Miss Universe 2021

70th edition of the Miss Universe competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Miss Universe 2021

Miss Universe 2021 was the 70th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel on 13 December 2021.[a][2]

Quick Facts Date, Presenters ...
Miss Universe 2021
Thumb
Winner Harnaaz Sandhu in 2022
Date13 December 2021
Presenters
Entertainment
VenueUniverse Dome, Port of Eilat, Israel
BroadcasterInternational:Official broadcaster: Yes[1]
Entrants80
Placements16
DebutsBahrain
Withdrawals
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia
  • Myanmar
  • Uruguay
Returns
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Guatemala
  • Hungary
  • Kenya
  • Morocco
  • Namibia
  • Nigeria
  • Sweden
  • Turkey
WinnerHarnaaz Sandhu
India
Best National CostumeMaristella Okpala, Nigeria
 2020
2022 
Close
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70th anniversary logo

At the end of the event, Harnaaz Sandhu of India was crowned Miss Universe 2021 by Andrea Meza of Mexico. It was India's first victory in twenty-one years, and the third in the country's in the pageant history. Sandhu became the first ever Sikh to win the title.[3][4][5]

Contestants from eighty countries and territories competed in the pageant. Steve Harvey returned as the host; Harvey last served as host during Miss Universe 2019. Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019, and Carson Kressley served as backstage correspondents. JoJo, Noa Kirel, Harel Skaat, Valerie Hamaty, and Narkis performed in this year's pageant.[6][7]

Fox returned as the official broadcaster of the show after being absent for the previous edition. It was broadcast to hundreds of millions[quantify] of viewers in 172 countries. This was also the final edition to be aired on an American broadcast television network.[7]

Background

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Location and date

In January 2021, the Miss Universe Organization was reportedly in talks to host the 2021 edition of the competition in Costa Rica in late 2021 or early 2022.[8] The negotiations were later confirmed by Gustavo Segura, serving as the Minister of Tourism in the government of Costa Rica.[9][10] In May 2021, in her first interview to People en Español after her coronation, Andrea Meza stated that the next edition of the pageant could possibly take place at the end of 2021. She also acknowledged the fact that her reign would be one of the shortest in the history of the pageant.[b][11]

Two months after the interview, the Miss Universe Organization confirmed that the competition would be in Eilat, Israel in December 2021.[12] On 27 October 2021, the pageant was confirmed to be on 12 December 2021, at the Universe Dome, a custom-built and temporary arena imported to Eilat from Portugal. Also announced was that the chosen venue was to work with maximum capacity (5,000 spectators) to avoid precautious concerns on a potential COVID-19 resurgence, after the 2020 pageant (held in May 2021) was scaled down to 1,750 spectators (nearly one-quarter of the venue capacity) due to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.[13][14]

Selection of participants

Contestants from eighty countries and territories were selected to compete in the competition. Twenty-seven of these delegates were appointees to their positions after being a runner-up of their national pageant or being selected through a casting process, while two were selected to replace the original dethroned winner.

Replacements

Amandine Petit, Miss France 2021, was initially supposed to compete in Miss Universe 2021, while Clémence Botino, Miss France 2020, was supposed to compete in Miss Universe 2020. A switch happened between the two delegates due to a potential date conflict between Miss Universe 2021 and Miss France 2022, at which Petit was contractually obligated to be present.[15] Debbie Aflalo, originally the first runner-up of Miss Dominican Republic 2021, was appointed to represent the country after the original winner, Andreína Martínez, tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before her scheduled departure.[16] Kawtar Benhalima, originally the first runner-up of Miss Universe Morocco 2021, was appointed to represent the country after the original winner, Fatima-Zahra Khayat, was injured in a car accident.[17]

Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

This edition marked the debut of Bahrain, and the returns of Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Sweden, and Turkey; Morocco last competed in 1978, which makes the country's first time to compete after four decades of absence from Miss Universe,[18] Greece, Guatemala, and Hungary last competed in 2018, while the others last competed in 2019. Barbados, Belize, Indonesia, and Malaysia withdrew for travel restrictions while Myanmar and Uruguay withdrew for undisclosed reasons.[19][20][21][22] Expected to debut in the competition was the United Arab Emirates, but plans changed following the cancellation of its national pageant.[23][24]

