Miss Universe 1996


Miss Universe 1996, the 45th Miss Universe pageant, was held on May 17, 1996 at Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Alicia Machado of Venezuela was crowned by Chelsi Smith from the United States at the end of the event. 79 contestants competed in this edition.
The pageant originally was scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. However, for financial reasons, South Africa couldn't host the pageant and Miss Universe was moved to Las Vegas.

Results

Placements

Final competition

Contestants

The following table is the order of introduction in the Parade of Nations segment in the regional groups, randomly-ordered. The order was fixed from 1994 but edited with more nations.
Geographical Region / ContinentOrder of Country / Territory Introduction
South America
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The Islands
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    • Europe and The British Isles
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    • Asia and The Land Down Under
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    • Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa
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    • Central and North America
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    • Replacements

  • – Elmira Tuyusheva won Miss Russia 1995 and was supposed to compete in Miss Universe. However, she decided to break her contract with the Miss Russia organization just 1 month before Miss Universe to pursue her career as a model and actress. As none of the Miss Russia 1995 pageant runners-up were eligible to replace her duties due to several reasons, the organizers decided to pick Ilmira Shamsutdinova as the official delegate of Russia in Miss Universe 1996. Shamsutdinova was Miss USSR 1991 but the Soviet Union split into fifteen countries that year.

    Withdrawals

  • ' - Aileen Maravilla Villanueva
  • ' - Miyuki Fujii
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  • - Alice Banda

    Returns

  • Last competed in 1993
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  • Last competed in 1994
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    Did not compete

  • - Monique Chiara

    Awards

  • ' - Miss Congeniality
  • ' - Miss Photogenic
  • - Best National Costume

    General references