Miss Universe, the world’s most prestigious female beauty pageant, celebrated 71 years in January 2023.
The revised contest organization was the biggest change for this edition. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans hosted Miss Universe 71; 84 candidates represented their nations.
As usual, the key candidates and finalists were from Venezuela, the US, Puerto Rico, Curacao, Dominican Republic, and the US.
Three finalists, the Dominican Republic, the US, and Venezuela, competed for the crown. The Dominican Republic finished second, and Venezuela and the US fought for the crown.
Finally, the public’s selection, Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel, a Texan of Filipino descent, became the new queen of beauty and the eighth winner for the host country.
R’Bonney Gabriel accepted the crown from 2021’s winner, India’s Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu.
Miss Universe, held many months later than normal due to organizational changes, featured several early favorites who strolled in formal, traditional, and swimsuit clothing at a YouTube preview event on Wednesday.
This year, the judges chose 16 applicants for Saturday’s presentation instead of 20.