Clémence Botino of France, later tested positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in Israel, and was taken to a government isolation hotel. She had been fully vaccinated, and had tested upon departure.[25] Botino was released from quarantine after ten days and was authorized to rejoin the competition.[26]

Incidents before the pageant

Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane, refused to withdraw from the pageant after pressure from the South African government. Minister of Arts, Sport and Culture – Nathi Mthethwa, announced that the government refused to associate itself with the pageant as "the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians are well documented."[27][28][29]

Results

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Results map of Miss Universe 2021

Placements

More information Placement, Contestant ...
Placement Contestant
Miss Universe 2021
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
Top 5
Top 10
Top 16
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§ - Voted into the Top 16 by viewers

Special awards

More information Award, Contestant ...
Award Contestant
Best National Costume
  • Nigeria Nigeria – Maristella Okpala[31]
Fan Vote Winner
Social Impact Award
  • Chile Chile – Antonia Figueroa[31]
Spirit of Carnival Award
  • The Bahamas The Bahamas – Chantel O'Brian[31][32]
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Pageant

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Format

The Miss Universe Organization introduced several specific changes to the format for this edition. The number of semifinalists was reduced to sixteen— the same number of semifinalists in 2017. The results of the preliminary competition— which consisted of the swimsuit and evening gown competition, and the closed-door interview, determined the sixteen semifinalists selected at large. The internet voting is still being implemented, with fans being able to vote for another delegate to advance into the semifinals. The sixteen semifinalists competed in the swimsuit competition and were narrowed down to ten afterward. The ten semifinalists competed in the evening gown competition and were narrowed down to five afterward. The five finalists competed in the preliminary question and answer round, and the final three was chosen. The final word portion was brought back, after which Miss Universe 2021 and her two runners-up were announced.[33]

Selection committee

Contestants

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Perspective

Eighty contestants competed for the title.[36]

