MISS UNIVERSE 2008

Miss Universe 2008
Dayana Mendoza
Venezuela

1st Runner Up Taliana Vargas (Colombia)
















Miss Universe 2008
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Miss Universe 2008

Date: July 14, 2008
Presenters: Jerry Springer, Melanie Brown
Entertainment: Lady GaGa
Venue: Crown Convention Center, Nha Trang, Vietnam
Broadcaster: NBC, Telemundo, VTV
Entrants: 80
Debuts: Kosovo
Winner: Dayana Mendoza
Represented: Venezuela
Miss Universe 2008, the 57th Miss Universe beauty pageant, was held at the Crown Convention Center (Diamond Bay Resort) in Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 14, 2008.[1] Dayana Mendoza, Miss Venezuela, was crowned Miss Universe 2008 by outgoing titleholder Riyo Mori of Japan.[2]

Eighty contestants competed in the event[3] which was broadcasted and distributed globally via NBC in English and Telemundo in Spanish to TV outlets in more than 180 countries. The pageant was watched by a live audience of 7,500 and nearly a billion television viewers worldwide.[4]

This is the first major USA-based television production to take place in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War. This is also the first time that the Miss Universe pageant was broadcast in 1080i High-definition. And this pageant was held in a contemporary Communist state for the first time.

The final presentation show was on July 8, the dress rehearsal on July 13 and the live telecast on July 14. Most activities were held successively in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Sai Gon), Ha Noi, Da Nang, Hoi An, Ha Long and finally Nha Trang.

Jerry Springer, tabloid talk show host and host of NBC's America's Got Talent, and Melanie Brown, a.k.a. "Scary Spice", member of the UK pop group Spice Girls and host of TLC's The Singing Office, presented this year's competition. Lady GaGa, 22 year-old performer and songwriter, performed her single Just Dance.

Areas of Competition
Crown Convention Center, Nha Trang.Prior to the final telecast, all contestants competed in swimsuit and evening gown during the preliminary competition. They also participated in interviews with the judges.

During the final competition, the top fifteen contestants (based on their preliminary scores) competed in the swimsuit competition, and the top ten (based upon individual swimsuit scores) competed in evening gown. The final five contestants (based upon individual score from evening gown) participated in a final round of on-stage interviews, before the runners-up were announced and the new Miss Universe named.

This was the second year since 2002 that the judges' average scores were shown on television.

Results.Miss Universe 2008: Dayana Mendoza (Venezuela)
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up: Taliana Vargas (Colombia)
2nd runner-up: Marianne Cruz Gonzalez (Dominican Republic)
3rd runner-up: Vera Krasova (Russia)
4th runner-up: Elisa Najera (Mexico)
The following contestants placed in the top ten and competed in both swimsuit and evening gown (in order of placement): Zana Krasniqi (Kosovo), Claudia Moro (Spain), Crystle Stewart (USA), Claudia Ferraris (Italy), Laura Dundovic (Australia)
The following contestants placed in the top fifteen and competed in the swimsuit competition (in order of placement): Eliška Bučková (Czech Republic), Jázmin Dammak (Hungary), Tanzey Coetzee (South Africa), Hiroko Mima (Japan), Nguyễn Thùy Lâm (Vietnam)

Special awards
Miss Congeniality: Rebeca Moreno (El Salvador)
Best National Costume: Gavintra Photijak (Thailand)
For the first time since the award's inception, no Miss Photogenic Award was given.

Final Competition Scores
Swimsuit Evening Gown
Venezuela 9.327 9.697
Colombia 9.433 9.829
Dominican Republic 8.983 9.036
Russia 8.414 8.471
Mexico 9.071 9.429
Kosovo 8.120 8.264
Spain 9.150 8.200
USA 9.207 8.050
Italy 7.671 7.729
Australia 7.814 7.557
Czech Republic 7.386
Hungary 7.229
South Africa 7.133
Japan 7.100
Vietnam 7.050

Historical Significance
This is the first time Venezuela won Miss Universe since Alicia Machado won Miss Universe 1996. This is the fifth time Venezuela has won the title.
Venezuela (1979, 1981, 1986, 1996, 2008) now ties with Puerto Rico (1970, 1985, 1993, 2001, 2006) for the second-most titleholders in Miss Universe history. Miss USA still holds the record with seven (1954, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1980, 1995, 1997).
Since the pageant's inception in 1952, more than half of the contestants (29 total) who have won came from the Americas.
Dominican Republic equaled the finish of Renata Sone in 2005, the highest finish of a contestant from the Dominican Republic since Amelia Vega won in 2003.
Russia had the strongest finish (third runner-up) since Oxana Fedorova won in 2002, before she was later dethroned.
Australia had the strongest finish (tenth) since Jennifer Hawkins won in 2004.
This is the third year in a row that Japan made the Top 15 contestants.
Contestants from Kosovo and Vietnam made the first cut of contestants for the first time in pageant history.
Vietnam's selection past the first cut became the 45th time in pageant history the host country has its contestant make the first cut.
Mexico placed for the fifth consecutive year.
Czech Republic, Venezuela & Japan were also called out for the finals last year.
Hungary, Colombia and Russia last placed in 2006 while South Africa and Dominican Republic last made the cut in 2005.
Countries that got called out to the semi-finals after a long period without placement were: Italy (11 years), Spain (7 years) and Australia (4 years).
It was the first time since 2001 where the number of European delegates surpassed that from the Americas in the semifinals, with 6 contestants from the old continent and 5 from the Americas.
Thailand won the Best National Costume award for the fourth time.
El Salvador won the Miss Congeniality award for the second time.

