Miss Universe 2018

Miss Universe 2018, the 67th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 17 December 2018[lower-alpha 1] at IMPACT Arena, Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi Province, north of Bangkok, Thailand.[2][3] Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa crowned her successor Catriona Gray of the Philippines at the end of the event. This is the fourth time that the Philippines has won Miss Universe after winning in 2015.

Miss Universe 2018
Catriona Gray, Miss Universe 2018
Date17 December 2018[lower-alpha 1]
Presenters
EntertainmentNe-Yo
VenueImpact, Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi Province, Thailand
BroadcasterInternational: Official broadcaster:
Entrants94
Placements20
Debuts
Withdrawals
Returns
WinnerCatriona Gray
 Philippines
CongenialityOrnella Gunesekere
 Sri Lanka[1]
Best National CostumeOn-anong Homsombath
 Laos

The show was hosted by comedian Steve Harvey and supermodel Ashley Graham, while television personality Carson Kressley and runway coach Lu Sierra provided commentary and analysis throughout the event.[4] American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo performed during the competition.[5]

Contestants from 94 countries and territories participated in this year's pageant, surpassing the previous record of 92 contestants in 2017 and marking the biggest turnout to date for Miss Universe as of 2020.[6] Ángela Ponce of Spain became the first openly transgender contestant to compete for the Miss Universe title.[7][8]

Background

Location

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden venue for national costume round.
Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani, the Final venue of Miss Universe 2018.

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) was in talks to host the Miss Universe 2018 competition in China. Negotiations collapsed after the Chinese refused to broadcast the pageant live, due to the large time difference between China and the United States. Afterwards, the MUO opened negotiations with the Philippines, after they had previously hosted 2016.[9]

In April 2018, then-Secretary of Tourism Wanda Tulfo Teo spoke with President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte regarding the possibility of hosting the pageant in Boracay in November 2018, which by then will be newly rehabilitated after being closed to tourists for six months.[9] On 6 May, Tulfo-Teo announced that the Philippines had a "90% chance" of hosting the pageant and also disclosed that the tourism department would be looking for sponsors, since the LCS Holdings Inc. of Chavit Singson, the major sponsor of the Miss Universe 2016 had declined financing the 2018 pageant.[10] On 18 May 2018, Tulfo's successor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced that the country dropped the hosting bid due to budget constraints and other concerns. Romulo-Puyat also pointed out that the Philippines had hosted the pageant recently, and had no reason to do so again so soon.[11]

On 31 July 2018 it was announced by MUO President Paula Shugart, in a live press conference at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, that the 2018 pageant would be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 17 December. The city has hosted the Miss Universe pageant twice, in 1992 and 2005. Current Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, along with two former Miss Universes Apasra Hongsakula (Miss Universe 1965) and Natalie Glebova (Miss Universe 2005), participated in the announcement.[12]

Selection of participants

Delegates representing 94 countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant; six of these delegates were appointed to their titles after an audition process or other internal selection (British Virgin Islands, China, Denmark, Hungary, Laos, and Uruguay),[13][14] three were appointed as replacements after the original titleholder was unable to compete because of commitments to Miss World 2018 and had placed as runners-up in the national pageant (Belgium, France, and Poland),[15][16][17] and the remainder were selected as the winners of national pageants. However, reports have been unclear regarding whether Begimay Karybekova of Kyrgyzstan won a national title or was appointed to her title after an internal selection.[18][19] The 2018 edition saw the debuts of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia, while Belize, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Kenya, Kosovo, and Switzerland returned to the competition; Greece had not competed since 2015, while the others had not competed since 2016. Austria, Ethiopia, Iraq, Romania, Slovenia, and Tanzania all withdrew from the competition after their franchise owners lost their Miss Universe licenses, or a national pageant was simply not held for another reason.[20][21][22][23] Guyana was disqualified from participating by the Miss Universe Organization due to controversy regarding "nasty emails" and "death threats" sent to the organization over a dispute regarding their delegate in 2017, while Trinidad and Tobago also withdrew after they had announced no pageant would be held, despite Martrecia Alleyne having been crowned Miss Universe Trinidad and Tobago 2018 at their 2017 national pageant.[24][25] Due to visa and transportation issues, Marie Esther Bangura of Sierra Leone arrived in Bangkok after registration had ended and was barred from participating; she was allowed to view the competition in the audience, and was personally invited to compete in Miss Universe 2019.[26]

Ángela Ponce of Spain became the first openly transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe.[7][7][8][27] Although she failed to advance to the top twenty, Ponce was honored by pageant organizers during the competition for the historical importance of her participation.[28] The rules of the pageant were changed to allow transgender women to compete in 2012, after the Miss Universe Organization, owned at the time by Donald Trump, was criticized and threatened with legal action for initially disqualifying Jenna Talackova from the Miss Universe Canada competition after discovering she was transgender.[7][29][30]

Results

Miss Universe 2018 participating countries and territories
Placement Contestant
Miss Universe 2018
1st Runner-Up
2nd Runner-Up
Top 5
Top 10
Top 20

Order of announcements

(Vote?