More information Country/Territory, Contestant ...
Country/TerritoryContestantAge[c]Hometown
Albania AlbaniaIna Dajci[37]27Tirana
Argentina ArgentinaJulieta García[38]22Bahía Blanca
Armenia ArmeniaNane Avetisyan[39]24Yerevan
Aruba ArubaThessaly Zimmerman[40]27Oranjestad
Australia AustraliaDaria Varlamova[41]27Melbourne
The Bahamas The BahamasChantel O'Brian[42]27Nassau
Bahrain BahrainManar Nadeem Deyani[43]25Riffa
Belgium BelgiumKedist Deltour[44]24Nazareth
Bolivia BoliviaNahemi Uequin[45]20Santa Cruz
Brazil BrazilTeresa Santos[46]23Maranguape
British Virgin Islands British Virgin IslandsXaria Penn[47]18Tortola
Bulgaria BulgariaElena Danova[48]21Krichim
Cambodia CambodiaMarady Ngin[49]22Phnom Penh
Cameroon CameroonMichèle-Ange Minkata[50][51]27Yaoundé
Canada CanadaTamara Jemuovic[52]27Toronto
Cayman Islands Cayman IslandsGeorgina Kerford[53]18George Town
Chile ChileAntonia Figueroa[54]26La Serena
China ChinaShiyin Yang[55]20Beijing
Colombia ColombiaValeria Ayos[56]27Cartagena
Costa Rica Costa RicaValeria Rees[57]28Heredia
Croatia CroatiaOra Ivanišević[58]20Dubrovnik
Curaçao CuraçaoShariëngela Cijntje[59]27Willemstad
Czech Republic Czech RepublicKarolína Kokešová[60]25Prague
Denmark DenmarkSara Langtved[61]26Copenhagen
Dominican Republic Dominican RepublicDebbie Aflalo[16]27Azua
Ecuador EcuadorSusy Sacoto[62]24Portoviejo
El Salvador El SalvadorAlejandra Gavidia[63]25San Salvador
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial GuineaMartina Mituy[64]19Ebibeyin
Finland FinlandEssi Unkuri[65]23Vaasa
France FranceClémence Botino[15]24Baie-Mahault
Germany GermanyHannah Seifer[66]19Düsseldorf
Ghana GhanaNaa Commodore[67][51]26Accra
United Kingdom Great BritainEmma Collingridge[68]23Suffolk
Greece GreeceSofia Arapogianni[69]22Ithaca
Guatemala GuatemalaDannia Guevara[70]24Ayutla
Haiti HaitiPascale Bélony[71]28Cap-Haïtien
Honduras HondurasRose Meléndez[72]27Limón
Hungary HungaryJázmin Viktória[73]20Budapest
Iceland IcelandElísa Gróa Steinþórsdóttir[74]22Garðabær
India IndiaHarnaaz Sandhu[75]21Chandigarh
Republic of Ireland IrelandKatharine Walker[76]26Belfast
Israel IsraelNoa Cochva[77]22Bnei Atarot
Italy ItalyCaterina Di Fuccia[78]23Marcianise
Jamaica JamaicaDaena Soares[79]22Mona
Japan JapanJuri Watanabe[80]25Tokyo
Kazakhstan KazakhstanAziza Tokashova[36]27Almaty
Kenya KenyaRoshanara Ebrahim[81]28Nairobi
Kosovo KosovoShkurtesa Sejdiu[82]19Gjilan
Laos LaosTonkham Phonchanhueang[83]26Vientiane
Malta MaltaJade Cini[84]26Valletta
Mauritius MauritiusAnne Murielle Ravina[85]26Rodrigues
Mexico MexicoDébora Hallal[86]25Los Mochis
Morocco MoroccoKawtar Benhalima[17]22Marrakesh
Namibia NamibiaChelsi Shikongo[87]24Walvis Bay
Nepal NepalSujita Basnet[88]28Kathmandu
Netherlands NetherlandsJulia Sinning[89]24Amsterdam
Nicaragua NicaraguaAllison Wassmer[90]26Managua
Nigeria NigeriaMaristella Okpala[91][51]28Anambra
Norway NorwayNora Nakken[92]23Trondheim
Panama PanamaBrenda Smith[93]27Panama City
Paraguay ParaguayNadia Ferreira[94]22Villarrica
Peru PeruYely Rivera[95]27Arequipa
Philippines PhilippinesBeatrice Gomez[96]26Cebu City
Poland PolandAgata Wdowiak[97]25Łódź
Portugal PortugalOrícia Dos Santos[98]27Lisbon
Puerto Rico Puerto RicoMichelle Colón[99]21Loíza
Romania RomaniaCarmina Cotfas[100]21Cluj-Napoca
Russia RussiaRalina Arabova[101]22Kazan
Singapore SingaporeNandita Banna[102]21Singapore
Slovakia SlovakiaVeronika Ščepánková[103]26Bratislava
South Africa South AfricaLalela Mswane[51][104]24Richards Bay
South Korea South KoreaJisu Kim[105]23Seoul
Spain SpainSarah Loinaz[106]23San Sebastián
Sweden SwedenMoa Sandberg[36]25Stockholm
Thailand ThailandAnchilee Scott-Kemmis[107]22Chachoengsao
Turkey TurkeyCemrenaz Turhan[108]23Istanbul
Ukraine UkraineHannah Neplyakh[109]27Dnipro
United States United StatesElle Smith[110]23Louisville
Venezuela VenezuelaLuiseth Materán[111]25Los Teques
Vietnam VietnamNguyễn Huỳnh Kim Duyên[112]26Cần Thơ
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Notes

  1. The event was televised live at 02:00 Israel Standard Time (UTC+02:00); for the Americas, this was 12 December in their local times.
  2. Andrea Meza's reign would be the shortest to complete her reign. Oxana Fedorova, the original winner of Miss Universe 2002, remains the shortest reign in the organization's history but was soon dethroned to pass the title to the first runner-up.
  3. Ages at the time of the pageant

References

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