Judges
Roberto Cavalli - Renowned fashion designer
Joseph Cinque - President of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences
Jennifer Hawkins - Miss Universe 2004
Ishaa Koppikar - Bollywood actress
Louis Licari - Celebrity Hairstylist
Nguyen Cong Khe - Editor-in-Chief of Vietnamese newspaper Thanh Nien
Taryn Rose - Footwear designer
Donald Trump, Jr. - Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization; eldest son of Miss Universe co-owner Donald Trump
Nadine Velazquez - actress on NBC's My Name Is Earl

Background Music
Mika, "Love Today" — background music used for the Opening and Presentation of National Costumes
Lady GaGa, "Just Dance" — performed live during the Swimsuit Competition
Robin Thicke, "Magic" from the album Something Else — background music used during the Evening Gown Competition

Delegates
Albania - Matilda Mecini
Angola - Lesliana Pereira
Antigua and Barbuda - Athina James
Argentina - Silvana Belli
Aruba - Tracey Nicolaas
Australia - Laura Dundovic
Bahamas - Sacha Scott
Belgium - Alizée Poulicek
Bolivia - Katherine David Céspedes
Brazil - Natália Anderle
Canada - Samantha Tajik
Cayman Islands - Rebecca Parchment
China - Ziya Wei
Colombia - Taliana Vargas
Costa Rica - María Teresa Rodríguez
Croatia - Snježana Lončarević
Curaçao - Jenyfeer Mercelina
Cyprus - Dimitra Sergiou
Czech Republic - Eliška Bučková
Denmark - Marie-Sten Knudsen
Dominican Republic - Marianne Cruz Gonzalez
Ecuador - Doménica Saporitti
Egypt - Yara Naoum
El Salvador - Rebeca Moreno
Estonia - Julia Kovaljova
Finland - Satu Tuomisto
France - Laura Tanguy
Georgia - Gvantsa Daraselia
Germany - Madina Taher
Ghana - Yvette Nsiah
Greece - Dionissia Koukiou
Guam - Siera Robertson
Guatemala - Jennifer Chiong
Honduras - Diana Barrasa
Hungary - Jázmin Dammak
India - Simran Kaur Mundi
Indonesia - Putri Raemawasti
Ireland - Lynn Kelly
Israel - Shunit Faragi
Italy - Claudia Ferraris
Jamaica - April Jackson
Japan - Hiroko Mima
Kazakhstan - Alfina Nassyrova
Korea - Sun Lee
Kosovo - Zana Krasniqi
Malaysia - Levy Li
Mauritius - Marie-Anne Olivia
Mexico - Elisa Nájera
Montenegro - Daša Živković
Netherlands - Charlotte Labee
New Zealand - Samantha Powell
Nicaragua - Thelma Rodríguez
Nigeria - Stephanie Oforka
Norway - Mariann Birkedal
Panama - Carolina Dementiev
Paraguay - Giannina Rufinelli
Peru - Karol Castillo
Philippines - Jennifer Barrientos
Poland - Barbara Tatara
Puerto Rico - Ingrid Rivera
Russia - Vera Krasova
Serbia - Bojana Borić
Singapore - Shenise Wong
Slovakia - Sandra Manáková
Slovenia - Anamarija Avbelj
South Africa - Tansey Coetzee
Spain - Claudia Moro
Sri Lanka - Aruni Rajapaksha
Switzerland - Amanda Ammann
Tanzania - Amanda Ole Sulul
Thailand - Gavintra Photijak
Trinidad and Tobago - Anya Ayoung-Chee
Turkey - Sinem Sülün
Turks & Caicos - Angelica Lightbourne
UK - Lisa Lazarus
Ukraine - Eleonora Masalab
Uruguay - Paula Díaz
USA - Crystle Stewart
Venezuela - Dayana Mendoza
Vietnam - Nguyễn Thùy Lâm

Debuts
Kosovo sent its first ever delegate Zana Krasniqi.

Withdrawals
Barbados, Belize, Bulgaria, Guyana, Lebanon, Saint Lucia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Zambia competed in 2007 but not at Miss Universe 2008.

Returning states and territories
Guam last competed in 2000.[34]
Netherlands and Vietnam last competed in 2005.
Cayman Islands, Ghana, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and UK last competed in 2006.

New Crown
For Miss Universe 2008 a new crown was unveiled. The 18k white and yellow gold crown was designed by CAO Fine Jewelry specifically for the event. With over 1,000 pecious stones, including 44 carats of diamonds, the crown has a value of $120,000 (USD). The design of the crown is highly symbolic. Vietnam is symbolized in the yellow gold, representative of the country's healthy economy, and in the crane, with represents the spirit and culture of Vietnam. Other colors stand for inspiration and feeling, while the depicted heart is meant to reflect faith, hope and unity. The curving patterns of the stones are a tribute to every country, reflecting growth. The crown will only be awarded as part of the contest this year, with the original Mikimoto design being awarded again next year.


Prizes
Dayana Mendoza receives a prize package which includes cash, a one-year contract promoting Miss Universe, world travel, a rent-free, prestigious New York City apartment, a gift bag stuffed with free designer shoes, dresses and beauty products, a $100,000 USD stipend for a 2-year course at the New York Film Academy and free access to famous fashion houses and beauty parlors. Mendoza will spend her year-long reign traveling the world to lecture on humanitarian issues and promote education regarding HIV/AIDS, the official platform of the Miss Universe Organization.


Miss USA falls again
Miss USA, Crystle Stewart, slipped and fell down the stairs during the Evening Gown competition. This was the second year in a row that a Miss USA delegate fell during Evening Gown. This is also the first time in pageant history a contestant fell down during the Evening Gown competition in two consecutive pageants, from the same country, or from any country. Miss USA 2007, Rachel Smith, fell during Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico, and received boos after she made the Top Five contestants. After Stewart fell, she encouraged the audience to applaud by clapping her hands.[41] She was eliminated after the Evening Gown Competition, finishing in eighth place.