Pageant

Format

Unlike in recent years, the contestants were trimmed down to 20 semifinalists, compared to 16 in 2017 and 13 in 2016. This semifinal group size was last used in 2006 and continues to be used in 2019. The initial semifinalists were selected through a closed-door interview and a preliminary competition—in swimwear and evening gown—held several days before the finals night. The continental format, introduced in the 2017 edition, remained — consisting of five semifinalists from Europe, five from the Americas, five from Africa and Asia-Pacific, and five wildcards—regardless of continental grouping. The top 20 were then tasked to give an opening statement—a 15-second statement about the contestant—to the judges and viewing public, after which the judges narrowed downed the semifinalists to the top 10, who then competed in both swimsuit and evening gown. After the swimwear and evening gown competitions, the judges then selected the top five to compete in the preliminary question and answer round. After said segment, the judges selected the final three. The top three participated in the final word and final look portions, after which the judges chose Miss Universe 2018 and her two runners-up. For this edition, there was no online voting component for viewers at home.[31]

Selection committee

The seven judges for both the preliminary competition and the final telecast were an all-female panel which included:[32]

Contestants

94 contestants competed for the title.

Country/Territory Delegate Age Hometown Height Continental Group
AlbaniaTrejsi Sejdini[33]18Tirana6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Europe
AngolaAna Liliana Avião[34]24Andulo6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Africa
ArgentinaAgustina Pivowarchuk[35][36]22Buenos Aires5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Americas
ArmeniaEliza Muradyan[37]25Etchmiadzin5 ft 5 in (165 cm) Asia
ArubaKimberly Julsing [38]20Wayaca6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Americas
AustraliaFrancesca Hung24Sydney5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Oceania
BahamasDanielle Grant23Nassau5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
BarbadosMeghan Theobalds27Christ Church6 ft 1 in (185 cm) Americas
BelgiumZoé Brunet[39]18Namur5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Europe
BelizeJenelli Fraser27Belize City5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Americas
BoliviaJoyce Prado21Santa Cruz5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
BrazilMayra Dias27Itacoatiara5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Americas
British Virgin Islands A’yana Keshelle Phillips[40]23Sea Cows Bay5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Americas
BulgariaGabriela Topalova22Plovdiv6 ft 4 in (193 cm) Europe
CambodiaNat Rern22Kampong Cham5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Asia
CanadaMarta Stępień24Windsor5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Americas
Cayman IslandsCaitlin Tyson24Bodden Town5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
ChileAndrea Díaz27[41]Santiago5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
ChinaMeisu Qin[42]24Anshan5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Asia
ColombiaValeria Morales20Cali5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Americas
Costa RicaNatalia Carvajal28San Jose5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Americas
CroatiaMia Pojatina23Nova Gradiška5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Europe
CuraçaoAkisha Albert23Willemstad5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Americas
Czech RepublicLea Šteflíčková20Prague5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Europe
DenmarkHelena Heuser22Copenhagen5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Europe
Dominican RepublicAldy Bernard[43]23Laguna Salada5 ft 11 in (180 cm) Americas
EcuadorVirginia Limongi24Portoviejo5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
EgyptNariman Khaled22Hurghada5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Africa
El SalvadorMarisela de Montecristo26San Salvador5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
FinlandAlina Voronkova23Helsinki5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Europe
FranceEva Colas[44]22Bastia5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Europe
GeorgiaLara Yan[45]25Telavi5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Asia
GermanyCeline Willers25Munich5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Europe
GhanaAkpene Diata Hoggar25Tefle5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Africa
Great BritainDee-Ann Kentish-Rogers25Birmingham5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Europe
GreeceIoanna Bella22Veria6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Europe
GuamAthena Su McNinch20Mangilao5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Oceania
GuatemalaMariana García19Guatemala City5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
