by Miss Argentina, Mónica Lamas.
  • Irene Sáez, Miss Universe 1981, ran for President of Venezuela in 1998, after having been elected mayor of Chacao in 1992 and governor of Nueva Esparta in 1999.
  • Miss Haiti, Evelyn Miot, became the first black woman to make it to the semi-finals in 1962.
  • Miss Curaçao, Anne Marie Braafheid, became the first black woman to become first runner up in 1968.
  • Trinidad & Tobago's Janelle Commissiong became the first woman of African descent to be crowned Miss Universe, in 1977 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The first black African to win Miss Universe was Mpule Kwelagobe, of Botswana, crowned in 1999 at Chaguaramas, Trinidad & Tobago.
  • Only once have black women won Miss Universe in succession. Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad & Tobago won the title in 1998, followed by Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana in 1999.
  • Andrea Stelzer was Miss South Africa in 1985, but pulled out of Miss Universe because of anti-apartheid demonstrations. She competed in 1989 as Miss Germany, and was a top 10 semi-finalist.
  • Miss Lebanon 2001, Christina Sawaya, pulled out of the 2002 Miss Universe competition because of the participation of Miss Israel. She went on to win the rival Miss International competition in the same year.
  • 2002's winner, Oxana Fedorova of Russia, became the first Miss Universe who officially did not finish her reign, making first runner-up Justine Pasek the first Panamanian to hold the title. Fedorova was crowned in Puerto Rico in mid-May, and was replaced by Pasek in late September. It is unclear whether Fedorova was fired for failure to perform her duties (the official version), or chose to resign because she had not expected the heavy workload.
  • The strong rivalry between Puerto Rico and Venezuela is so well known in Latin American popular culture, that their struggle has been immortalized in several Spanish-language television commercials in the United States for such companies as MasterCard and Budweiser. In the latter, former Miss Universe winners Dayanara Torres of Puerto Rico and Alicia Machado of Venezuela caused mayhem in a sports bar as they competed to win the admiration of the men present.
  • A new trend of delegates representing countries they were not born in has developed. Miss Universe 2002 Justine Pasek was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, where her Panamanian mother was completing her University studies. Miss Israel 2005, Elena Ralph was also born in Ukraine and moved to Israel when she was 18 years old. The most famous country-swapper was probably Natascha Börger. After placing 12th in the 2000 Venezuelan pageant she moved to Germany where she easily won the crown of Miss Deutschland 2002. Other notable contestants who represented countries other than their birth place include the Miss Universe Canada and Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova who is Russian by birth, Miss Universe Canada 2006 Alice Panikian who is Armenian-Bulgarian by birth, Miss Germany Universe 2006 Natalie Ackermann who is Colombian by birth, and Venezuelan born Francys Sudnicka representing Poland. Such is also reflected in the growing number of delegates from different parts of the world being sent to a third country (almost always Latin American) for further training before going on to the host country and compete in the pageant proper.
  • In 1999, Botswana sent Mpule Kwelagobe as its first ever delegate to the pageant and she won.
  • In 2007, Riyo Mori of Japan was crowned in Mexico City, Mexico in another controversial competition. All ten finalists were brunettes. When Miss Mexico failed to make the final cut, the crowd loudly booed Miss USA who did pass despite falling over in the evening gown competition.