Contestant Notes
Miss Pays de Loire, Laura Tanguy, will represent France. She was second runner up in the Miss France competition, but the winner, Valérie Bègue, was banned after suggestive photos of her appeared in the media shortly after she was crowned.
The first runner-up, Miss New Caledonia Vahinerii Requillart, decided to not compete in Miss Universe because she wants to continue studying.
The winner of Miss Russia 2007 Ksenia Sukhinova was supposed to represent Russia, but due to her studies was replaced by her 2nd runner-up Vera Krasova.[citation needed]
Claudia Moro, was appointed as representative of her country instead of winning the title. Patricia Yurena Rodriguez, who originally was crowned Miss Spain, was disqualified because she did not meet the minimum age requirement by the time asked by the Miss Universe Organization.
Daša Živković (Montenegro) placed 3rd Runner-up at the Miss Tourism Queen International 2008 pageant.
In February 2008, Miss Universe organization president Paula Shugart announced that a Miss Kosovo would compete in Miss Universe 2008 in Vietnam. Montenegro and Serbia had already announced that they would boycott the pageant if Kosovo participates. As Vietnam and Kosovo do not have diplomatic relations, the Vietnam government considered disallowing such participation since it opposes Kosovo's independence. In the end, Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro competed without incident. Kosovo's Zana Krasniqi made it to the finals, finishing sixth place.
Ingrid Marie Rivera, Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2008 was 2nd Runner-up at Miss World 2005. She was previously Miss Global Queen 2003.
Shenise Wong, Miss Singapore Universe 2008, was previously competed in Miss Asia-Pacific 1999, Miss International 2002, and Miss World 2005.
Marianne Cruz, Miss Dominican Republic 2008 is the reigning Miss Continente Americano 2007.
Sacha Scott (Bahamas) is the daughter of Miss Bahamas 1982, Christina Thompson-Scott, who competed in Miss Universe 1983
Dayana Mendoza, Miss Venezuela 2007 was a finalist at the Elite Model Look International 2001, in Nice, France.
Samantha Tajik, Miss Universe Canada 2008 currently holds the International Model Of The Year 2007 title and was 2nd runner-up in Miss Global Beauty Queen 2007.
Barbara Tatara (Miss Poland) previously competed at Miss Earth 2007 but did not place.
Aruni Madusha Rajapakse (Miss Sri Lanka) placed as a Semi-Finalist at Miss International 2007.
Rebecca Parchment (Miss Cayman Islands) previously competed at Miss World 2007 but did not place.
Tansey Coetzee (South Africa), Alizée Poulicek (Belgium), Laura Tanguy (France), Alfina Nassyrova (Kazakhstan) and Olivia Carey (Mauritius) will compete in Miss World 2008

Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela, Miss Universe 2008

NEWS:
Victory in Vietnam
Miss Venezuela, Dayana Mendoza, was crowned Miss Universe 2008 on July 13, 2008, in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The first runner-up was Taliana Vargas of Colombia. The second runner-up was Marianne Cruz Gonzalez of the Dominican Republic, and the third runner-up was Vera Krasova of Russia. The fourth runner-up was Elisa Najera of Mexico.
Others among the top 10 were Claudia Ferraris of Italy, Zana Krasniqi of Kosovo, Crystle Stewart of the USA, Claudia Moro of Spain and Laura Dundovic of Australia. Others among the Top 15 were Lam Thuy Nguyen of Vietnam, Tansey Coetzee of South Africa, Hiroko Mima of Japan, Elisa Buckova of the Czech Republic and Jazmin Dammak of Hungary.
Miss Congeniality, chosen by the contestants, was Rebeca Moreno of El Salvador. The winner of the award for Best Costume was Gavintra Photijak of Thailand.
The makeup of the Top 5 was fairly conventional, with all the top 5 coming from countries that had won the crown previously. And the two top finishers came from the South American neighbors that arguably have the most vibrant beauty pageant
cultures on Earth.
The site of the pageant was one that would have seemed improbable only a decade
earlier. The largest of the American-based pageant systems held its finals in Vietnam,the country still widely known for having successfully resisted American control in the 1960s and '70s. Vietnam, like some other major Asian nations, has gone in two decades from hostility toward pageants to a fervent embrace.
Americans are likely to remember the pageant because for the second year in a row,
Miss USA stumbled and fell onstage. Just as in 2007, the American representative recovered herself with admirable grace.
One echo of international tensions that remain today was the presence of Zana Krasniqi, Miss Kosovo. It declared its independence from Serbia in early 2008 under the sponsorship of the United States and much of western Europe, and over the strong objections of a number of other countries. Vietnam does not recognize Kosovo, and Ms. Krasniqi initially had visa problems as she sought to attend the pageant. She eventually competed and made the top 10, but was referred to by Vietnamese officials as Miss Kosovo-Serbia.
The biggest break with pageant tradition was probably the farewell walk by Miss Universe 2007, Riyo Mori of Japan. Instead of wearing an evening gown, she was clad in what some observers called a "cleavage tuxedo." The Rising Sun never rose more dramatically.

MISS UNIVERSE 2007

Miss Universe 2007
Riyo Mori
Japan

































Miss Universe 2007
Date: 28 May 2007
Presenters: Vanessa Minnillo and Mario Lopez
Entertainment: RBD
Venue: Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
Broadcaster: NBC, Telemundo, Televisa
Entrants: 77
Debuts: Montenegro, Serbia, Tanzania
Withdraws: Cayman Islands, Chile, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Namibia, Northern Marianas, Sri Lanka, St. Martin, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom
Returns: Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Honduras, Italy
Winner: Riyo Mori
Represented: Japan
Congeniality: Ning Ning Zhang
China
Photogenic: Anna Theresa Licaros Philippines
Miss Universe 2007, the 56th Miss Universe pageant, was won by Riyo Mori of Japan. It took place on 28 May 2007 at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, Mexico. 77 delegates competed for the title, previously held by Puerto Rico's Zuleyka Rivera.

The pageant was held almost two months prior to when it was held in 2006, although the event had generally been staged between late May and early June since 2001. Miss Universe 2006 Zuleyka Rivera reigned for little more than ten months, one of the shortest in the history of the title. Contestants began to arrive in Mexico on 30 April 2007 and were to be involved in a number of appearances and events prior to the final competition.

This is the fourth time Mexico has been the host country and the second time Mexico City the host city of the Miss Universe pageant. Mexico first hosted the pageant in Acapulco in 1978. Miss Universe 1989 was then staged in Cancún and Miss Universe 1993 was held in Mexico City.

The pageant was co-hosted by Mario Lopez and Vanessa Minnillo, both first-time hosts of the Miss Universe pageant.[1] Minnillo, an Entertainment Tonight correspondent and former Miss Teen USA 1998, previously hosted the Miss Teen USA 2004 pageant. Lopez hosted the Miss Teen USA 1998 pageant (won by Minnillo) and also co-hosted Miss Teen USA 2003.

As Zuleyka Rivera was crowning Riyo Mori with the official Mikimoto crown, it slipped from her grasp and nearly fell to the floor. Mori was able to catch the crown, which is made of diamonds and pearls and is valued at over $250,000

Areas of competition
Prior to the final telecast, all contestants competed in swimsuit and evening gown during the preliminary competition. They also participated in interviews with the judges.

