Recap of Miss Universe 2011

For those who tuned in to watch Miss Universe, an annual international beauty pageant that took place last night in Brazil, it was obvious from the get-go that awarding the coveted title would be a hard task.  The candidates were each viable contenders for the crown: each as beautiful and well-spoken as the other.  But though the competition was fierce and tension was running high leading up to the of the event of the crowning of Miss Universe 2011, inner-beauty outshone outer-beauty and principles and respect were among some of the values that were awarded last night.

This year the ceremony was held in Credicard Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  The Miss Universe 2011 pageant opened with music from Serigo Mendes’ Mas Que Nada, the theme song for the movie ‘Rio.’ According to Celestrallas’ Rafael Abreu, the 60^th anniversary of this event was done in “impeccable” taste and organization, with the stage decorated in immaculate and vivid hues that represented Rio.  The host country also managed to color the exuberant faces of the contestants – the candidates were all moved by the Brazilian hospitality and could heartily attest to Brazil’s music, the Samba, and of course, the food.

The Top Ten

Although it must’ve been gut-wrenchingly hard to eliminate all these wonderful contestants, only the following candidates were able to move forward onto the Top 10:

Australia, Scherri-Lee
Costa Rica, Johanna Solano Lopez
France, Laury Tilleman
Ukraine, Olesay Stefanko
Portugal, Laura Goncalves
Panama, Sheldry Saez
Phillipines, Shamcey Supsup
Angola, Leila Lopes
Chine, Zi Lin Luo
Brazil, Priscila Machado

Evening Gowns

One of the most tuned in sections of the show next to swimsuits; the 10 semifinalists took the stage in their magnificent gowns to the sultry vocals of Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto in the background.  Miss Angola was in the top tier with a 7.2.  The rest of the ratings were as followed: Australia, 3.8; Costa Rica, 6.3; France, 3.9; Ukraine, 4.2; Portugal, 3.9; Panama 2.3; Philippines, 6.7; Angola, 7.2; China, 2.8; Brazil, 6.0

Top Five

The Top 5 contestants included:

Ukraine, Olesay Stefanko
Philippines, Shamcey Supsup
China, Zi Lin Luo
Brazil, Priscila Machado
Angola, Leila Lopes

Q&A

Now it was the judges turn to speak up.  Among some of the questions that were asked that night inquired into the candidates knowledge of history, religious beliefs, values, and self-image.  But Miss Angola’s response was by far the best.  When Lea Sangola asked her what she would change about her physique, she answered:  “Thank God I am very satisfied with the way He created me, so I wouldn’t change anything. I consider myself a woman with so much inner beauty, with principles and values that I have received from my family and my education, so I plan to stay the same way. I’d also like to give you an advice: respect each other”.

AND THE WINNER IS …

Fourth Runner-Up: Miss China
Third Runner-Up: Miss Philippines
Second Runner-Up: Miss Brazil
First Runner-Up: Miss Ukraine
Miss Universe 2011: Miss Angola

Photo courtesy of Venkateswarlu and Bruce C. via Flickr