HaitiSamantha Colas26Port-au-Prince5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Americas
HondurasVanessa Villars20Santa Bárbara5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Americas
HungaryEnikő Kecskès21Budapest5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Europe
IcelandKatrín Lea Elenudóttir19Reykjavík5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Europe
IndiaNehal Chudasama22Mumbai5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Asia
IndonesiaSonia Fergina Citra26Tanjung Pandan5 ft 8 in (178 cm) Asia
IrelandGrainne Gallanagh24Buncrana5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Europe
IsraelNikol Reznikov18Afula5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Asia
ItalyErica De Matteis[46]24Rome5 ft 11 in (180 cm) Europe
JamaicaEmily Maddison19Saint Andrew5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
JapanYuumi Kato22Aichi5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Asia
KazakhstanSabina Azimbayeva[47]18Almaty5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Asia
KenyaWabaiya Kariuki[48]22Nairobi5 ft 5 in (165 cm) Africa
KosovoZana Berisha24Suhareke5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Europe
KyrgyzstanBegimay Karybekova[49]20Bishkek5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Asia
LaosOn-anong Homsombath23Vientiane Prefecture5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Asia
LebanonMaya Reaidy23Tannourine5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Asia
MalaysiaJane Teoh21Penang5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Asia
MaltaFrancesca Mifsud22Żejtun5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Europe
MauritiusVarsha Ragoobarsing[50]28Flacq6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Africa
MexicoAndrea Toscano20Manzanillo5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
MongoliaDolgion Delgerjav27Ulaanbaatar5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Asia
MyanmarHnin Thway Yu Aung[51]22Yangon5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Asia
NamibiaSelma Kamanya21Windhoek5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Africa
NepalManita Devkota[52]23Gorkha5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Asia
NetherlandsRahima Dirkse25Rotterdam5 ft 11 in (180 cm) Europe
New Zealand Estelle Curd27Auckland5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Oceania
NicaraguaAdriana Paniagua23Chinandega5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Americas
NigeriaAramide Lopez21Lagos6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Africa
NorwaySusanne Guttorm22Karasjok5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Europe
PanamaRosa Montezuma[53]25Alto Caballero5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Americas
ParaguayBelén Alderete24Asunción5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Americas
PeruRomina Lozano[54]21Bellavista5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Americas
PhilippinesCatriona Gray24Oas5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Asia
PolandMagdalena Swat27Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Europe
PortugalFilipa Barroso20Setúbal5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Europe
Puerto RicoKiara Ortega25Rincón5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Americas
RussiaYulia Polyachikhina18Cheboksary5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Asia
Saint LuciaAngella Dalsou24Castries5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Americas
SingaporeZahra Khanum23Singapore City5 ft 4 in (163 cm) Asia
Slovak RepublicBarbora Hanová24Lučenec5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Europe
South AfricaTamaryn Green24Paarl5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Africa
South Korea Ji Hyun Baek25Daegu5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Asia
SpainAngela Ponce27Seville5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Europe
Sri LankaOrnella Gunesekere26Mount Lavinia5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Asia
SwedenEmma Strandberg22Hallstahammar5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Europe
SwitzerlandJastina Doreen Riederer20Spreitenbach5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Europe
ThailandSophida Kanchanarin23Bangkok5 ft 7 in (170 cm) Asia
TurkeyTara De Vries20Istanbul5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Asia
UkraineKaryna Zhosan23Odessa5 ft 10 in (178 cm) Europe
United StatesSarah Rose Summers24Omaha5 ft 5 in (165 cm) Americas
US Virgin IslandsAniska Tonge27Charlotte Amalie5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Americas
UruguaySofía Marrero18Canelones5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Americas
VenezuelaSthefany Gutiérrez19Barcelona5 ft 9 in (175 cm) Americas
VietnamH'Hen Niê[55]26Đắk Lắk5 ft 8 in (173 cm) Asia
ZambiaMelba Shakabozha23Lusaka5 ft 11 in (180 cm) Africa

Notes

  1. The event was held at 07:00 local time (UTC+07:00); for the Americas, the day was still 16 December in their local times.