During the final competition, the top fifteen contestants (based on their preliminary scores) competed in the swimsuit competition, and the top ten competed in evening gown. The final five contestants participated in a final round of on-stage interviews, before the runners-up were announced and the new Miss Universe named.

This was the second year since 2002 that the judges' average scores were shown on television.

It was also the first time since 2002 that the final question posed on the ladies came from the judges. The previous pageants had final questions coming from the current Miss Universe and the delegates participating in the final five themselves.

Crowd response
Rachel Smith, Miss USA, was booed during and loudly jeered during her final interview. As she answered her question, there were loud shouts of "Mexico! Mexico!", which continued until she answered in Spanish. This followed a similar incident during Miss Universe 1993, when that year's Miss USA, Kenya Moore, was also booed. This may have been due to Miss USA making the top five despite slipping and falling during the evening gown competition, whilst home crowd favourite Mexico did not. It has also been attributed to political issues between the two countries, such as the illegal immigration policy as well as the War On Terror.

Smith had also been booed during the National Costume competition, an open-air event held prior to the final competition where admission was free to the public.

Results.Miss Universe 2007: Riyo Mori (Japan)
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up: Natália Guimarães (Brazil)
2nd runner-up: Ly Jonaitis (Venezuela)
3rd runner-up: Honey Lee (Korea)
4th runner-up: Rachel Smith (USA)
The following contestants placed in the top ten and competed in both swimsuit and evening gown (in order of placement): Flaviana Matata (Tanzania), Micaela Reis (Angola), Rosa Maria Ojeda (Mexico), Puja Gupta (India), Xiomara Blandino (Nicaragua)
The following contestants placed in the top fifteen and competed in the swimsuit competition (in order of placement): Tjaša Kokalj (Slovenia), Lucie Hadasová (Czech Republic), Žaklina Šojić (Denmark), Farung Yuthithum (Thailand), Lyudmila Bikmullina (Ukraine)
Special awards
Miss Congeniality: Ning Ning Zhang (China)
Miss Photogenic: Anna Theresa Licaros (Philippines)
For the first time since the award's inception, no Best National Costume Award was given.
Final competition scores
Country Swimsuit Evening Gown
Japan 9.599 8.943
Brazil 9.560 9.599
Venezuela 8.971 9.510
Korea 9.458 9.183
USA 8.995 8.754
Tanzania 9.223 8.488
Angola 9.150 8.363
Mexico 8.527 7.850
India 8.548 7.825
Nicaragua 8.171 7.674
Slovenia 8.163
Czech Republic 8.113
Denmark 7.969
Thailand 7.940
Ukraine 7.900
Top Fifteen, Eliminated after competing in the swimsuit competition.
In a strong showing not witnessed since Miss Universe 1988, Asian delegates fared well at this year's edition, with four Asian delegates (Japan, Korea, India, and Thailand) making it to the Top 15. The two special awards were also won by delegates of Asian nations (Philippines and China). Of the 125 semi-finalists named in the past ten years, only 14 were from Asia
Japan won the pageant for the second time since Akiko Kojima won Japan's first Miss Universe title in 1959.[citation needed]
Puerto Rico was first 1st runner-up in 2005 and won in 2006. Japan followed the same trend for 2006-2007.
Thailand, Denmark, Ukraine, India, Brazil and Japan made the cut for the second consecutive year. This was the first time since the 1960s that Denmark and Thailand recorded two consecutive placements.
Mexico placed for the 4th consecutive year.
USA placed for the 5th consecutive year.
Slovenia and Tanzania placed for the first time. This was the first year that Tanzania participated in the pageant. Slovenia debuted in 2001.
Angola and Nicaragua reached their highest placement in Miss Universe history, 7th and 10th place respectively breaking their previous records.
Countries that made the semi-finals after a long period without placement were Nicaragua, which last placed in 1977, and Korea which last placed in 1988.
Czech Republic placed for only the 3rd time, it placed in the top 10 in 1993 when it debuted in the pageant and in 2003.
Philippines won the Miss Photogenic award for the seventh time (it has won this award three years in a row since 2005).
China won the Miss Congeniality award for the first time.

Judges
The following celebrities judged the final competition. Martel was added as a judge the day prior to the final competition.

James Kyson Lee - actor on Heroes
Lindsay Clubine - Deal or No Deal briefcase model
Tony Romo - Dallas Cowboys quarterback
Dave Navarro - rock star
Michelle Kwan - World and Olympic figure skating champion
Mauricio Islas - Mexican actor
Marc Bouwer - fashion designer
Nina Garcia - Project Runway judge and Elle magazine fashion director
Dayanara Torres - Miss Universe 1993
Christiane Martel - Miss Universe 1953

Background Music
National Costume presentation: "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado
Swimsuit Competition: "Wanna Play", "Cariño Mio" and "Money Money" by R.B.D.
Evening Gown Competition: "Give It Up To Me" by Sean Paul (featuring Keyshia Cole)