Winners

  • In an interesting and quite original break from tradition, Miss Universe 1998, Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago, did her final walk in 1999 to her very own recording, a cover of Sade's Kiss of Life instead of to a pre-recorded message or being interviewed by the host.[17]
  • Natalie Glebova of Canada, Miss Universe 2005 reigned for the longest period in Miss Universe history: one year and 53 days (almost 2 months) from the time she was crowned on May 31, 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand. Riyo Mori of Japan, Miss Universe 2007 reigned for almost the same length: one year and 45 days from the time she was crowned on May 28, 2007 in Mexico City, Mexico.
  • In April 2006, a reunion of former titleholders took place in New York City to celebrate the launch of the book "Universal Beauty" by Cara Birnbaum. The reunion included Sylvia Hitchcock (1967, USA); Margaret Gardiner (1978, South Africa); Yvonne Ryding (1984, Sweden); Deborah Carthy Deu (1985, Puerto Rico); Bárbara Palacios (1986, Venezuela); Porntip Nakhirunkanok (1988, Thailand); Mona Grudt (1990, Norway); Lupita Jones (1991, Mexico); Michelle McLean (1992, Namibia); Brook Mahealani Lee (1997, USA); Wendy Fitzwilliam (1998, Trinidad & Tobago); Denise Quiñones (2001, Puerto Rico); Justine Pasek (2002, Panama); Amelia Vega (2003, Dominican Republic) and Natalie Glebova (2005, Canada).
  • The largest interval between a nation winning Miss Universe is Japan; Akiko Kojima won the title in 1959 and, 48 years later, Riyo Mori became the second recipient from Japan.
  • In 2009, Venezuela became the first country ever to win consecutive titles, when Dayana Mendoza, Miss Venezuela and Miss Universe 2008 crowned her compatriot, Stefanía Fernández as Miss Universe 2009. This was yet another controversial competition in that Stefanía Fernández did not score in the Top 3 in any of the preliminaries or semi-finals events. Many sources have stated that she was favored and picked by the owner of the Miss Universe (Donald Trump) at the time of her reign. However, it should be noticed that the scores only determine which delegates are making the cut, and the competition starts all over from zero (Many delegates in the past won some or all semifinal competitions and didn't win the crown. Diana Nogueira, Miss Spain 1999, who won swimsuit and evening gown competitions and was 2nd runner-up; Milka Chulina, Miss Venezuela 1993, who had the higher average of the three competitions and also was 2nd runner-up, Denny Mendez, Miss Italy 1997, who also had the highest average and only made top 6, etc.) and is the final question and the close-up final look which makes the jury to select the winner.
  • USA won in 1956, then in 1995 and 1997 and Venezuela won in 1979 and 1981. Curiously, between the Venezuelan triumphs of 1979 and 1981, the winner was from the USA, and between the two USA wins in 1995 and 1997, the winner was from Venezuela.
  • The very first Miss Universe Armi Kuusela from Finland lives again in California, San Diego, with her ambassador husband, Albert Williams, after living around the world which all started in Miss Universe competition in California 1952.

Awards

Further information: Miss Universe special awards
  • The Philippines has won the Miss Photogenic award seven times (five of them via internet voting, including a back-to-back and a three-peat), followed by the UK with 5 and Puerto Rico, with five, four of them via internet voting during a six-year period, from 1999 to 2004 (did not win in 2000).
  • Colombia has won the Best National Costume Award six times.
  • Guam has won the Miss Congeniality award four times.
  • The only Miss Universe to win three awards on pageant night was Denise Quiñones (Puerto Rico), who in 2001 also won Miss Photogenic via internet voting, Bluepoint Swimsuit Award, and Clairol Best Style Award. Alicia Machado (Venezuela) almost accomplished this feat when she got the Jantzen Best in Swimsuit Award and That Takes Finesse Award in 1996.
  • Four Miss Universe winners were awarded Miss Photogenic: Margareta Arvidsson (Sweden, 1966), Margarita Moran (Philippines, 1973), Janelle Commissiong (Trinidad and Tobago, 1977) and Denise Quiñones (Puerto Rico, 2001).
  • Three titleholders have also won Best National Costume: Porntip Nakhirunkanok (Thailand, 1988), Wendy Fitzwilliam (Trinidad and Tobago, 1998) and, Amelia Vega (Dominican Republic, 2003).

The Miss Universe Creed

From 1960 to 1990, the Miss Universe Creed was read at each pageant: "We, the young women of the universe, believe people everywhere are seeking peace, tolerance and mutual understanding. We pledge to spread this message in every way we can, wherever we go."

See also

References

  1. ^ Washington Post: Trump and Rosie Argue Over Miss USA
  2. ^ Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez is Miss Universe 2009
  3. ^ Miss Universe crown eludes Africa 55 times
  4. ^ Medel, Monica, "Japan's Mori wins troubled Miss Universe contest" Reuters, May 28, 2007.
    "Miss Universe and Miss World are separate business enterprises, with the former far more successful at the moment." ("Is Miss Universe Miss World's Boss?" Slate, Nov. 26, 2003.)
    "Along with its rival contests , Miss World and Miss Earth, (Miss Universe) is one of the most publicized beauty contests in the world." ("Stefania Fernandez is Miss Universe 2009")
    Singapore must not give up its 59 seconds of fame"
    Tracing the regal existence of ‘Miss Universe’
  5. ^ Miss Universe Pageant Defends Credibility Amid Criticism Show is Degrading, Unprofessional
  6. ^ Channel-i to telecast Miss Universe 2004 live!
  7. ^ This Day: Miss Universe Tanzania
  8. ^ Grand Slam Ranking - last updated on December 2, 2007 of Global Beauties
  9. ^ The Miss Universe Mikimoto Crown
  10. ^ Pageantopolis - Miss Universe
  11. ^ Miss Universe - History and List of titleholders
  12. ^ WHO HAS THE MOST MISS UNIVERSES?
  13. ^ a b c Pageantopolis - Countries - A to F
  14. ^ Pageantopolis - Countries - G to O
  15. ^ Pageant Almanac - Miss Universe - Ranking
  16. ^ Miss Brasil Site Oficial
  17. ^ http://www.beautyinpageants.blogspot.com/2008/08/1999-miss-universe-in-trinidad-and.html
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