References

  1. "Beauty Talks with Miss Supranational Sri Lanka 2016 Ornella Mariam J. Gunesekere". Missosology. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  2. "THAILAND here we come!". MUO. 31 July 2018.
  3. "Thailand to host Miss Universe 2018 as pageant returns to Asia after 2 years". ABS-CBN News. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  4. "Our favorite pageant insiders are back! Supermodel & pageant expert Lu Sierra, and TV personality & style guru Carson Kressley also will return to provide analysis and commentary throughout the live telecast". MUO. 17 November 2018.
  5. "Hosts & Performers". MUO. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  6. "Contestants". MUO. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  7. Amy B Wang (17 December 2018). "Miss Spain makes history as first transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe pageant". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 December 2018. After Talackova threatened legal action, the organization — then owned by Donald Trump — changed the rules to allow transgender contestants in its pageants.
  8. Cady Lang (17 December 2018). "Miss Spain Made History as the First Miss Universe Transgender Competitor". Time. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  9. Afinidad-Bernardo, Deni Rose (2 May 2018). "Organizer: Miss Universe Organization preparing for Philippines' 2018 hosting". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  10. "90% chance for another Miss U in PH: Teo". Philippine Canadian Inquirer. Philippine News Agency. 6 May 2018. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  11. "No Miss Universe hosting for PH this year, says tourism chief". ABS-CBN News. 18 May 2018. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  12. "Thailand to host Miss Universe 2018 as pageant returns to Asia". ABS-CBN News. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  13. Hạ Huyền (28 April 2018). "Đại diện Trung Quốc ở Hoa hậu Hoàn vũ 2018 bị chê nhan sắc bình thường". news.zing.vn. Vietnam Publication Association. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  14. "Miss Universe Hungary 2018". Global Beauties. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  15. "Miss Universe Belgium 2018". 29 September 2018.
  16. "Miss World France 2018". 5 September 2018.
  17. "Miss Universe Poland 2018". 5 September 2018.
  18. "Begimay Karybekova Is Miss Universe Kyrgyzstan 2018". thegreatpageantcommunity.com. 19 May 2018. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  19. "Begimay Karybekova Crowned Miss Universe Kyrgyzstan 2018". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman. 13 May 2018. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  20. "Miss Austria 2018 Dethroned". Global Beauties. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  21. "We regret to announce that Miss Universe Ethiopia will not take place in 2018". Miss Universe Ethiopia. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  22. "Slovenia don´t compete at the 2018 Miss Universe". Miss Universe Slovenija. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  23. "Miss Universe Tanzania 2018 will regrettably not take place this year". Miss Universe Tanzania. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  24. "Guyana barred from participating in Miss Universe pageant". stabroeknews.com. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  25. "Log In or Sign Up to View". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  26. "หนูน้อยบนยอดเขาอันหนาวเหน็บ". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  27. "Miss Universe Spain crowns its first transgender queen, Angela Ponce". GMA News Online. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  28. Castillo, Jackie (17 December 2018). "Miss Universe 2018: Catriona Gray, from the Philippines, claims crown". CNN Style. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  29. "Jenna Talackova, transgendered Miss Universe Canada contestant, shines in spotlight". Toronto Star, 18 May 2012.
  30. "21 Transgender People Who Influenced American Culture". Time Magazine.
  31. "'No live voting this year': Catriona Gray details new Miss Universe format". ABS-CBN. 11 December 2018.
  32. "Judges". Miss Universe Organization. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  33. "Trejsi Sejdini - Pageant Planet". www.pageantplanet.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  34. "Ana Liana Aviao - Pageant Planet". www.pageantplanet.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  35. "Agustina Pivowarchuk crowned Miss Universo Argentina 2018". The Perfect Miss. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  36. "Agustina Pivowarchuk - Pageant Planet". www.pageantplanet.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  37. "Eliza Muradyan - Pageant Planet". www.pageantplanet.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  38. "Kimberly Julsing - Pageant Planet". www.pageantplanet.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  39. "C'est officiel, je vais représenter la Belgique à Miss Univers". mrsbrunetzoe. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  40. "Miss British Virgin Islands 2018". Global Beauties. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  41. "Miss Universe Home". Miss Universe. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  42. "Qin Meisu crowned as Miss Universe China 2018". The Great Pageant Community. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  43. "Miss Dominican Republic Universe 2018 award goes to Aldy Bernard". awardgoesto. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  44. "Miss Corse et première dauphine de Miss France qui représentera son pays à Miss Universe", Miss France Officiel (in French), retrieved 17 September 2018
  45. "Miss Georgia 2017 Crowned". Global Beauties. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  46. "Miss Universe Italy 2018 Erica De Matteis". Miss Universe Italy. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  47. "Sabina Azimbaeva is Miss Universe Kazakhstan 2018". The Great Pageant Community. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  48. "Miss Universe Kenya 2018 is Wabaiya Kariuki". MissUniverseKenya. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  49. "Begimay Karybekova is Miss Universe Kyrgyzstan 2018". The Great Pageant Community. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  50. "Varsha Ragoobarsing crowned as Miss Universe Mauritius 2018". The Great Pageant Community. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  51. "Hnin Thway Yu Aung crowned as Miss Universe Myanmar 2018". The Great Pageant Community. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  52. "Manita Devkota crowned as Miss Universe Nepal 2018". The Great Pageant Community. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  53. "Rosa Iveth Montezuma wins Senorita Panama 2018". The Great Pageant Community. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  54. "Romina Lozano wins Miss Peru 2018". The Great Pageant Community. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  55. "H'Hen Nie wins Miss Universe Vietnam 2017". The Great Pageant Community. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
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