Delegates
Albania - Sadina Alla
Angola - Micaela Reis
Antigua and Barbuda - Stephanie Winter
Argentina - Daniela Stucan
Aruba - Carolina Raven
Australia - Kimberley Busteed
Bahamas - Trinere Lynes
Barbados - Jewel Garner
Belgium - Annelien Coorevits
Belize - Maria Jeffery
Bolivia - Jessica Jordan Burton
Brazil - Natália Guimarães
Bulgaria - Gergana Kochanova
Canada - Inga Skaya
China - Ning Ning Zhang
Colombia - Eileen Roca
Costa Rica - Veronica Gonzalez
Croatia - Jelena Maros
Curaçao - Naemi Monte
Cyprus - Polyvia Achilleos
Czech Republic - Lucie Hadasová
Denmark - Žaklina Šojić
Dominican Republic - Massiel Taveras
Ecuador - Lugina Cabezas
Egypt - Ehsan Hatem
El Salvador - Lisette Rodriguez
Estonia - Viktoria Azovskaja
Finland - Noora Hautakangas
France - Rachel Legrain-Trapani
Georgia - Ana Giorgelashvili
Germany - Angelina Glass
Greece - Doukissa Nomikou
Guatemala - Alida Boer
Guyana - Meleesea Payne
Honduras - Wendy Salgado
Hungary - Ildiko Bona
India - Puja Gupta
Indonesia - Agni Pratistha
Israel - Sharon Kenett
Italy - Valentina Massi
Jamaica - Zahra Redwood
Japan - Riyo Mori
Kazakhstan - Gauhar Rakhmetalieva
Korea - Honey Lee
Lebanon - Nadine Njeim
Malaysia - Adelaine Chin
Mauritius - Sandra Faro
Mexico - Rosa Maria Ojeda
Montenegro - Snežana Bušković
New Zealand - Laural Barrett
Nicaragua - Xiomara Blandino
Nigeria - Ebinabo Potts-Johnson
Norway - Kirby Ann Basken
Panama - Sorangel Matos Arce
Paraguay - María José Maldonado
Peru - Jimena Elías Roca
Philippines - Anna Theresa Licaros
Poland - Dorota Gawron
Puerto Rico - Uma Blasini
Russia - Tatiana Kotova
Serbia - Teodora Marčić
Singapore - Jessica Tan
Slovakia - Lucia Senášiová
Slovenia - Tjaša Kokalj
South Africa - Megan Coleman
Spain - Natalia Zabala Arroyo
Saint Lucia - Yoanna Henry
Switzerland - Christa Rigozzi
Tanzania - Flaviana Matata
Thailand - Farung Yuthithum
Turks & Caicos - Saneita Been
Ukraine - Lyudmila Bikmullina
Uruguay - Giannina Silva
United States - Rachel Smith
U.S. Virgin Islands - Renata Christian
Venezuela - Ly Jonaitis
Zambia - Rosemary Chileshe


National competitions
Withdrawals
Cayman Islands, Chile, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Namibia, Northern Marianas, St. Martin, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey and United Kingdom competed in 2006 but not at Miss Universe 2007
Trinidad and Tobago did not send a delegate for the first time in fifteen years, due to a lack of financial support. Kenisha Thom, who represented Trinidad and Tobago in 2006 appealed to the government and businesses to support the pageant, to no avail.
Aruni Rajapakse was expected to represent Sri Lanka in the pageant and was listed as a delegate on the Miss Universe website. On 5 May, her name was removed from the website, and it appears she will not compete in the pageant. Sri Lanka will compete in Miss Universe next year. Miss Rajapakse went on to compete in Miss International 2007 representing Sri Lanka and placing in the top 15.

Debuts
Tanzania attended the Miss Universe pageant for the first time.
Following Montenegrin independence in 2006, Serbia and Montenegro competed separately in Miss Universe for the first time.

Returning states and territories
Honduras,[8] which last competed in 2002.
Barbados, Belize, Curaçao, and Italy which last competed in 2005.

Format changes
For the first time in the history of Femina Miss India Contest, the official winner will represent India in Miss World 2007 contest, while the 1st runner-up will compete at Miss Universe.
As of 2006, the winner of Miss Israel competes in Miss World while the first runner-up goes to Miss Universe.

Contestant notes
Megan Coleman, Miss South Africa 2006A number of contestants have taken part in other international competitions:
Miss Guatemala (Alida Boer) competed in Miss Teen International 2000 where she placed first runner-up. Miss Peru (Jimena Elias) competed in the same pageant in 2006, and also placed first runner-up.
Miss Belize (Maria Jeffery) is the sister of Miss Universe 1999 delegate, Viola Jeffery. Critics had suggested that Miss Belize would make the top 15 at Miss Universe 2007, but she missed the final cut. Maria went on to win the Miss Costa Maya International 2007 Pageant (held in Belize) three months later.
Miss Bolivia (Jessica Jordan Burton) took part in Miss Earth 2006 in Manila. She was not a semi-finalist but placed in the top fifteen in the swimsuit prelimary competition. She won Miss Reina Internacional Del Cafe 2008/Miss International Queen Of Coffee 2008. The pageant was in Colombia.
Miss Argentina (Daniela Stuncan Flimioni) competed in Miss World 2000 where she did not place in the finals, and at Miss Earth 2001, where she placed third runner-up.
Miss Zambia (Rosemary Mulenga Chileshe) competed in Miss World 2004 where she did not place in the finals.
Miss Norway (Kirby Ann Tan Basken) competed in Miss Intercontinental 2006, representing the Philippines, where she was a semifinalist. and she won the title of Mutya ng Pilipinas 2006
Miss Poland (Dorota Gawron) won the Miss Baltic Sea & Scandinavia title in September 2006. The second runner-up was Miss Denmark, Zaklina Sojic. First runner-up Sif Aradóttir represented Iceland at Miss Universe 2006.
Miss Costa Rica (Veronica Maria Gonzalez Quesada) won the Reina Mundial del Banano title in 2006.
Miss Brazil (Natália Guimarães) won the Top Model of the World 2007 title and competed in Miss Intercontinental 2006, where she was a semifinalist.
Miss Angola (Micaela Reis), Miss Spain (Natalia Zabala Arroyo), Miss Russia (Tatyana Kotova), Miss South Africa (Megan Coleman), Miss Egypt, (Ehsan Hatem Al-Kirdany), Miss France (Rachel Legrain-Trapani) and Miss Lebanon (Nadine Njeim), will compete at Miss World 2007
Miss Nicaragua (Xiomara Blandino) and Miss Puerto Rico (Uma Blasini) competed in July at Miss Tourism Queen International 2007, both unplaced.
Miss Angola (Micaela Reis) participated in the Miss World 2007 and won 1st runner-up.
Miss Uruguay (Giannina Silva) was crowned Miss América Latina 2007 just days after Miss Universe 2007 ended. She was, however, later dethroned for undisclosed reasons.
Miss Dominican Republic (Massiel Taveras) would go on and win Miss Reina Hispanoamericana 2007/Miss Hispano American 2007 in Bolivia. This pageant used to be called Reina Sudamericana, but it was opened to countries outside of South America, and became Reina Hispanoamericana in 2007.
Miss Aruba (Carolina Raven) competed and win at Miss Teen International in 1999
Other contestant notes
Miss China Ning-Ning Zhang is Miss Liaoning (China) Universe 2007,the winner of Miss Universe China 2007 Zi-Ya Wei will compete in Miss Universe 2008 pageant.
Miss Jamaica (Zahra Redwood) is the first Rastafarian to represent Jamaica at Miss Universe.[10]
Mauritius was represented by first runner-up Sandra Faro because Melody Selvon, the actual winner of the competition, was only 16 years old.[11] Rules state that all Miss Universe contestants must be over the age of 18.
Miss Lebanon Nadine Njeim has the same name as Miss Lebanon 2004 (who competed at Miss Universe 2005). The two are unrelated.

National Costume controversy
In April 2007, controversy erupted over the proposed national costume of Rosa María Ojeda, Miss Mexico. The skirt of the costume depicted scenes from the Cristero War, a Roman Catholic rebellion in the 1920s in which thousands of people were killed, including hangings. The outfit included a bullet-studded belt and crucifix necklace.[ The design was chosen from over thirty others and had been intended to show Mexico's culture and history, but it elicited controversy amid claims it was in poor taste and inappropriate. Pageant owners said that the costume would be redesigned to include image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

MISS UNIVERSE 2006

Miss Universe 2006
Zuleyka Rivera
Puerto Rico










Miss Universe 2006
Date: July 23, 2006 (2006-07-23)
Presenters: Carlos Ponce, Nancy O'Dell
Entertainment: Chelo, Vittorio Grigolo
Venue: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Broadcaster: NBC
Entrants: 86
Debuts: Kazakhstan
Withdraws: Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Vietnam
Returns: Argentina, Estonia, Ghana, Iceland, New Zealand, Northern Marianas, St Lucia, Saint Martin, Sweden
Winner: Zuleyka Rivera
Represented: Puerto Rico
Miss Universe 2006, the 55th Miss Universe pageant, took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, USA. Unlike past events, it was held on Sunday, July 23, 2006 (almost two months later than usual). A live international broadcast was made on NBC.

The 2006 pageant is the first time the United States has been a host since 1998, and the second time for Los Angeles, which last hosted the pageant in 1990. The Republic of Kazakhstan was represented for the first time, while the following countries returned after some years of absence: Iceland (1997), New Zealand (2003), Argentina (2003), Saint Lucia (1977), Saint Martin (2000), Ghana (2004), Estonia (2004), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2004), Sweden (2004) and the Northern Mariana Islands (2002). The 2006 pageant also featured the most delegates in its history, with 86 delegates arriving in Los Angeles.

Natalie Glebova of Canada crowned her successor, Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico, at the conclusion of the two-hour show. Her reign was the longest ever in Miss Universe history: one year and two months, from the time she was crowned on May 31, 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Results
Countries and territories which sent delegates and results.
Miss Universe 2006: Zuleyka Rivera (Puerto Rico)
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up: Kurara Chibana (Japan)
2nd runner-up: Lauriane Gilliéron (Switzerland)
3rd runner-up: Lourdes Arévalos (Paraguay)
4th runner-up: Tara Conner (USA)
The Top 10 (alphabetic order after competing in swimsuit and evening gown): Desiree Durán Morales (Bolivia), Alice Panikian (Canada), Valerie Dominguez Tarud (Colombia), Priscila Perales (Mexico), Kenisha Thom (Trinidad & Tobago)
The Top 20 (alphabetic order after competing in swimsuit): Magali Romitelli (Argentina), Rafaela Zanella (Brazil), Betina Faurbiye (Denmark), Dina Fekadu (Ethiopia), Adrienn Bende (Hungary) , Neha Kapur (India), Anna Litvinova (Russia), Josephine Alhanko (Sweden), Charm Onwarin Osathanond (Thailand), Inna Tsymbalyuk (Ukraine)

Special awards
Congeniality: Angela Asare (Ghana)
Photogenic: Lia Andrea Ramos (Philippines)
National costume: Kurara Chibana (Japan)

Countries that placed for the first time are: Ukraine, Hungary and Ethiopia.
Countries that got called out to the semi-finals after a long period without placement are: Denmark (39 years), Argentina (27 years), Thailand (18 years), Bolivia (16 years) and Sweden (9 years).
Lauriane Gilliéron, 2nd runner-up became Switzerland's highest placement in Miss Universe, surpassing their 1983 record of 3rd runner-up.
Venezuela did not place for only the second time in the past 24 years.
Puerto Rico, with their fifth win, became the second most successful territory/state to compete at Miss Universe, after the USA.
Philippines won the Miss Photogenic award for the second consecutive year (and its sixth).
Japan won the Best National Costume award for the first time.
Contestants
Albania - Eralda Itaj
Angola - Isménia Júnior
Antigua and Barbuda - Shari McEwan
Argentina - Magalí Romitelli
Aruba - Melissa Vanessa Laclé
Australia - Erin McNaught
Bahamas - Samantha Carter
Belgium - Tatiana Silva
Bolivia - Desiree Durán Morales
Brazil - Rafaela Zanella
Bulgaria - Galena Dimova
Canada - Alice Panikian
Cayman Islands - Ambuyah Ebanks
Chile - Belén Montilla
China - Ying-Hui Gao
Colombia - Valerie Domínguez
Costa Rica - Fabriella Quesada
Croatia - Biljana Mancic
Cyprus - Eleni Ierodiakonoy
Czech Republic - Renata Langmannova
Denmark - Betina Faurbye
Dominican Republic - Mía Taveras
Ecuador - Katty Lopez
Egypt - Fawzia Mohamed
El Salvador - Rebeca Iraheta
Estonia - Kirke Klemmer
Ethiopia - Dina Fekadu
Finland - Ninni Laaksonen
France - Alexandra Rosenfeld
Georgia - Ekaterine Buadze
Germany - Natalie Ackermann
Ghana - Angela Asare
Greece - Olympia Hopsonidou
Guatemala - Jackelinne Piccinini
Guyana - Alana Ernest
Hungary - Adrienn Bende
Iceland - Sif Aradóttir
India - Neha Kapur
Indonesia - Nadine Chandrawinata
Ireland - Melanie Boreham
Israel - Anastacia Entin
Jamaica - Cindy Wright
Japan - Kurara Chibana
Kazakhstan - Dina Nuraliyeva
South Korea - Joo Hee Kim
Latvia - Sanita Kublina
Lebanon - Gabrielle Bou Rached
Malaysia - Melissa Ann Tan
Mauritius - Isabelle Antoo
Mexico - Priscila Perales
Namibia - Anna Nashandi
New Zealand - Elizabeth Gray
Nicaragua - Cristiana Frixione Mendoza
Nigeria - Tienepre Oki
Northern Mariana Islands - Shequita Bennett
Norway - Martine Jonassen
Panama - Alessandra Mezquita
Paraguay - Lourdes Arevalos
Peru - Fiorella Viñas
Philippines - Lia Andrea Ramos
Poland - Francys Sudnicka
Puerto Rico - Zuleyka Rivera
Russia - Anna Litvinova
Serbia and Montenegro - Nada Milinic
Singapore - Carol Cheong Yim Foon
Slovakia - Judita Hrubyova
Slovenia - Natasa Pinoza
South Africa - Thuli Sithole
Spain - Elisabeth Reyes
Sri Lanka - Jacqueline Fernandez
Saint Lucia - Sascha Andrew-Rose
Saint Martin - Gisella Hilliman
St. Vincent & the Grenadines - Shivern Peters
Sweden - Josephine Alhanko
Switzerland - Lauriane Gilliéron
Thailand - Charm Onwarin Osathanond
Trinidad and Tobago - Kenisha Thom
Turkey - Ceyla Kirazli
Turks & Caicos - Shaveena Been
Ukraine - Inna Tsymbalyuk
United Kingdom - Julie Doherty
Uruguay - Fatimih Davila
United States - Tara Conner
US Virgin Islands - Cassie Portam
Venezuela - Jictzad Viña
Zambia - Mofya Chisenga

Zuleyka Rivera, Miss Universe 2006
Kurara Chibana, Miss Universe Japan 2006 and first runner-up
Thuli Sithole, Miss South Africa 2005The two tallest delegates are from West Africa: Miss Ghana (6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and Miss Nigeria (6 ft 1 in (1.85 m))
Four delegates have previously competed in the Miss World pageant. Trinidad and Tobago's Kenisha Thom represented her nation at Miss World 2004, and placed in the top 15. St. Lucia's Sascha Andrew-Rose also represented her nation at Miss World 2004, but failed to place. Lauriane Gilliéron of Switzerland and Tatiana Silva Braga Tavares of Belgium both competed at Miss World 2005 but failed to place as well.
Miss Indonesia, Nadine Chandrawinata, is half German.
The final competition evening gown for Miss USA Tara Conner was designed during a competition held on the reality television show Project Runway.
Miss Colombia's cousin was Miss Colombia 2005 (who failed to make the cut at Miss Universe 2005). Another cousin of hers is pop singer Shakira.
Miss Mauritius, Isabelle Antoo, is the sister of Miss Mauritius 2004, Magalie Antoo, who participated in the Miss Universe 2005 pageant in Thailand.
Miss Mexico, Priscila Perales went on to compete in the Miss International 2007 pageant and win the title. She is the first ever Miss Mexico international to win the title.
This year features the most delegates in the history of the pageant - 86.
Countries that sent delegates the previous year, but failed to send a delegate to this year's competition include: Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, and Vietnam.
Although selecting delegates, the British Virgin Islands and Portugal ultimately did not end up participating. The British Virgin Islands selected Deria Joseph, while Portugal was slated to be represented by Marina Rodrigues.
This is the first time Russia made the semifinals after the dethroning of Oxana Fedorova in 2002.
Nada Milinic, is the last contestant to represent Serbia & Montenegro at Miss Universe. In 2007, Serbia and Montenegro would send separate contestants because of the countries' division.
Zuleyka Rivera, the winner of Miss Universe 2006, had one of the shortest reigns of all, just about 10 months, since Miss Universe 2005, Miss Canada, won in May 2005.
Miss Puerto Rico Universe had been the 2nd-runner up in Miss Universe 2004, first runner-up in Miss Universe 2005, and winner in Miss Universe 2006.
Fabriella Quesada, Miss Costa Rica, would go on and win Miss Reina Internacional del Cafe 2007/Miss International Queen of Coffee 2007. The pageant was in Colombia. She also was Miss Teen International 2002.
Mia Taveras, Miss Dominican Republic, would go on and win Miss Continente Americano 2006/Miss American Continent 2006. The pageant was in Ecuador.
Cristiana Frixione, Miss Nicaragua, would go on and win World Miss University 2006 in South Korea

MISS UNIVERSE 2005

MISS UNIVERSE 2005
Natalie Glebova
Canada









Miss Universe 2005
Date: May 31, 2005
Presenters: Billy Bush, Nancy O'Dell
Venue: Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand
Broadcaster: NBC, Channel 7
Entrants: 81
Placements: 15
Debuts: Latvia
Withdraws: Austria, Cayman Islands, Chinese Taipei, Estonia, Ghana, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweden
Returns: Albania, Indonesia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, US Virgin Islands, Zambia
Winner: Natalie Glebova
Represented: Canada
Miss Universe 2005, the 54th Miss Universe pageant, was held in Bangkok, Thailand on May 31, 2005.

At the conclusion of the final telecast, Miss Universe Canada, Natalie Glebova was crowned Miss Universe 2005 by outgoing titleholder Jennifer Hawkins of Australia. She was the second Canadian to win the title, following Karen Dianne Baldwin who was Miss Universe 1982.

The top fifteen was dominated by contestants from the Americas and Caribbean, whilst the top five consisted entirely of women from these regions.
Host City
Thailand publicized its bid to host the pageant 10 July 2004, during a visit by Jennifer Hawkins, Miss Universe 2004, to the country.[1] At the time, Chile, China and Greece were also being considered to host the event.[1]. One month later, it was announced that Bangkok, Thailand had been informally selected to host the competition, at a cost of US$6.5 million.[2] The cost was to be funded by the Thai government in an attempt to boost tourism.[3] In October the proposal faced difficulties when the Thai government were slow to provide the promised funds, which discouraged prospective sponsors.[4], leading Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to become personally involved to make sure that plans were not derailed.[5] The organization awarded official hosting rights to the Matching Entertainment company in December 2004, after an unsuccessful attempt by a different company, Showcase Thailand 2005.[6]

In February 2005, after the Thai government confirmed plans to back the pageant, the Deputy Prime Minister refuted claims that the event would be held in Khao Lak, a resort town devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, but confirmed that Southern Thailand would host events prior to the final competition.[7]

2005 was the second time the pageant was held in Bangkok.[8] The city also hosted the Miss Universe 1992 competition, won by Michelle McLean of Namibia.

Results
The Miss Universe was won by Natalie Glebova of Canada.
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up - Cynthia Olavarría (Puerto Rico)
2nd runner-up - Renata Soñé (Dominican Republic)
3rd runner-up - Laura Elizondo (Mexico)
4th runner-up - Mónica Spear (Venezuela)
The Top 10 (in order of final placement after competing in evening gown and swimsuit): Débora Sulca (Peru), Ieva Kokoreviča (Latvia), Fiona Hefti (Switzerland), Chelsea Cooley (USA), Elena Ralph (Israel)
The Top 15 (in order of final placement after competing in evening gown): Evagelia Aravani (Greece), Claudia Henkel (South Africa), Helene Tråsavik (Norway), Magdalene Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago), Artika Sari Devi (Indonesia)

Special awards
Photogenic: Gionna Cabrera (Philippines)
Congeniality: Tricia Homer (US Virgin Islands)
National Costume: Chananporn Rosjan (Thailand)

Contestants
Albania - Agnesa Vuthaj
Angola - Zenilde Laurinda Josias
Antigua and Barbuda - Shermain Jeremy
Aruba - Luisana Cicilia
Australia - Michelle Guy
Bahamas - Denia Nixon
Barbados - Nada Yearwood
Belgium - Debby de Waele
Belize - Andrea Elrington
Bolivia - Andrea Abudinen Richter
Brazil - Carina Beduschi
Bulgaria - Galina Gancheva
Canada - Natalie Glebova
Chile - Renata Ruiz
China - Tao Si Yuan
Colombia - Adriana Tarud Durán
Costa Rica - Johanna Fernández
Croatia - Jelena Glišic
Curaçao - Rychacviana Coffie
Cyprus - Elena Hadjidemetriou
Czech Republic - Katerina Smejkalová
Denmark - Gitte Hanspal
Dominican Republic - Renata Soñé
Ecuador - Ximena Zamora
Egypt - Meriam George
El Salvador - Irma Dimas
Ethiopia - Atetegeb Tesfaye
Finland - Hanna Ek
France - Cindy Fabre
Georgia - Rusudan Bochoidze
Germany - Asli Bayram
Greece - Evagelia Aravani
Guatemala - Aida Karina Estrada
Guyana - Candisie Franklin
Hungary - Szandra Proksa
India - Amrita Thapar
Indonesia - Artika Sari Devi
Ireland - Mary Gormley
Israel - Elena Ralph
Italy - Maria Teresa Francville
Jamaica - Raquel Wright
Japan - Yukari Kuzuya
Kenya - Rachel Marete
Korea - So-young Kim
Latvia - Ieva Kokoreviča
Lebanon - Nadine Njeim
Malaysia - Angela Gan
Mauritius - Magalie Antoo
Mexico - Laura Elizondo
Namibia - Adele Basson
Netherlands - Sharita Sopacua
Nicaragua - Daniela Regina Clerk
Nigeria - Roseline Amusu
Norway - Helene Tråsavik
Panama - Rosa María Hernández
Paraguay - Karina Buttner
Peru - Débora Sulca
Philippines - Gionna Cabrera
Poland - Marta Kossakowska
Puerto Rico - Cynthia Olavarría
Russia - Natalia Nikolayeva
Serbia and Montenegro - Jelena Mandic
Singapore - Cheryl Tay
Slovakia - Michaela Drencková
Slovenia - Dalila Dragojevic
South Africa - Claudia Henkel
Spain - Verónica Hidalgo
Sri Lanka - Rozanne Diasz
Switzerland - Fiona Hefti
Thailand - Chananporn Rosjan
Trinidad and Tobago - Magdalene Walcott
Turkey - Dilek Aksoy
Turks & Caicos - Weniecka Ewing
Ukraine - Juliya Chernyshova
United Kingdom - Brooke Johnston
Uruguay - Viviana Arena
USA - Chelsea Cooley
U.S. Virgin Islands - Tricia Homer
Venezuela - Mónica Spear
Vietnam - Pham Thu Hang
Zambia - Cynthia Kanema
Records
Of the Top 15; Puerto Rico, Mexico, Switzerland, USA, Norway, and Trinidad & Tobago were also called to the Top 15 last year.
As well as having debuted in this year's edition, Latvia was also called out to the semi-finals (and finals) for the first time. Latvia ultimately placed 7th overall.
Indonesia was also called out to the semi-finals for the first time, the only Asian country who made it to the Top 15 and placed 15th overall.
Israel was last called out in 2001. South Africa was last called out in 2003. Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Canada, Peru, and Greece were all last called out in 2003.
Venezuela was called back to the semi-finals after its failure to place in 2004 (the last time Venezuela failed to place was in 1982).
Delegates
Sharlita Millington (British Virgin Islands), Jana Kuvaitseva (Estonia) and Shivern Peters (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) were expected to compete in the pageant but did not appear. Peters went on to compete at Miss Universe 2006 in Los Angeles, California the following year.
Luisana Cicilia (Aruba), Asli Bayram (Germany), Roseline Amusu (Nigeria) and Magdalene Walcott (Trinidad & Tobago) were not the original representatives for their country but replaced dethroned titleholders.
The following countries returned after some years of absence: United Kingdom (last participated in 2000 as Great Britain), US Virgin Islands (last participated in 2002), Sri Lanka (last participated in 1996), Indonesia (last participated in 1996), Zambia (last participated in 1999), Namibia (last participated in 2003), and Albania (last participated in 2003).
For the first time in the history of the pageant, Sweden did not send a representative to Miss Universe, although they returned for the 2006 pageant.
Cheryl Ankrah was originally crowned Miss Trinidad & Tobago but was dethroned after she was accused of not fulfilling her duties and becoming overweight. Although Ankrah initially got an injunction to prevent another pageant being held, a Judge overturned that and a second Miss Trinidad and Tobago pageant was held. The winner of the second pageant, who represented Trinidad & Tobago at Miss Universe, was Magdalene Walcott. Walcott was earlier a semi-finalist at the 53rd Miss World held in China.
Rychacviana Coffie, Curacao was previously Miss Intercontinental 2002.
Renata Ruiz, Miss Chile, was the first runner-up in Elite Model Look International 2001.
Gitte Hanspal, Miss Denmark was the reigning Miss Scandinavia 2005.